Softball Player Profile: Dan Melosi

Larry Wolfe

A Detroit native, Dan Melosi graduated from Notre Dame High, a Catholic all-boys school in suburban Harper Woods. However, that isn’t as bad as it sounds, since the all-girls Regina High was right next door! Dan played on the baseball, basketball and football teams and played the trumpet in the Fightin’ Irish band, but baseball was his “main game.”

Dan earned a BS in Business Administration at Central Michigan University and, later, an MBA from Western International University. Shortly after graduating from CMU, Dan decided to “skip out” on Michigan’s winter weather and accepted a position as Dormitory Hall Director at ASU in Tempe. He was initially director of the halls that housed the Sun Devil football and baseball teams, including future major leaguers like Barry Bonds. He stayed with ASU for seven years, holding positions in dormitory administration, student financial aid and career services. His experience in financial aid eventually led him to a 20+-year banking career focused on student loans, helping students by basically being their personal student loan calculator, something which you can do online now.

First, he was Director of Student Loans for Chase Bank, followed by a similar position with Educaid, the student loan division of The Money Store. Later, he held positions in the student loan departments of Bank One, Key Bank, First Union, Wachovia and Wells Fargo. (Dan wasn’t really a “job hopper;” however, over time, many financial institutions got out of the student loan business as the federal government began direct loan programs.) He then worked briefly in auto financing and at a call center before getting into real estate. He’s still a “part-time realtor” for Revelation Realty.

Dan’s been an Arizona resident since right out of college, but just became a Sun Lakes resident a couple years ago, primarily so he could join our softball league! He’s one of our top hitters, both for average and for power. He was No. 3 in the league in homers during our 2017-2018 season and, at last look, was leading our Summer League in average and was second in home runs. He’s also an adept and versatile fielder, excelling at nearly every position on the field.

Dan took a long hiatus from the game while his two daughters (Danica and Mickey) were growing up in order to devote time to their gymnastics and swimming events and doing other “dad duties.” He says those were the best times of his life, but now he’s happy to be back on the diamond!

A major heart attack several years ago changed Dan’s outlook on life. His focus now is to have fun at whatever he’s doing, and that’s a lot of doings: softball, tennis, horseshoes, bocce ball, chip and put, golf, home remodeling and card games. If you need a “fourth” in nearly anything, give Dan a call and he’ll join you!

Dan’s uncle, Carmen Fanzone, a former utility infielder for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, had a similar philosophy. Have fun today; there’s always another game tomorrow! And, if not, you had fun today!