Revere grad named Collegiate Athlete of the Year despite baseball injury
by Sheldon Ocker
An athlete with eyes on a pro career suffers a disabling injury that won’t go away. The athlete becomes an ex-athlete and adapts to a reality that doesn’t include prospective multi-million dollar salaries, celebrity treatment and adoration by the sporting public.
It happened to Eric Colaco, Revere High Class of 2021. Colaco’s baseball career at Denison University ended in 2025, but his name resurfaced in February when he was selected Collegiate Athlete of the Year by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. The other finalists for the honor were Mount Union offensive lineman Giovanni Kennedy and The Ohio State University linebacker Arvell Reese, who is expected to be a first or second round pick in the next NFL draft.
Colaco holds the school record at Denison for career hits (302) and runs (277) and is tied for first in home runs (30). His career batting average was .379 with 211 RBIs, 43 steals in 57 attempts and an On-base Plus Slugging percentage of 1.087.
And in 190 games, Colaco, an outfielder, never made an error.
Impressive numbers to be sure, but Denison is a small Division III school that is not known as a sports powerhouse. Then again, the school reached the D-3 World Series last year for the first time in its history and posted a 41-7 record.
Moreover, Colaco wasn’t merely the star of the team; he was named national Division III Player of the Year as a junior and a third team American Baseball Coaches Association All-American as a senior, despite being plagued by an injury to his throwing shoulder.
He was not highly recruited by Division I schools because, by Colaco’s accounting, he didn’t possess the physique of a prototype big-time player. Not at 5’9”, 150 pounds. But by the time Colaco enrolled at Denison, he had grown to 5’10”, 180 pounds.
Even as a 150-pounder, Colaco played high school football – receiver and cornerback – as a freshman before deciding to concentrate on baseball exclusively.
He sustained an injury to his shoulder as a college sophomore, underwent surgery to repair the labrum and returned to the diamond his junior year. But Colaco’s shoulder continued to ache.
“I tried to play through it, but I was in a lot of pain, really struggled to throw,” Colaco said. “The first surgery didn’t go as planned but I got another one. It helped but I needed a third [surgery] so ultimately I decided it was best not to play baseball [after college.]”
But as agonizing as it was to throw, Colaco’s bad shoulder didn’t prevent him from hitting pain free.
“My senior year it was very difficult and painful to play the outfield,” he said. “I really couldn’t play there effectively.”
Consequently, Colaco was never drafted nor was he invited to a training camp as an undrafted free agent.
“I always wanted to play, but it wasn’t like the end all, be all,” he said. “And I could never shake the shoulder injury.”
Colaco graduated from Denison with a degree in economics and moved to Boston, taking a job selling software for a start-up company. His girlfriend, whom he met at Denison, preceded him in relocating to Boston.
“I enjoy it,” Colaco said. “It pays the bills and I’m adjusting to corporate life.”
He can still play golf, shooting in the high 80s and low 90s.
“I love watching sports on TV,” Colaco said. “I’m an Ohioan. I grew up there so I’ve been a fan of all three Cleveland teams since I was a kid.”
He has lived in New England only about six months, but he already has formed opinions of his new hometown.
“I hate Boston fans, unfortunately,” Colaco said. “I don’t like the Patriots, obviously. I think Celtics fans are ridiculous. I don’t hate the Red Sox as much. I don’t have the hatred of them like I do the Yankees.”
Matter of fact, Colaco plans to take in a Sox game on the day of the Boston Marathon early in the season. “And my family is coming up here in September to see the Guardians,” he said. “I’m excited to see Fenway because it’s obviously an incredible place. But I’m still a Guardians fan at heart.”
Photo caption: Eric Colaco (second from right) was named Collegiate Athlete of the Year by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. Also pictured are (l-r) Stephen Wido, current Revere baseball head coach; Jacin Colaco, Eric’s brother and former Revere baseball player; and Jason Cottrell, former Revere baseball head coach. Photo submitted.