Dominic Tomasi

Dominic Tomasi

Dominic Tomasi 1948
Position:	Guard
Career information
College:	Michigan

Dominic Tomasi (born 1928) is an American football player who played guard for the University of Michigan Wolverines. He was a four-year starter and was selected as both the captain and Most Valuable Player of the National Champion 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team.

A native of Flint, Michigan, Tomasi attended Flint Northern High School. In 1944, at age 16, the 5 foot, 8 inch, 178 pound Tomasi was selected by the Associated Press to its All-Michigan football team at the guard position.

In 1945, Tomasi enrolled at the University of Michigan where he played both football for Fritz Crisler and baseball for Ray Fischer. Tomasi was a four-year starter for the 1945, 1946, 1947 and 1948 Michigan Wolverines football teams that won 23 straight games (including undefeated seasons in 1947 and 1948), defeated USC, 49-0, in the 1948 Rose Bowl. During his sophomore year, Tomasi's photograph was published in newspapers across the country with a caption calling him "a charging block of granite for the Michigan Wolverines," and he was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten guard by the conference coaches.

Before the 1947 season got underway, one writer noted that Tomasi "is back for more and will give anyone a race for All-America honors." The 1947 Michigan Wolverines team completed the season undefeated. The Wolverines outscored their opponents 394-53, and Coach Fritz Crisler credited Tomasi "for much of his team's offensive punch." Tomasi was again named to the second-team All-Big Ten team. Tomasi's blocking in the 1948 Rose Bowl helped Michigan outscore the USC Trojans 49-0, and in March 1948, his teammates elected him to be captain of the 1948 team—the first time a guard had been selected as Michigan's captain in 33 years.

In 1948, Tomasi was both team captain and one of the top performers on Michigan's second consecutive undefeated team. In October 1948, one columnist described Tomasi's role as follows: