Honored posthumously, Dick Adipotti was considered one of the fleetest backs to ever don a Penguin football uniform. An excellent all around athlete who played both baseball and basketball in addition to the grid game as a youngster, it was the grid game that afforded the scatback the opportunity to display the skills he honed as a sandlotter. He earned letters in the three aforementioned sports while at Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pa., graduating in 1964. Recruited by several colleges upon graduation, he chose to attend Youngstown State University, not because of its proximity to the Monroeville area and the fact that his family would be able to see him play, but the chance to play early in his career was more than an attractive feature to him. His freshman year wasn’t what he expected, injuries taking their toll. His sophomore campaign was anything but the “sophomore-jinx” that many scribes refer to. His sophomore campaign was the springboard to a successful collegiate career as he led the Penguins in scoring with 48 points on eight touchdowns including one on a run of 76 yards and an 82 yard runback with an intercepted pass. He was second on the team in rushing and receiving as the Penguins posted a 6-2 overall mark. He picked up his junior year where his sophomore year ended, hitting paydirt on a 71yard run in the very first game of the season against Central Michigan. His ability to score from anywhere on the field made him the Penguins’ most vital weapon in key game situations. He led the team in rushing with 600 yards on 64 carries (an average of 9.3 yards per tote) for six touchdowns, four of those coming against Southern Connecticut State when he set the school standard for most rushing yards in a game with 304 (on 24 carries, an average of 12.7 per carry). His season ended when he was tackled in that game and suffered a broken ankle. His senior campaign was an injury plagued one, yet he still managed 422 yards on 67 carries (an average of 6.3 per carry with six touchdowns) while playing in just four complete games. A diminutive running back with flair of an acrobat on the field of play, his four touchdowns on that memorable day against Southern Connecticut State set the record for most scores in a single game and is still the second most by any Penguin player in a single game. His 24 points in a game, also against Southern Connecticut State remains second in the Penguin grid record book while his 82 yard pass reception from Joe Piunno against Central Michigan on September 17 1965, established the standard for the longest play from scrimmage at the time, and currently ranks a second on the all time list. Upon completing his grid career at YSU, he had a tryout with the Montreal Alouetees of the Canadian Football League. In college, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.