Going Pro In Something Other Than Sports

You’ve heard the jingle a jillion times, “There are thousands of athletes in the NCAA and most of us are going pro in something other than sports.”

Here’s proof from Provo. Witness a sampling from former BYU athletes, starting with Judge Michael D. DiReda, a Cougar baseball player from the 1980s.

Judge DiReda was appointed to the Second District Court by Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., in December 2008. He serves Davis, Morgan and Weber counties. Judge DiReda received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Pepperdine University in 1990, followed by a law degree from Pepperdine.

DiReda, from Glendale, Calif., was a reserve second baseman for BYU in 1985 and transferred to Pepperdine to play for the Waves in 1986, where he played in 42 games, batting .217.  At BYU DiReda played in one game in a talented infield behind Brian Carroll, Blake Jensen, Gary Schoonover and current BYU coach Mike Littlewood. 

Now Judge DiReda adroitly handles curves thrown his way with the skill of an ambidextrous octopus as he sits on a different bench.

DiReda, however, may not be the most notable of BYU baseball players to excel in the legal profession.

Jeff Dusek, a pitcher from 1970-72 is one of BYU’s more prolific pitchers with a 26-7 record.  Now retired, Dusek received national attention in 2002 as the prosecutor in his role as assistant San Diego County attorney for murder of 7-year-old Danielle Van Dam.  Dusek graduated from BYU in 1972 with a bachelor’s in history and earned his law degree from Washington and Lee University.

Often forgotten amongst the professions of former BYU athletes is a non-salaried one called “mother.”  Two of these “moms” who played for BYU are also married to spouses who were former Cougar athletes, perhaps an omen for college recruiters to stand by with letters of intent.

Seven children call former BYU volleyball All-American and Cougar Club Hall of Fame member Michele Fellows Lewis by the name of “Mom.”  Michelle is married to Chad Lewis, who starred in the NFL and is now an associate athletic director for development at BYU.  Michelle earned her bachelor’s in math education in 1995 from BYU.

Five children have also been born to Dylann Duncan Ceriani, who majored in electrical engineering at BYU in 1989 and received a master's degree from Cal Berkeley in  biomechanics in 1996.  Dylann was an All-American and Academic All-American volleyball player for the Cougars and currently works as a biomechanical engineer at Motion Analysis Laboratory Children's Hospital in San Diego.  She played professional volleyball in Switzerland in the early 1990s and was inducted in 1999 to the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame.