Linebacker Ian Dominelli was a one-man wrecking crew as a senior, earning numerous All-America honors while setting a single-season school record for tackles with 224 in 15 games.
Dominelli (6 foot, 215 pounds) reaped all kinds of accolades, being named to the Walter Camp All-America squad, a first-team selection by Teamlink.com, and a second-team pick by the Sports Network, the Football Gazette and The Associated Press.
A first-team All-Gateway Football Conference selection, he was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, honoring the nation's top FCS Defensive Player. Dominelli finished fourth in the Buck Buchanan Award voting. He was also named YSU's top defensive player for the season.
In 1999, he recorded double figures in tackles in the first 14 games of the season. Dominelli had 13 against Slippery Rock; 14 at Western Michigan; 13 versus IUP; 23 against Western Illinois; 14 against Indiana State; 17 vs. Southern Illinois; 29 against Cal Poly; 10 vs. UNI; 23 against Illinois State; 12 versus Missouri State; 18 at Villanova; 10 at Montana; 10 versus North Carolina A&T; 12 against Florida A&M and five in the championship game versus Georgia Southern.
He had his only career interception in the contest against Indiana (Pa.). Of his 29 total tackles against Cal Poly, 14 were solo stops. That number ranks second in school history for most total tackles in a game. For the year, he had eight tackles for losses, five pass breakups and two sacks for the year.
All the more impressive was that he finished with 31 total tackles in 11 games the season before as a junior. He posted a season-best 13 versus UNI. He became a starter the final three games, building momentum for the 1999 season.
A junior-college transfer, he was a second-team All-Foothill Conference selection as a sophomore in 1997 at Saddleback Community College. As a freshman, he was a first-team Western State Athletic Conference pick.
In high school, he was a two-time first-team All-Sea View League pick at Woodbridge High School (1993 and 1994). Dominelli was a first-team all-county pick as a senior after being a second-team selection his junior year.
He graduated from YSU with a degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences. Later, Dominelli earned his California Teaching Credential from Long Beach State University.
Dominelli resides in Huntington Beach, Calif., where he is a high school science teacher and varsity football coach at Huntington Beach High School.
He and his wife Shannon have a son, Aiden.
