Major:Â Sociology
Hometown:Â Hampton, VA
Career Highlights:Â Three-time letter winner for Rifle
Biography: Romano was a member of the rifle team for three years on the Hilltop. Initially, Romano did not have much experience, but was able to immediately compete on the team, and eventually became the number two member of the rifle squad.Â
Why Romero Chose USF: "As an Army ROTC scholarship winner I had to attend a university with the ROTC program. It was a choice between USF, San Jose State or the University of Hawaii. I initially knew nothing about USF, but I needed to enroll right away, and I thought I would stay just one year, and then transfer to Hawaii. Based on the quality of the professors and the student culture and environment, I fit in and decided to stay and ultimately graduated from USF."
Favorite USF Memories: "The best memory I have is from our tournament competition with the University Nevada-Reno which had a highly competitive team, and while we did not win versus the Wolf Pack, our team became more competitive each year."
The USF Student-Athlete Experience:Â "I thought being on the rifle team would not be a physical challenge, but found out it was like yoga. It looks easy but you had to harness all your physical capability the focus was on muscle control to minimize tremors, breathing concentration on breathing and focus. After a two hour practice I was physically worn out but it also tremendously helped improve my ability to concentrate, which helped me in the classroom as a student-athlete."
Life After USF: After graduation, Romano was commissioned as an Army Lieutenant and served 22 years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1997. Romano then started a second career as an Information Program Director and eventually as a Cyber Defense Manager, and then retired in 2013. He has stayed active with volunteering at his church with the local homeless population, and is also a volunteer with the National Park Service as a docent at the Fort Monroe National Monument.
