Bucknell University Athletics
Dal Bello Creating New Memories in Final Year as a Bison
9/14/2011 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 14, 2011
By Todd Merriett, Bucknell Athletic Communications
When asked last week about his favorite memories during his time as a Bucknell football player, senior offensive lineman Ian Dal Bello thought for a moment before he listed a win from each of his first three years as a Bison. He mentioned the 24-21 overtime victory over Fordham in the final game of the 2008 season. He talked about the upset of No. 13 Holy Cross in the 2009 season finale. And, finally, he noted last October's win at Georgetown, the lone victory of the 2010 campaign for the Bison.
If Dal Bello was asked the same question this week he might have a new favorite memory. Beating Duquesne. Dal Bello, last Saturday night, was the centerpiece of a senior-laden offensive line that paved the way for Bucknell sophomore quarterback Brandon Wesley to dive across the goal line on fourth down with just 57 seconds showing on the clock, evening the score with the Dukes at 26-all. Moments later Alex Eckard kicked home the extra point and the Bison defense stopped Duquesne, leading to an exciting one-point victory for Bucknell in its season opener.
Dal Bello and his classmates on the offensive line - Anthony Carter, Josh Phillip, Carson Rohrbaugh and Andre Shields - had one of the best games by a Bison group in recent memory against Duquesne as they opened holes for Jeremiah Young to post his first career 100-yard rushing game and gave Wesley time to complete 11 passes.
While last week's win might not be as impressive as beating the Patriot League champion Rams or a nationally ranked opponent like the 2009 Crusaders, Dal Bello and his teammates certainly hope it leads to more success. After all, this is his final year in Orange and Blue and he wants it to end on a positive note, unlike his accomplished high school career that concluded with a disappointing playoff upset.
Dal Bello was born in Canada and lived there until he was eight-years-old when his family moved to Texas. Despite spending the last 13 years living in Texas, a Canadian accent still lingers on certain words. Dal Bello also took the love of hockey with him. Like most Canadians, he started playing the sport at a young age and was able to continue in Texas thanks to the popularity of the sport following the Dallas Stars capturing the 1999 Stanley Cup.
While Dal Bello's first love was hockey, he was a late bloomer in football, waiting until sixth grade to pick up the sport in a football-crazed state.
"In Canada, football is nonexistent," explains Dal Bello, who was team captain of his high school hockey squad as a junior. "All of these kids would be playing football and I would be thinking, `I don't know what this is. I have never seen this before.' Finally, in sixth grade I joined a team and I have been playing ever since."
One of a handful of Texas natives on the Bison roster, Dal Bello went on to star at Allen High School, one of the top teams in the top level (5A) of Texas high school football. The school routinely plays in front of 20,000-30,000 fans and next year will be opening a new $60 million stadium.
"Playing in Texas is surreal," raves Dal Bello. "You see the movies like Friday Night Lights and think it can't be real, but it is accurate in terms of how serious people in Texas take high school football. The facilities are close to Division I FBS level. It was a great experience and I would never trade it for anything."
Dal Bello helped his squad to a 13-2 mark as a junior. The next year the team got off to a 10-0 start and was predicted to win a state championship. However, Allen's week three opponent bounced back from a regular-season blowout and upset Dal Bello and his teammates in the playoffs, ending what was supposed to be a storybook season. The loss still clearly haunts Dal Bello to this day, nearly four years later.
It was months after the conclusion his senior season that Dal Bello first heard of Bucknell, a school located nearly 1,500 miles from home.
"I don't think I heard of Bucknell until March 2008," remembers Dal Bello, who received a phone call from former Bison assistant coach Andrew Cohen. "It was the week before signing day and I didn't sign, so I got to go on my visit. I loved it here. It was a great atmosphere and I liked the people. Jay Vollmar and Kyle Boline showed me around, which was interesting. It's a great school and you can't turn down an academic experience like this."
Dal Bello's high school ran a spread offense and when he arrived at Bucknell the preferred offense was the triple option. Despite having just a few weeks in preseason camp to learn the new system, Dal Bello filled in for an injured Vollmar and appeared in the opening day lineup against Duquesne. He has never left the unit, starting 33 more games since, the longest current streak on the team.
Change has been the name of the game ever since for Dal Bello. After two years of the triple option, Bucknell, under new head coach Joe Susan, switched to a pro style attack last year.
"Going from the triple option to anything is quite a leap," says the 6'1" 280-pound Dal Bello. "I went back to my high school days and thought about the footwork and techniques, plus Coach Rogosheske has done a great job teaching us. It was tough at first, but it will suit Bucknell better in the long run."
The changes continued for Dal Bello as he entered his senior campaign. After playing exclusively at left guard his first three seasons, Dal Bello was called upon to move to center and replace the graduated Vollmar.
"I got comfortable my first three years at left guard," says Dal Bello, a management major who is still unsure what he will do after graduation next May. "It's been good at center. They're similar positions in terms of how you block, but now I obviously have to snap. The neutral zone is decreased, so your reaction time has to be quicker. I always used to give Jay (Vollmar) a hard time for being at center, but now I appreciate what he did last year. You just pick it up and become the leader of the offensive line."
If the seniors on the offensive line can stick together and continue to excel like they did last Saturday night, then Dal Bello will surely move some of his previous memories down the list. And he would be more than happy to do so.
Note: This story appeared in a recent edition of the Bucknell Football Gameday Program.
