RIT has taken much pride in its long list of successful alumni populated by many businessmen, artists, engineers, and technologists. From the makers of Digsby to the CEO of Eastman Kodak, RIT has produced an interesting array of professionals. Among these illustrious alumni are a handful of well-known and well-loved athletes.

Robert Modzelewski

Steve Toll

Steve Toll became determined to stake his claim in professional sports after winning a provincial field hockey title while attending Lakeport Secondary School in St. Catherines, Ontario.

Toll’s speed and stamina were enhanced as he tore up the ice as an RIT Tiger, receiving the NCAA Division III player of the year award in 1997. After playing competitively for three seasons from 1994 to 1997, he joined the East Coast Hockey League, which served as his steppingstone to the Central Hockey League. He played for five seasons for several teams: The Raleigh Icecaps, Fayetteville Force, and Indianapolis Ice. Real success, however, was waiting for him at the National Lacrosse League (NLL), which he joined in 1998.

Because of his career, Toll has had to move quite frequently. He has spent time in Canada and on both coasts of the US. However, one of the more stressful moments in his career was when he was picked up by the San Jose Stealths four years ago. “I wasn’t happy when I went to San Jose. Everything from family to everything else just really didn’t set well,” Toll explained. In 2005, Toll was traded to the Rochester Knighthawks, a move which sparked a positive change. “Coming here has really helped things over the past two and a half years,” remarked Toll.

Having been in the business for 10 years, Toll is known for his speed, ability to snatch up loose balls, and for picking off passes. “He’s a guy teams just can’t pass the ball through,” said Ed Comeau, Head Coach of the Rochester Knighthawks.

At the age of 34, Toll is one of only two franchise players for the Knighthawk’s 2009 season. He plans on playing competitively for the next four or five years and then possibly retiring in Florida with his family.

Robert Modzelewski

Steve Pinizzotto

Steve Pinizzotto’s passion for hockey was ignited when he started playing competitively — at the incredibly young age of five. Ever since then, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. “Playing pro hockey has been my dream ever since I first learned the game… My parents used to tell me that I would never put my hockey stick down,” said the Mississauga, Ontario native. Although Pinizzotto also participated in other sports such as baseball, he stuck with his first love.

In 2005, Pinizzotto decided to pursue a Packaging Science degree while playing for the RIT Tigers. “I knew I was getting put in [an] exceptional academic program and I also knew that RIT had an excellent reputation,” explained Pinizzotto. Truthfully, there couldn’t have been a better time for Pinizzotto to sign on; a year later, RIT jumped from Division III to Division I and joined the Atlantic Hockey Conference. The Tigers even won the Atlantic Hockey Conference title after being in the league for a mere two years. “That was not only a huge accomplishment for myself, but the whole athletic program,” said Pinizzotto.

Unfortunately, Pinizzotto’s stint with the Tigers lasted only two years. In 2007, he left RIT prior to graduation and traded in his orange-and-white jersey to sign on with the Washington Capitals. A few months later, Pinizzotto reported for training with the Hershey Bears, the Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate team, and the South Carolina Stingrays, the Capitals’ East Coast Hockey League affiliate team. Although this does not promise Pinizzotto a spot with the Capitals, it does allow Pinizzotto to undergo similar training and improve his game.

Pinizzotto is hopeful for his hockey career and has yet to decide if he will finish his Packaging Science degree. If ever, RIT would still be one of his first choices. “If I was to go back to school, I would definitely like to return to RIT because of the program they offer,” stated Pinizzotto.

Robert Modzelewski

Matt Hamill

When Matt Hamill was about eight months old, his mother and stepfather discovered that he was born deaf. However, when the time came to send Hamill to school, his stepfather, Mike, refused to send him to a specialized school. Instead, Mike trained him to lipread, a skill which proved essential for Hamill to excel academically. Hamill landed a spot on his elementary school’s wrestling team, where he soon discovered his innate fighting ability. It is these two factors combined that earned him a one-year scholarship at Purdue University.

Unfortunately, once at Purdue, Hamill couldn’t keep up with his professors’ quick mouths nor his interpreters’ complicated signs. Eventually Hamill lost his scholarship, dropped out of college, and returned to Loveland. Mike, however, would not let his stepson give up. In the fall of 1996, Hamill started school at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf at RIT.

At RIT, Hamill joined the wrestling team and his grades began to improve. “Back in ‘97 to ‘99, I was a three-time national champ….RIT had a really good wrestling program and I [was] really happy to be here. And when I won that national championship, I [felt] that it was a special opportunity, a special time…that I would never forget,” he said. Hammill attributes much of his success to RIT Wrestling Coach Ron Gross: “He made my skill and technique a lot better. Without Ron Gross I [wouldn’t] be [as] successful.”

Hamill’s success did not end there. “I went to the Deaflympics in ’97 in Denmark and won two gold medals. Then, in 2001, I went to Rome, Italy,” he cited. Hamill emerged with gold medals in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling. Four years later, Hamill won silver in Greco-Roman wrestling and gold in Freestyle wrestling. In 2004, he was inducted into the Division III wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was inducted into the RIT Athletics Hall of Fame.

However, it wasn’t until 2006 that his career skyrocketed. Hamill became an instant star as a member of Team Ortiz, also known as Team Punishment, on the Ultimate Fighter 3. Matt “The Hammer” Hammill stands with a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) record of 6-1-0. His single loss to British fighter, Michael Bisping, in UFC 75 became a huge controversy. “A lot of people came to my gym telling me… I got robbed,” said Hamill. Hamill’s most recent fight was against Rich Franklin, whose current record is 25-3-0. UFC 88 aired on September 6 at 10 p.m. (EST). At the writing of this article, the results from that match were unknown.