Dayton Flyers

Valentino will play wide receiver and quarterback in the Senior Bowl.

University of Dayton head football coach Rick Chamberlin and graduated seniors Steve Valentino and Brandon Wingeier will be recognized by OhioCollegeFootball.com in Columbus April 22-23.

At the OhioCollegeFootball.com Awards Banquet on Friday, April 22, Chamberlin will be honored as the Ohio FCS/NCAA Division II/NAIA Coach of the Year, while Valentino will be saluted as the level’s Offensive Player of the Year.

The next day, Valentino and Wingeier will play in the second annual Ohio Senior Bowl, competing with and against players from such schools as Wittenberg, Central State, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Miami, Mt. Union, Toledo and Kent State.  The game will be played at Crew Stadium in Columbus.

Chamberlin led UD to a 10-1 record and a share of its second straight Pioneer Football League championship in 2010.  In just three seasons, he has a record of 28-6 at the helm of the Flyers. Each season under Chamberlin, Dayton has posted a better record in the PFL than the previous year. In 2008, Chamberlin led UD to a 6-2 league record. In 2007 they improved to 7-1 and this season the Flyers posted an 8-0 mark.

Valentino was PFL Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. He finished his career 19-2 as a starting quarterback, and 15-1 in league play.  Just the fifth two-time MVP in UD football history, Valentino is also a three time All-PFL First Team selection, with two selections as a quarterback and one as a wide receiver. He is the only player in PFL history to receive first team honors at two different positions.

He finished the regular season ranked 14th in FCS football averaging 266.4 total offensive yards per game. The Solon, Ohio native was UD’s top rusher and ranked seventh among FCS quarterbacks with 64.7 rushing yards per game. Valentino also ranked fourth in the PFL in passing yards (201.6 ypg) and pass efficiency rating (135.0).

Wingeier is a First Team All-PFL defensive end who had 75 tackles and 10.5 sacks the last two seasons.  He is the only student-athlete to be named a First Team Academic All-American all three years he was eligible for the honor.