KUTZTOWN, Pa – Collin DiGalbo wanted to keep playing football. The 2019 Kutztown University graduate knew his chance at the next level would come, he just did not know when. Well, his time is here.
 
DiGalbo recently signed a contract to play overseas in Italy. He will be leaving for his first professional opportunity at the beginning of February, and will hit the ground running with practice starting right away.
 
"The federation in Italy is called the Italian Federation of American Football, but the league itself is called the Italian Football League (IFL)," said DiGalbo. "It's a professional league in Europe. My team is called the Ancona Dolphins, located in Ancona, Italy. I'll be living there in the city. While I'm over there I'm going to help spread the game of American football to the Italian Community, and it's exciting to show others the love I have for this game."
 
DiGalbo joins former teammate Conor Sullivan as Golden Bear football alumni who have continued their playing careers in Europe. In fall 2019, Sullivan played in England in the British Universities and Colleges Sports League (BUCS), while pursuing a master's degree in psychology/sport and exercise.
 
Dolphins head coach Roberto Rotelli saw film of DiGalbo picking apart Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference defenses with his right arm and legs, and he decided that he needed to reach out.
 
"They told me that they've been following me this past year, and they saw my film and they were very impressed with the way I play," DiGalbo said. "I was contacted by their head coach with interest of me playing for their team. We talked about the opportunity and I figured that it's something that I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it with the Dolphins."
 
The Dolphins are getting a competitor and a winner in the Secane native. DiGalbo amassed a 29-8 overall record as a starter, appearing in 42 career games. He holds single-game, program records for the longest run by a quarterback (82 yards) and rushing touchdowns by a QB (3), and also the most rushing TDs by a QB (11) in a season. DiGalbo ranks second at KU in career passing yards (9,282), tied for second in rushing TDs (33), third in completions (725), third in passing attempts (1,140) and third in passing TDs (74). He is a four-time All-PSAC East player, including the 2019 PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year. DiGalbo led KU to two PSAC East titles and two NCAA playoff appearances as its starting quarterback over the last four seasons.
 
"My time at KU as a student-athlete was one of the best times of my life," said DiGalbo. "It helped me better myself, whether that be time-managing properly, or learning how to better deal with pressure. When you are a student-athlete, you are constantly on the move and looking ahead to what is next. Getting through your 6 a.m. lift, and then having classes until 1:30 p.m., and then going to football practice, followed by film. Life as a student-athlete set me up to be highly successful in my future life, and there isn't anything I'd take back from that experience. It's meant the world to me because I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Kutztown and the student-athlete they allowed me to be."
 
Practice for Ancona is already underway and DiGalbo will join in as soon as he arrives during the third week of February. It will be a new experience for him, living and playing football in a different country, but he is excited to put the pads on again and to help grow the popular American sport over in Italy.
 
"I'm excited to meet new people and to experience a different culture," DiGalbo said. "With my grandparents being Italian, I've always wanted to experience Italy for myself, and to be able to go over there to play the game I love is a dream. I hope to experience a different way of teaching the game I grew up playing and the different ways that people take it in. American football is the greatest game in the world, and I think it is an amazing thing to be able to teach it in Italy. I hope to experience things that I would never have thought about doing and getting out of my comfort zone and enjoying life in a different perspective than I you would get by living in Pennsylvania.
 
"I hope to get better each and every day whether that will be on the football field, or off the field. I also want to bring a championship to Ancona and with the coaches and players they have, that's something that we can do this upcoming year."
 
When football is over, DiGalbo plans on using his business administration degree from KU in the work force, but until then, he's going to keep playing the game he loves and making new memories along the way.