Cornell University Athletics

He was a linebacker in football and co-captain of the team 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. The former native of New Hartford, N.Y., graduated from New Hartford Central School, where he captained both the football and track teams, lettering three times in each sport. He was a two-time all-league linebacker, and he set the Section III record in the shot put and the discus. He makes his home in Wildwood, Mo.