John Diminick

• Post by: mcalibrary
• January 3, 2024
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INDUCTEE

The Play! 1981 – third game of the year – less than one minute remaining in the game with Whitehall leading 12-7 and inside the Tornadoes 10 yard line at the Bleacher Creatures end of the field. Instead of downing the ball and letting time run out, the Whitehall coach decided to run up the score with a play they had run earlier for a touchdown. Only MCA’s defensive back had recognized the play, and despite a blown coverage, stepped in front of the ball and ran it back 99 yards for the winning touchdown giving Big Red a 13-12 victory. That would be only one of a number of big plays John Diminick would make that season and during his career at MCA. That play always comes up by Tornado Faithful in discussing legendary games in Mount Carmel’s fabled history.

John would go on to play running back, tight end and defensive back at MCA and averaged an amazing 43 yards per touchdown and 10.6 yards each time he touched the football – the highest average of all 6 Diminicks. John still ranks in 8 top ten lists at MCA and has a 99 yard run, 94 yard kick-off return (longest in school history) and 78 yard receiving TD to go along with his 99 yard INT. John would be named 3rd team all-state by the AP as a defensive back and was chosen to the Big 33 Team in the summer of 1983. Diminick was named this chapter’s scholar athlete in 1983 as well as MCA’s outstanding athlete and recently was named to the Reading Eagle’s All Decade Team for the 80s as a defensive back.

John also has the distinction of being the only brother to score TDs in the same game with 2 different brothers – Ed in 79 and Mike in 82!

In the spring, John took his talent to the cinders for the Tornado track team and was undefeated in the 100 meters for 3 seasons in dual meets. He won the gold at the Dost. IV meet in the 100 meters in 82 and 83 and was victorious in the 110 meter high hurdles in 1982 and silver medalist in 1983. John’s 4 x 100 meter relay team had held the record at MCA with its 43.55 clocking until it was broken in 1998 by MCA’s Sebes-led teams 43.3. John ranks third in career scoring for Tornado thinclads with 544 ¾ points to brother Mike’s 656 ¼ and brother Gary’s 683 ½. John was a 4 letter winner in track, adding to the 3 in football and served as captain of both sports during his senior season.

For his efforts, John was rewarded with a full scholarship to Lafayette College and participated in football prior to his graduation in 1987. Today John joins brothers Gary, Ken, Joe, Ed and Mike as well as father Jazz as members of the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. Not to be overlooked, would there be a hall of fame for mothers, Ann Louise would surely be a member of the inaugural class, having been the backbone of this outstanding athletic family.

Today, John is an auditor for the State of Pennsylvania and along with his wife Kris are parents of three children, Luke, Connor and Paige.