USF running back moonlights as pro baseball player

TAMPA, Fla. - Growing up in Tampa, Dominic Gonnella has fond memories watching the University of South Florida's football team as a young fan. 

"I remember going to the Bucs' stadium and the big green lights. They would deck it out," Gonnella recalled. "I remember Quinton Flowers and those days when things were popping." 

Now, the senior running back is hoping to help lift the program back to those same glory days that he remembers so fondly. That's why the Bloomingdale High School grad transferred from North Dakota State, back home to USF in the offseason. 

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"It's exciting, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes," Gonnella said. 

But of all the Bulls on the field for Fall camp, Gonnella has – without a doubt – the most interesting summer job. 

"It's just what I do. It's kind of always been what I do," said Gonnella. 

And what Dominic Gonnella does when the pads come off for the year, is pick up a bat and a glove and head out west to play baseball. 

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"The ability to have the possibility to go pro in both is just exceptional," said Gonnella. 

Already committed to play college football coming out of high school, Gonnella would wind up being taken in the MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

"The dream was to go pro in either one," Gonnella said. "That was my dream growing up, and then I got the opportunity. The Diamondbacks said 'Look, we'll let you do both.'" 

So with the blessing from both the Diamondback and North Dakota State, Gonnella was set to play center field in the Spring and Summer before transitioning to running back in the Fall and Winter. 

It's a skill set that he's now brought back home to Tampa and a dream of going pro in both that is very much alive. 

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 "That's the dream," Gonnella said. "Hopefully, you interview me again when I'm in pro football, and I can talk to that team about me playing baseball, too."

And it is a dream Gonnella is determined to keep chasing all the way to the top.