A Quakertown Community School District teacher, who made life miserable for quarterbacks as a college defensive end, has been inducted into the Moravian Athletic Hall of Fame.
Dominick Cusumano, second in Moravian College history with 27 sacks, was officially inducted on Nov. 9. “I’m just so proud and excited,” said Mr. Cusumano, a social studies teacher at the Sixth Grade Center. “We had an outstanding defense. There were great players on those teams, and we had a lot of success. With success comes recognition. It was such a great experience.”
That defense included Shawn Storm, a seventh-grade reading teacher at Strayer Middle School, who started at the other defensive end position for the Greyhounds. “We played on one of the best defenses in the history of Moravian College,” Mr. Storm said. “The front four on that defense was tenacious. We complemented each other so much and genuinely cared about each other.
“Cus was a quiet, lead by example type of guy for that defense, which was nice because I did all the talking for us both. We both played the same position — opposite sides, so I worked with him every day. I got to witness first hand his relentless work ethic and athletic skill. There were many games where we’d be lining up and I’d yell over to him ‘Meet you at the quarterback.’ He got there a few times before me, but we both celebrated each other.
“He was like a brother to me on and off that field and I couldn’t be more honored to see him inducted into the Hall of Fame. I’m proud of him and I’m excited for him and his family.”
In a 1997 story in The Morning Call, Moravian coach Scot Dapp described his top defender this way: “Dom’s a quiet guy, is not individually goal-oriented. He wants to get a sack because that will help the team. He’s the consummate team player.”
Not surprisingly for a future teacher, Mr. Cusumano was equally adept in the classroom as the gridiron. The 1998 Moravian graduate, who transferred from Millersville University after his freshman year, was selected to the Middle Atlantic Conference All-Star First Team in both 1995 and 1997, and he also earned a spot on the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District Team as a senior and the Hewlett-Packard Honorable Mention All-America Team as a sophomore.
He was on the 1995 and 1997 MAC All-Academic Teams, and besides his 27 sacks he added 100 tackles, three fumble recoveries including one for a touchdown in 1997, and two pass break-ups.
After graduating from Moravian, Mr. Cusumano was hired by QCSD to teach fifth grade at Tohickon Valley Elementary School. Two years later he moved to Milford Middle School, where he remained until its closing, and has been at SGC since it opened last year.
“I like being able to see kids grow, especially at this age,” Mr. Cusumano said. “They’re so different in June than when you first meet them in September. They’re work ethic is different, as is what they know and how much they can do. They’re sponges. They just absorb everything. It’s great to see them grow over the course of a school year.”
Mr. Cusumano grew up in Pennridge, and played for the Rams in three Thanksgiving games against the Panthers, winning as a senior. These days, his allegiance has transferred to the Q. “I root for Quakertown,” he said. “I know all of these kids.”