Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Joe Cervini played both offensive tackle and defensive end for Villanova during his varsity career, which spanned the 1968-70 seasons. He graduated from Villanova in 1971 and was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1998.
 
Villanova enjoyed plenty of success on the field during Cervini’s career, going 21-9 (.700) overall and posting three consecutive winning seasons under head coach John Gregory (1968-69) and Lou Ferry (1970). After the Wildcats won six games in each of Cervini’s first two varsity campaigns, the 1970 squad went 9-2 and tallied the program’s most wins in a season since the 1896 team went 10-4.
 
The memorable 1970 campaign opened with a 21-3 victory on the road at ACC member Maryland. Villanova lost a narrow decision, 28-21, at home to Boston College in its second contest before winning eight of its last nine games. The only loss in that span was a road defeat at Virginia Tech. Cervini was credited with three forced fumbles for the season.
 
In a wrap-up of the season at year’s end, the Villanovan noted the key role players for the Wildcats defense during the 1970 season. Recognizing Cervini and fellow senior Bill Brannan, the article stated, “The Wildcat defense was devastating this season. They consistently gave the offense good field position and caused quite a few turnovers. Two of the most consistent performers were Joe Cervini and Bill Brannan…Both Cervini and Brannan were high on the number of tackles statistics being number six and seven respectively. Against the run their job was to contain the sweeps. Not many plays were run around these two. They accounted for 99 tackles this year. Playing in their last game for Villanova on Thanksgiving, they made their presence felt. Temple gained only 25 yards on the ground. It was a fine year for these two senior ends.”
 
The final game of the season against Temple was a memorable one, as the Wildcats met the Owls on the gridiron for the first time in 27 years. The game took place on November 26, Thanksgiving Day, and resulted in Villanova tallying a 31-26 victory.
 
Cervini was also involved in another game that holds a special place in Wildcats history. He was a junior on the 1969 team that overcame a 26-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat rival Delaware, 36-33, at Delaware Stadium on September 27, 1969. Frank Brady of the Philadelphia Bulletin wrote about the stunning comeback victory, calling it “one of the most dramatic comebacks in college football’s 101 years.” Villanova trailed by 26 points with 12 minutes remaining when quarterback Drew Gordon came in off the bench to throw 7-of-17 passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns in leading the rally.
 
Cervini graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business administration from the College of Commerce and Finance (now called the Villanova School of Business) in 1971. He went on to have a long and successful career in the FBI and then became an associate in the Technical Services Division of AT&T. Cervini also served on the board of the Blue White Scholarship Foundation.