 He originally signed to play football at the University of Puget Sound, but his performance in the East-West All-Star drew interest from several Pac-8 schools, including Washington.Baldassin enrolled at the University of Washington in 1973, where he earned three varsity letters from 1974 to 1976.He led the team in tackles in both 1975 and 1976, leading the nation as well in 1976, achieving several season and career records for tackles.