DeStefano was a linebacker in football and co-captain of the Big Red as a junior. He received Associated Press All-America honorable mention, AP All-East and All-Ivy first-team honors in 1980 after earning All-Ivy honorable mention as a sophomore. He led the team in tackles in 1978 and 1980 and was runner-up in 1979. Over his three-year varsity career, he totaled 313 tackles to set the school record. The team's most valuable player in 1980, DeStefano signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1981. A three-year letterman and a competitor in the shot put on the track team, he placed second in that event at the 1980 outdoor Heptagonal championships.
