Hall of Fame
A four-year player, three-year starter and two-time All-Big South honoree, Dominick Reyes graduated from Stony Brook as the program's leader in solo tackles. He went on to continue his professional career, moving from the gridiron to the Octagon, turning professional as a mixed martial arts fighter in 2014. Known as "The Devastator", Reyes is 16-5 in his professional career and is currently the No. 11 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Reyes came to Stony Brook in 2008 after a prolific high school career in Hesperia, California. After redshirting in 2008, Reyes played in all 11 games in 2009 and made four starts at safety, finishing fifth on the team with 49 tackles. Reyes and the Seawolves earned the program's first-ever ranked win in the season-finale, clinching a share of the Big South Championship.
He took a big leap in year two, starting in all 11 contests for the Seawolves and leading all Big South defensive backs with 67 tackles. In 2011, Reyes and the Seawolves finally laid claim to an outright Big South Championship, earning an automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs for the first time in school history. Stony Brook hosted in-state rival UAlbany in the first round at LaValle Stadium, defeating the Great Danes to advance, with Reyes sealing the victory with an interception in the final minute.
An all-conference first teamer, Reyes helped Stony Brook vault into the top-ten in the NCAA and guided the program back to the FCS Playoffs. The Seawolves topped Villanova before falling on the road at Montana State in their second straight trip to the FCS postseason. Along the way, Reyes became the program's all-time leader in solo tackles and he closed out his Stony Brook career by earning the 2012 Team Defensive MVP award.
After his collegiate football career, Reyes went pro in MMA. He won his first six fights before earning a contract with the sport's top promotion, the UFC. He improved to 12-0 in his professional career after winning his first six fights in the UFC, earning a title shot in 2020. After a nearly two-year layoff, Reyes returned to the Octagon in 2024 and won five of his next six fights. At the time of his induction, Reyes sported a professional record of 16-5-0, with 11 first-round finishes, 10 knockouts and two wins by submission.
