Albion / Alden Football Coaching Great
A trusted leader and mentor, Dick Diminuco epitomized all of the qualities of a respected high school athletics administrator. His roots began as a star quarterback at Ottawa (Kansas) University following a stand-out prep career at Monroe High School in Rochester, NY.
At Ottawa, Diminuco was a four-year letterman in football and a two-year letterman in baseball. As quarterback for the Braves, he threw for 5,272 yards and 52 touchdowns. In 1972, he led the NAIA in touchdown passes with 26 and ranked third in total passing with 2,188 yards. Diminuco earned all-conference honors for three years; 1st Team, one year, and 2nd Team, two years. He was named All-District 10 in 1972 and 1974 and NAIA All-America Honorable-Mention in 1972.
After graduation he accepted a job to teach and coach football at Albion High School. His leadership on the gridiron soon led to an expanded administrative role at the school. This move would ultimately initiate a 31-year athletics administrative career, 28 of which Diminuco served as the school’s athletic director. During Diminuco’s 34-year coaching tenure, Albion accumulated 204 wins and a pair of New York State championships in 1983 and 1987. He twice was named New York State Coach of the Year. Diminuco – a member of the Section V Football Hall of Fame – retired from Albion in 2008.
Even in retirement, he was unable to shake the coaching bug. Diminuco subsequently returned to the gridiron to coach football at Alden High School. Though he only planned to coach for two seasons, he would ultimately stay four years with the Bulldogs, and went 31-3 in his final three campaigns. He retired from the Alden head position in November of 2012 as the third all-time winningest football coach in Western New York with a record of 242-70.
Respected by his peers for countless years of service to the Western New York high school football landscape, Dick Diminuco leaves an indelible mark on our community and more importantly to all the countless high school athletes he impacted during his career.