DeSylvia played at the guard position at Oregon State between 1946–1949. During his tenure at Oregon State, DeSylvia competed in the 1948 East–West Shrine Game, served as team captain in 1949 and was selected to the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 for his accomplishments. DeSylvia was drafted in the 24th round of the 1950 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, but was released the following August before ever competing in a regular-season game.