He is a larger-than-life football player with a larger-than-life name. But when asked what he makes of his notoriety, Dante shrugged.
“Helps to have that first name that everyone can remember,” he said.
That has something to do with it, yes, but the 264 career tackles don’t exactly hurt his cause. The NFL seems like a realistic goal, but he won’t go into it too much if you ask him. Neither will his dad.
“I raised my kids to be humble, to let their actions speak for them,” the elder Dante said. “If accolades come, that’s good, but if not, you have the peace of mind that you gave it the effort.”
Now, Dante’s focus is on what he hopes will be his second Ivy title. The same goes for the couple dozen people who come out every weekend to hug their son/cousin/nephew/friend/hero after he pounds on the opposition.
“It’s awesome,” he said, surveying the crowd and shaking hands, “and normal.”
—Staff writer Jon Paul Morosi can be reached at morosi@fas.harvard.edu.