Villanova Univeristy Athletics

A standout halfback who contributed in virtually every area of the game, Dominic “Mickey” Frinzi was part of the only game in school history in which Villanova had three different players top 100 rushing yards. He played for the Wildcats from 1948-50 and graduated in 1951. Frinzi was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1991.
 
In his first season on the varsity squad, Frinzi played for Hall of Fame coach Jordan Olivar in 1948 and helped Villanova go 8-2-1 on the year. The team tallied the first bowl game victory in program history with a 27-7 win over Nevada in the Harbor Bowl in San Diego. Notable games during the regular season included a 34-14 victory over Texas A&M at Franklin Field in the season opener as well as road wins over Miami (Fla.), Detroit and North Carolina State.
 
Frinzi had 519 all-purpose yards for the 1948 season, including rushing 57 times for 353 yards and a touchdown. His best offensive year came in 1949 when the Wildcats backfield featured four future Hall of Famers in Frinzi along with Ralph Pasquariello, Pete D’Alonzo and Joe Rogers. A fifth halfback, John Geppi, rushed for 528 yards as a senior that year and Villanova averaged 294.9 rushing yards per game.
 
The totals for Frinzi in 1949 include 46 rushes for a career-high 356 yards. He averaged 7.7 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns, including one on a career-long 75-yard burst against North Carolina State in the season finale. That contest made Villanova history as the trio of Frinzi, Pasquariello and Geppi all topped the 100-yard mark in rushing for the day while helping the Wildcats set a team record with 627 rushing yards in a 45-21 romp over the Wolfpack. Frinzi ran nine times for a career-high 112 yards on the day, while Pasquariello went for 132 yards on 22 carries and Geppi rushed eight times for 138 yards.
 
Frinzi also had three receptions for 37 yards and a score in nine games played in 1949 while helping Villanova go 8-1 under first year head coach James Leonard. In all, the Wildcats would tally a mark of 20-8-1 (.707) in Frinzi’s three collegiate seasons.
 
In 1950, Frinzi opened his senior year by running for 106 yards in a 39-28 victory over Duquesne in the season opener. He went on to rush 32 times for 190 yards on the season, recorded two receptions for 29 yards and returned eight kickoffs for 75 yards. He also played defense and had three interceptions which he returned for a total of 64 yards in a 20-14 win at Georgetown on October 28 of that season.
 
Frinzi handled much of the Wildcats punting duties during his career and punted 61 times for an average of 32.6 yards per punt. He had two career punts for over 50 yards, including a career-long of 59 yards on October 8, 1949, versus St. Mary’s.
 
During his professional career Frinzi was a teacher at Phillipsburg Catholic High School from 1951 to 1960 and at Phillipsburg High School from 1960 until his retirement in 1991. He taught business, business math and driver education courses at Phillipsburg High School, his own alma mater where he had graduated from in 1946 before attending Perkiomen Prep School on his way to Villanova.
 
Frinzi was the head football coach at Phillipsburg from 1968 to 1973 and the school’s athletic director from 1976 until his retirement. He was a member of the New Jersey Education Association and the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association, and was involved in the yearly selection of the Most Valuable Player at Perkiomen Prep School. Frinzi passed away in 1996 at the age of 68.