The Wildcats typically have a Scholar-Athlete each year at the NFF Scholar-Athlete Banquet, and this year, the honor went to Nick Schwitzgebel.
The star offensive lineman started all 10 games for the Wildcats at left tackle in 2019. He played exceptionally well for the Football Cats all season long, protecting the flank of quarterback Griffin Hanna.
In November, Schwitzgebel committed to Dartmouth University. The Clevelander is the latest in a long line of Wildcats to head to the Ivy League, and one of many offensive lineman to matriculate to the next level.
Yes, his coaches and teachers are plenty proud of him for four outstanding years at Wildcat High.
DiSanto '80 earns Lifetime Achievement Award
Since he arrived at at the corner of West 30th and Lorain, Fred DiSanto '80 has been a household name in the Saint Ignatius community.
A three-sport student-athlete at Saint Ignatius, DiSanto turned into a star with the Wildcats. He played football, basketball, and baseball at Saint Ignatius, excelling in all three. DiSanto's name is even on the baseball record board, as he hurled a no-hitter against Brush in 1980.
After his time at Saint Ignatius, DiSanto headed to Case Western Reserve University. DiSanto thrived there, too, in the classroom and on the field. He became the only Spartan student-athlete to earn 12 varsity letters with four apiece in football, basketball and baseball. As the NFF program noted, DiSanto set plenty of passing records as the starting quarterback of the Spartans, and garnered All-American honors twice.
During his time at CWRU, DiSanto earned both a bachelor’s degree in management science and a master's degree in business administration.
DiSanto's business career has been no less successful. DiSanto became the title chief executive officer of Ancora in 2006 and then chairman in 2014. DiSanto leads Ancora and its three Registered Investment Advisors along with its Broker Dealer. In 2016, DiSanto was named Sales & Marketing Executives of Cleveland’s 2017 Business Executive of the Year.
DiSanto has since been enshrined in the Athletic Hall of Fames at Saint Ignatius and Case Western Reserve University. At CWRU, DiSanto is a member of the Executive Committee for the Board of Trustees. He formerly served as the Chairman of the Board of Regents at Saint Ignatius. The alumnus is also a Trustee and former Chairman of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.
The Dino Lucarelli Lifetime Achievement Award was well-earned.
The emcee is an alumnus, too
Even the emcee of the evening was a Saint Ignatius alumnus. Brendan Gulick '09 served as the host of the evening's festivities.
Gulick interviewed the head football coach at The Ohio State University, Ryan Day, on the stage. As always, Gulick did a wonderful job.
Since starting the Saint Ignatius Broadcast Network, Gulick has built a very successful broadcasting career. After graduating from John Carroll University, Gulick moved around quite a bit. He broadcasted for the Rockford Aviators (minor league baseball), Southeaster Oklahoma State, Dayton Dragons (minor league baseball), Case Western Reserve University, the University of Cincinnati, the Delmarva Shorebirds (minor league baseball), and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore before coming home.
Currently, Gulick is a freelance sports broadcaster. He does broadcasting work for a wide array of organizations, including the NCAA, The Ohio State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Baldwin Wallace University, Spectrum Sports Ohio, the National Women’s Soccer League, and the United Soccer League. Gulick also works as a Sports Anchor for 92.3 The Fan.
Yep, Gulick is a busy man. He also owns one of the best voices in Northeast Ohio, and one day you may hear on national broadcasts as a household name. He's a pro's pro and the pride of the SIBN.
On a related note, Gulick recently appeared on a podcast and talked plenty about his time with the SIBN. Give it a listen! Click here to listen.