 DiMeolo was a guard and captain on the 1929 University of Pittsburgh team that was undefeated before losing in the 1930 Rose Bowl to USC.Upon graduating from Pittsburgh, DiMeolo served as offensive line coach at New York University under head coach Chick Meehan and later Howard Cann.When the Pittsburgh Pirates joined the NFL in , DiMeolo was rumored to be the leading candidate to become the team's initial player-coach.