Jerry Diorio
Encyclopedia
Gerald J. Diorio is a retired professional American football
player who played at the guard
position for the University of Michigan
and in the National Football League
for the Detroit Lions
.
Diorio was born in Youngstown, Ohio
and played football there at Cardinal Mooney High School.
Diorio enrolled at the University of Michigan
in 1980 and played football under head football coach Bo Schembechler
from 1980 to 1983. While playing at Michigan, Diorio was 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighed 235 pounds. He started four games at right guard for the 1981 Michigan Wolverines football team
and six games at the same position for the 1982 team
.
Diorio started all 12 games at left guard for the 1983 Michigan Wolverines football team
that finished the season with a 9-3 record and ranked No. 8 in the final AP poll and No. 9 in the final UPI poll. In January 1984, Diorio played in the East-West Shrine Game
at Stanford Stadium
in Palo Alto, California
. He was also selected as a second-team All-Big Ten guard by the Associated Press, and a first-team member of the 1983 Big Ten All-Academic football team.
After graduating from Michigan, Diorio was undrafted in the 1984 NFL Draft
. He tried out with the Denver Broncos
in 1984, and played professional football in the Italian Football League
for the Stiassi Doves, who won "the Italian Super Bowl" in 1985. In 1987, Diorio played in the NFL with the Detroit Lions
.
From 2004 to 2008, Diorio was the head football coach at Wayland Union High School in Wayland, Michigan
. In 2007, he was named Regional Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. In 2008, Diorio coached his Wayland Union team against his former University of Michigan line coach Elliott Uzelac
, who was then coaching high school football in St. Joseph, Michigan
; Uzelac's team won the game, 32-31, in overtime. In 2009, he became an assistant football coach at Byron Center High School in Byron Center, Michigan
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played at the guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
position for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
Diorio was born in Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and played football there at Cardinal Mooney High School.
Diorio enrolled at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1980 and played football under head football coach Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
from 1980 to 1983. While playing at Michigan, Diorio was 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighed 235 pounds. He started four games at right guard for the 1981 Michigan Wolverines football team
1981 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1981 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1981 college football season. The team's head coach was Bo Schembechler...
and six games at the same position for the 1982 team
1982 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1982 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1982 college football season. The team's head coach was Bo Schembechler...
.
Diorio started all 12 games at left guard for the 1983 Michigan Wolverines football team
1983 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1983 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1983 college football season. The team's head coach was Bo Schembechler...
that finished the season with a 9-3 record and ranked No. 8 in the final AP poll and No. 9 in the final UPI poll. In January 1984, Diorio played in the East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
at Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the Stanford University campus, the home of Stanford Cardinal college football team. It originally opened in 1921 as a football and track stadium, an earthen horseshoe with wooden bleacher seating and flooring upon a steel frame...
in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
. He was also selected as a second-team All-Big Ten guard by the Associated Press, and a first-team member of the 1983 Big Ten All-Academic football team.
After graduating from Michigan, Diorio was undrafted in the 1984 NFL Draft
1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...
. He tried out with the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1984, and played professional football in the Italian Football League
Italian Football League
Italian Football League is an American football league in Italy.-History:It was founded in 2008, taking over previous league's significance...
for the Stiassi Doves, who won "the Italian Super Bowl" in 1985. In 1987, Diorio played in the NFL with the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
From 2004 to 2008, Diorio was the head football coach at Wayland Union High School in Wayland, Michigan
Wayland, Michigan
Wayland is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,939 at the 2000 census.The city is located at the northwest corner of Wayland Township, but is politically independent. The city has also incorporated a portion of land in the south of adjacent Leighton...
. In 2007, he was named Regional Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. In 2008, Diorio coached his Wayland Union team against his former University of Michigan line coach Elliott Uzelac
Elliott Uzelac
Elliot Uzelac is an American football coach. Most recently he was the head coach as St. Joseph High School in St. Joseph, Michigan. Uzelac was the head coach at Western Michigan University from 1975 to 1981 and at the United States Naval Academy from 1987 to 1989...
, who was then coaching high school football in St. Joseph, Michigan
St. Joseph, Michigan
St. Joseph is a city in the US state of Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,789. It lies on the shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, about east-northeast of Chicago. It is the county...
; Uzelac's team won the game, 32-31, in overtime. In 2009, he became an assistant football coach at Byron Center High School in Byron Center, Michigan
Byron Center, Michigan
Byron Center is an unincorporated community in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan It is a census-designated place used for statistical purposes. The population was 3,777 at the 2000 census....
.