Word has been received today of the death of former Wayland High School varsity football coach Gerry Diorio. He was 64.
Diorio coached at Wayland in two stints, guiding the Wildcats to the post-season playoffs several times, and he owns the distinction of having the only Wayland O-K Gold Conference football championship, in 2008. His last Wildcat playoff team was in 2013.
A product of the University of Michigan, he was a starting lineman for the Wolverines under coach Bo Schembechler. Diorio started all 12 games at left guard for the 1983 Michigan Wolverines football team that finished the season with a 9-3 record.
He was also selected as a second-team All-Big Ten guard by the Associated Press, and a first-team member of the 1983 Big Ten All-Academic football team.
From 2004 to 2008, Diorio was the head football coach at Wayland Union High School. In 2007, he was named Regional Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.
He and his former University of Michigan line coach Elliott Uzelac, at one time joined together as coaches for Benton Harbor and guided the Tigers to an appearance in the post-season playoffs.
Diorio also coached football at Byron Center and Battle Creek Lakeview. He helped guide all of them to playoff appearances, most recently at Lakeview.
A Facebook post said Gerry and wife Kathy Hazlett Diorio would spend their retirement in Florida.
