Fresno Pacific University Athletics

Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Rafael De Cicco came to FPC to in 1983 to join the men's soccer team. Three years later he became the first player in the program's now storied history to earn NAIA 1st team All-American honors. He graduated as the winningest player in the program's history, leading the team to 60 wins in four seasons.  

With incredible ball control and deadly finishing ability, De Cicco set a single-season school record that would hold nearly 15 years with a 21-goal season in 1985. His competitive drive and offensive skill-set was exactly what the Sunbirds needed to solidify the program as one of the NAIA's elite. 

He immediately made his mark as a freshman, scoring seven goals and assisting on three others. As a sophomore he was more of a distributor, leading the team with seven assists as the Sunbirds made it all the way to the 1984 NAIA National Championship match.

FPC finished as the NAIA National Runner-Up again in 1985, finishing with a record of 19-5-1 behind De Cicco's record-breaking season. He scored five goals during the playoffs that year to take the team the final, where the team came up just short in overtime for the second year in a row.

As a senior he scored 13 goals while leading the team to a 15-5-1 record, which included a 3-0 win over NCAA power Stanford. After the season he was named FPU's Scholar of the Year, given annually to the athlete with the highest GPA. 

His 45 career goals now rank fifth all-time and his 15 game-winning goals rank fourth. He's also among FPU all-time leaders in points with 106 (5th) and assists with 16 (12th).