Donnell Leomiti DB Coach/Recruiting Coord.

Colorado '98 (3rd season)

Email address: Donnell.Leomiti@colostate-pueblo.edu Phone: (719) 549-2124

Donnell Leomiti is entering his third season as CSU-Pueblo's defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator. In 2009, Leomiti's defensive backs unit led the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in interceptions and was a main reason why the ThunderWolves led the RMAC in turnover ratio.  In 2010, all four of the ThunderWolves' starters in the defensive backfield return for another season. In his time at CSU-Pueblo, Leomiti has coached two all-RMAC defensive backs: Chris Brown (2009) and Jerome Page (2008). Leomiti had been the defensive technical intern at CU since 2005. At CU, his responsibilities included working with the secondary as well as on-campus recruiting. Leomiti arrived at the post after serving as a high school assistant coach from 1999-2004. He spent 1999 and 2000 at Denver North High School, and then followed that up with a four-year stint as linebackers coach at Boulder High School. As a CU player, Leomiti was a member of many great teams in the mid-1990s. Starting out as a receiver at CU, he saw action in 11 games, including the Fiesta Bowl, as a true freshman in 1992. He moved to safety the following year, starting at strong safety as a junior and senior. He had 159 career tackles, including 98 as a senior (the third most on the team), along with three interceptions, three fumble recoveries and seven pass deflections. Two of his biggest plays came his junior year (1994): he returned an interception for a touchdown at Missouri and had a key fumble recovery in the fourth quarter at Michigan, a big play in the game now referred to as both "The Miracle in Michigan" and "The Catch." Born in Santa Ana, Calif., he graduated from Leone High School in Pavaiai, American Samoa, in 1992 where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He was a two-time Ashaa League most valuable player on offense, earning the honor his junior and senior years. He is the father of three children, Donnell Jr., Siliaga, and Malekai.  He is married to former CSU-Pueblo all-American cross country athlete, Lauren Dunsmoor.