Paladino Not Ready to Accept Losing at USD

There are many who feel that Dave Paladino has done a magnificent job at strong safety for the University of San Diego football team.

Paladino is not yet one of them.

Having lost its past two games by a point apiece to higher division teams, USD (2-2) plays host to Whittier (2-2) at 7:30 tonight at Torero Stadium.

“I don’t care who the opponent is,” Paladino said. “I don’t like to lose, and we’ve lost two in a row. I take things very personally out there on the field.”

Paladino had 20 tackles last week in a 21-20 loss to Division II Cal State Hayward, and he has led the defense-minded Toreros in that category every game this fall. His 57 tackles are only 29 fewer than his team-leading total of a year ago, and he is on pace to finish with 142, 11 more than the school record set by John Gutsmiedl in 1986.

Still, Paladino is somewhat skeptical.

“(The tackles) could have been even higher last week, but I missed some,” he says. “Boneheaded plays. I can think of three or four right off hand. People might say, ‘Great, he had 20 tackles.’ But I think more in terms of the three or four I missed.”

No Torero had more interceptions or forced fumbles than Paladino had last year, and the same goes this fall.

“I take things personally as far as the way I perform and the way I want our team to perform,” he said. “Any letdowns can cause an injury or any lack of effort can cause a score or defeat. I don’t like to be defeated.”

Paladino, mind you, is neither big nor terribly fast. He’s listed at 5 feet 8, 170 pounds and, said USD Coach Brian Fogarty, “I think if he runs 4.9 in the 40, that’s a good day for him.

“But he’s a tough kid and a real leader of our football team. He’s probably a linebacker trapped in a defensive back’s body.”

Paladino, a senior majoring in business administration, was both a running back and a safety at La Canada High in Glendale, and he wasn’t sure where he would play at USD.

According to Darryl Jackson, who played alongside Paladino for three years and is now USD’s defensive backs coach, there was little doubt.

“When he first got here,” Jackson said, “I thought of him as a big hitter; similar to a Ronnie Lott in a smaller frame.

“I think everyone underestimates him because of his size. But he’s got a big heart, a lot of fire and a lot of enthusiasm, and that’s what makes him a great player.”

Said senior offensive lineman George Chumo: “He’s been the guy we all turn to. When something goes wrong, he’s the guy that settles us down.