The new president of the Gridiron Club is determined to pay forward the support he received.
This fall, Dominic Curcio, FCRH ’88, LAW ’91, has been reflecting on the lasting impact of his days as a member of the Fordham football team.In his senior year, the Rams won the 1987 Liberty Conference title—an experience that helped him see the value of “finding a niche for yourself” on the team and contributing “in a meaningful manner” even if you aren’t the “star” player, he said.
He also found a mentor in Rich Marrin Sr., FCRH ’67, LAW ’70, a former Fordham football player who helped Curcio navigate Fordham Law School and his early career.
Today, Curcio is an equity partner at Quirk and Bakalor, a law firm in Garden City, New York. And he’s following in Marrin’s footsteps as president of the Gridiron Club, a booster club for Fordham football alumni and others who wish to support the team—with fundraising, yes, but also through one-on-one mentoring.
“We have these career nights for the kids on the team, where we give them the opportunity to ask us questions about different industries and how we can help them make connections in those fields,” Curcio said. “I’m trying to help out in every way I can.”
A lifelong New Yorker, Curcio was born in Parkchester, not too far from Fordham’s Rose Hill campus in the Bronx. His family moved to the Whitestone neighborhood of Queens when he was just 2 years old, but they were back in the Bronx often—to visit his grandmother, for afternoon trips to the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo with his aunt and cousins, and for family parties on Arthur Avenue.
When it was time for college, Curcio was drawn to Fordham—and to the opportunity to continue playing football. “I had a friend from high school that was on the team who took an interest in bringing me up there, having me visit with the coach, that kind of thing—and I just fell in love with the campus,” he said.
Today, Curcio is not the only Ram in the family: He and his wife, Christine, are members of the Parent Ambassador Committee. And their son, Matthew, graduated from Fordham College at Lincoln Center in 2022.
Fordham Five
What are you most passionate about?
I try to make it a rule to be passionate about whatever it is I’m doing at the time. More specifically, I am passionate about traveling, food, Fordham football, and the New York Rangers.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?Whatever you’re doing, do it. I know it’s a necessary skill in this day and age, but I find that if you’re multitasking, you’re often doing two things wrong at the same time.
What’s your favorite place in New York City? In the world?
I love New York City—I have never had an address outside of New York City and have a chip on my shoulder about being from the greatest city in the world. There are so many places we love, but if I had to pick two, I’d say the 1964–’65 Panorama Map of New York City at the Queens Museum and Madison Square Garden. The former has fascinated me since I was a little kid, and the latter has been a mainstay in my life since my dad, who is no longer with us, started taking me to Ranger games when I was 6 or 7. I’ve shared season tickets with a buddy from high school for the past 30 years. When I look up at that iconic ceiling, I feel at home.
In the world, we’ve been fortunate to travel a good amount, and there are a ton of places that have left me with great memoires, especially along the Amalfi coast. But to pick one specifically, I’d probably have to say Notre Dame—the cathedral in Paris, not the school in South Bend. We were there when my son was 12, and we walked up to the top and took pictures with all the gargoyles. They’re absolutely some of my favorite photos of him. It really hit home to see it burning on television. We’ve made donations to the restoration effort.
Name a book that has had a lasting influence on you.
Who Moved My Cheese. I wish I had a more profound response, but this simple book about change in your life has left a lasting influence. I’ve gone back to it a couple of times at different transition times over the years.
Who is the Fordham grad or professor you admire most?
I’d have to start with my head football coach, Larry Glueck. The life lessons learned playing for him have served me well. Rich Marrin Sr., who was president of the Gridiron Club when I was a player, helped guide me when making the tough decision to go to law school. He also made me understand the importance of paying that mentoring role forward, and he gave me the advice listed above.
John Lumelleau, FCRH ’74; John Costantino, GABELLI ’67, LAW ’70; John Zizzo, FCRH ’69; Pete Signori, GABELLI ‘68—and all the other gentlemen who played football before me and remain involved with the program, including former teammate and law school classmate Judge Robert Holdman, FCRH ’86, LAW ’91, who reached out and brought me back to be a part of the Gridiron Club.
