KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Possessing innate ability to carve up defenses with his right arm and feet,
Collin DiGalbo (Secane, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) directed Golden Bear football to 32 victories, two PSAC East titles and two NCAA playoff appearances as its starting quarterback over the last four seasons. On Wednesday, Kutztown University announced DiGalbo as its 2019-20 Male Senior Athlete of the Year.
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DiGalbo is the eighth football student-athlete to receive the award since its inception in 1993.
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The Secane, Pennsylvania, native shot up KU's all-time passing and rushing record lists during his final season as the Golden Bears went 11-2, navigated an unbeaten PSAC East schedule for the second time in program history, finished as PSAC runners-up and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Championship tournament.
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"Collin is a great competitor and really sparked our offense over the last four years," said head coach
Jim Clements, who completed his sixth season and was named PSAC East Coach of the Year in 2019. "We started 0-3 in 2016 and made the switch to Collin going into the second half of our game at Seton Hill. We went on to win the PSAC East that year and haven't looked back since. Collin's winning percentage as a starter is up there with the best in KU history."
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In fact, DiGalbo's senior class holds distinction as the winningest in program history, going 35-11 over the last four seasons. DiGalbo actually arrived on campus as a true freshman in 2015, but bided his time as a redshirt. He made his first start Sept. 24, 2016, at Millersville, accounting for nearly 300 yards of total offense and two touchdowns as the Golden Bears rolled to a 41-13 win. A 20-14 home win over rival West Chester the next week set the wheels in motion for an unprecedented 7-0 run through the PSAC East and a spot in the conference championship game. DiGalbo was named 2016 PSAC East Freshman of the Year.
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As his game matured, the results followed. In 2017, he threw for 19 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards. A year later, DiGalbo topped the 2,000-yard passing threshold for the first time with 2,470 yards and 15 TDs, and set a single-season record by a quarterback with 11 rushing TDs as Kutztown earned a bid to the NCAA DII playoffs for just the third time in program history.
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A three-time All-PSAC East Second Team honoree heading into his senior season, DiGalbo left it all on the field last fall when the Golden Bears tied a program record with 11 wins and claimed the program's second ever NCAA playoff victory.
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DiGalbo threw for career-highs of 3,193 yards (third most in a season at KU) and 30 TDs (fifth most in a season), while eclipsing double-digit rushing TDs for the second straight season and moving into a second-place tie alongside Don Shaver with 33 career rushing scores. He was voted PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Year and All-PSAC East First Team by the league's coaches. Regional and national accolades followed, with DiGalbo being named to D2CCA and Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1 teams and garnering an honorable mention All-America nod from D2Football.com.
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DiGalbo ranks second at KU in career passing yards (9,282), tied for second in rushing TDs (33), third in completions (725), third in passing attempts (1,140) and third in passing TDs (74). Also honored as the 2016-17 KU Male Freshman of the Year, DiGalbo joins previous Golden Bear football standouts Andy Breault (1993), John Mobley (1996), Darrien Peoples (1997), Denauld Brown (1998), Michael Baldwin (2006), Kevin Morton (2013) and Jordan Morgan (2017) as KU Male Senior Athlete of the Year winners.
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KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MALE SENIOR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
|
Year |
Winner |
Sport(s) |
1993 |
Andy Breault |
Football |
1994 |
Kevin Berg |
Soccer |
|
Bert Lange |
Track & Field |
1995 |
Howie Cuff |
Cross Country/Track & Field |
1996 |
John Mobley |
Football |
1997 |
Darrien Peoples |
Football |
1998 |
Denauld Brown |
Football |
1999 |
John Rozich |
Baseball |
2000 |
Steve Fitch |
Baseball |
2001 |
Stan Haraczka |
Baseball |
2002 |
Paul Schmitt |
Track & Field |
2003 |
Shaun Landis |
Track & Field |
2004 |
Jeff Brickus |
Basketball |
2005 |
Bilal Salaam |
Basketball |
2006 |
Michael Baldwin |
Football |
2007 |
Ryan Loper |
Baseball |
2008 |
Steve Tyson |
Track & Field |
2009 |
David Ben |
Basketball |
2010 |
Stephen Dennis |
Basketball |
2011 |
John Paukovits |
Wrestling |
2012 |
Shayne Houck |
Baseball |
2013 |
Kevin Morton |
Football |
2014 |
Evan Yenolevich |
Wrestling |
2015 |
Ziad Haddad |
Wrestling |
2016 |
Matt Martoccio |
Wrestling |
2017 |
Jordan Morgan |
Football |
2018 |
Ethan Ridgeway |
Basketball |
2019 |
Anthony Lee |
Basketball |
2020 |
Collin DiGalbo |
Football |
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