Small receiver makes big strides

When sophomore wideout Joe DelSardo was in his senior year at nearby Seton-LaSalle High… When sophomore wideout Joe DelSardo was in his senior year at nearby Seton-LaSalle High School, no one expected him to come to Pitt. Those closest to him thought that he would go to a school like Morehead State, where his older brother Ralph was a wide receiver.

That’s because Pitt never offered him a scholarship. But DelSardo didn’t let that deter him. He joined the team as a walk-on at the start of 2003 training camp. Last year, he earned a letter after playing in 10 games, including the Continental Tire Bowl.

Not bad for a walk-on.

“If I never came here,” DelSardo said, “I couldn’t let myself wonder if I could’ve made it.”

This year, he was expected to provide competition at the flanker position, but his main playing time was to come on special teams. But injuries to wide receivers Terrell Allen and Princell Brockenbrough have pushed DelSardo into the starting lineup.

“Unfortunately those guys are injured,” DelSardo said. “But I’m glad that the coaches had enough confidence in me to put me in there.”

DelSardo came to Pitt with an impressive resume. His awards include Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Class AA Player of the Year, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Fabulous 22,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review “Terrific 25,” and he was a first-team selection on The Associated Press Small School All-State Team.

But most people did not believe DelSardo would be able to play football for Pitt. Not because of a lack of talent, but because of a lack of size. His 5-foot-8-inch frame is hardly prototypical for a Division I receiver. But DelSardo refuses to let size be an issue for him on the field.

“In the huddle, you see the big guys standing around me,” DelSardo said. “But once I line up out there, I don’t really think about the size.”

Wide receivers coach Pete Carmichael also believes that DelSardo’s size won’t be an issue. He believes that instincts, rather than size, are what makes a quality wideout.

“Size doesn’t matter with Joe because he has the confidence to make the play,” Carmichael said in the Panthers’ 2004 media guide. “He has good hands and finds ways to make plays. He will be a factor in our offense this year.”

DelSardo is looking forward to making the best of the opportunity in front of him. He’s enjoying the satisfaction of proving to others that he could crack the starting lineup. Now he wants to show the coaches that they made the right move by giving him this chance.

“I’d just like to go out and perform my best to help my team out,” DelSardo said. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime, so I’m going to jump all over it.”