ORONO – Dave Cusano has learned during his 21 years that facing adversity often provides a new perspective on how fortunate he really has been.

Cusano, now a senior on the University of Maine football team, recalls his early teenage years in Wallingford, Conn., where he hung out on the stoop with his friends, sometimes getting into trouble.

Early during his sophomore year of high school, Cusano was experiencing pain in his lower abdomen. His mother, Zoraida, dragged him to the hospital.

Shortly after his arrival, he was rushed into surgery, where his appendix burst but was successfully removed.

Two months later his father, David, was diagnosed with kidney cancer after being injured in a fall when a hammock clasp broke. It was caught early enough for him to be cured.

“I have a tremendous amount of faith,” said Cusano, who sports a tattoo with the Spanish word “FIDELIDAD” (fidelity) down on his left arm. “I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and I think that all the things that have happened in my life have made me stronger.”

That includes a recent setback for the Black Bears’ third-year starting free safety, who was unable to play in UMaine’s NCAA quarterfinal at Northern Iowa last fall because of a knee injury.

In August, Cusano sported a puffy Afro, which he has since braided for easier care. He isn’t trying to make a statement to anyone but himself.

“When the season was over, I still had a bitter taste in my mouth about the last game,” he said. “I made some goals for myself that I would keep my hair growing until I reached them.”

Cusano, a preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection, is determined to make the best of his senior season.

“You just play every play like it was your last,” said the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder, whose tireless work ethic has been inspired by his parents and coaches, including high school track coach Charles Farley.

“He was always telling us that the Indians, before they would fight, would go out and run their horses before they would fight the actual wars,” Cusano said. “You make yourself ready to go. You’re never as tired as you think you are.”

Cusano admits he was hanging out with the wrong crowd when he was struck with appendicitis at 15 and his father subsequently was diagnosed with cancer. With his mother caring for her husband during his illness, Dave was often responsible for younger brothers Pasquale and Dominic.

“My maturity rose so quickly having to deal with those things,” Cusano said. “My mother’s sitting at the hospital holding my father’s hand and I’m at home with my brothers making sure that they have lunches and that everything’s going OK in the house.”

With his attention focused on his family, Cusano began to realize some of his acquaintances had been dragging him down.

“There was a point in time where I wasn’t going to make it [to college] because of the guys I was hanging out with and the things I was doing,” Cusano said.

“It was definitely a turning point, a realization factor of what I needed to get done,” he added. “We’ve got a lot of love in my house.”

Cusano is a successful student-athlete. His coaches and teammates notice he has a special drive and attention to detail.

“He takes great pride in what he does and he works continually at getting better,” said UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove. “He’s such a perfectionist. He’s an awesome athlete, an awesome kid.”

As the free safety, Cusano is the quarterback of the defense. He reads the offensive formations and calls out the appropriate schemes for the defense.

“Having Dave back there is like having another coach,” said defensive coordinator Rich Nagy. “He knows what we need to be in and he knows when we’re in something that’s not very good and he’s able to get us out of it.”

For Cusano, it’s the mental part of the game and the preparation phase that is most intriguing.

“I consider it a chess match,” Cusano said. “The most important part is getting familiarized with your opponent so it’s more anticipation rather than guessing [what they’re going to do next].”

Cusano registered 62 tackles last season while being named UMaine’s outstanding defensive player for the second straight year (he shared the honor with Brendan Curry in 2001). He is adept at providing run support and is a tenacious pass defender and emotional leader.

Cusano said his years at UMaine have helped him learn to be more relaxed and patient. One of his most important goals is to serve as a positive role model for his younger brothers.

“I’ll be the first one on both sides of my family to get a degree, so I know I have a lot of responsibility to myself and my family,” he said. “I hope [my brothers] see what I’m doing is a positive thing.”

Cusano is thankful to have faced the challenges he has encountered.

“Those life experiences have molded me into what I am today,” Cusano said. “I would not trade any of them for anything.”