Diego Oquendo
Diego Quendo was a football and track & field athlete at Tottenville High School. But clearly, it was football all along! A two year Varsity starter playing at Wide Receiver, Defensive Back, Kick Off & Punt Returner, the talented all-purpose player helped lead the Pirates to a perfect 12-0 record and the PSAL City Championship TItle in 2003! Oquendo was selected as the game's MVP after scoring 3 touchdowns, including one on a blocked punt, to defeat Canarsie HS for the 2003 title. Oquendo was a Staten Island Advance All Star and was selected as an All City player in his Senior Year. He was bestowed the 2004 Fugazzi Award as Staten Island's Most Outstanding Player. Oquendo's senior year statistics reflect his increible "three-way" player talents: 12 catches for 287 yards & 5 TDs, 8 carries for 188 yards & 2 TDs, 54 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 6 kick off returns for 185 yards (30.8) avg, 4 punt returns for 172 yards (43.0 avg) & 2TDs. Oquendo's individual game day heroics read like a one man highlight reel: he accounted for 211 all-purpose yards and 2 TDs against Susan Wagner HS, returned a punt for a 72 yards TD against Curtis HS and gained 93 on only 3 carries against Bayside HS. But Oqueno was no late bloomer - in his Junior year he caught 16 pases for 343 yards (21.4 avg) & 2 TDs, had 61 Tackles, including 2 sacks and 3 interceptions. His Junior year stats also include 12 kick off returns for 257 yards (21.4 avg) & 1 TD and 5 Punt Returns for 654 yards (13.0 avg)!
Oquendo orignally signed with Syracuse University in 2004, but after a coaching change at Syracuse, continued his football playing career at Michigan State Univeristy between 2005, where he averaged 21.4 yards per kick off return for the Spartans as a freshman, and 2007. Oquendo suffered multiple knee injuries which required two surgeries and cut his MSU football playing career short,.
Not one to lay down, with the coaxing of good friends and colleagues, Oqunedo continued playing football at Augustana College in Sioux Falls. Oquendo played 10 games at cornerback registering 11 tackles and 4 passes broken up, as well as a 19.4 yard average on kick returns. While at Augustana, Oquendo picked up on the track and set a school record in the 60- meter hurdles which stood as the 10th best national qualifying time in the 60 meters (6.82).
Oquendo continued his studies in the Master's program in Education at Augustana, earning his degree and starting his career as a teacher.