USC FOOTBALL: FOUL PLAY RULED OUT IN KICKER DANELO'S DEATH.

Byline: ANDREA SUDANO Staff Writer

SAN PEDRO -- Investigators have ruled out foul play in the death of USC kicker Mario Danelo but are still trying to determine whether the 21-year-old died by accident or suicide, officials said Sunday.

``I don't see any indication of foul play,'' Los Angeles police Lt. David Pierson said. ``We have people we need to talk to to evaluate where he was going, what he was doing.''

Pierson said he personally is inclined to believe Danelo's death was an accident, noting that since he was a child Danelo has often walked along the makeshift paths carved into the rocky cliffs off Point Fermin Park.

A pair of LAPD detectives carefully trekked down the steep cliffs below Paseo del Mar on Sunday morning to examine the area where Danelo's body was found. One detective steadied himself with a walking stick, and the other scooted down the 120-foot cliff by the seat of her pants.

Pierson said detectives had no information yet to indicate whether Danelo was intoxicated at the time of his death; an autopsy is planned for today, a coroner's spokesperson said.

But people who knew Danelo insisted Sunday that his death was an accident. A young man as calm and levelheaded as he was wouldn't take his own life, they said.

``This kid's demeanor did not say he wanted to waste himself,'' family friend John Papadakis said. ``He did not wear a cloak of sadness.''

Even as a child, Danelo always seemed grown-up and collected, said Kevin Kilpatrick, Danelo's high school and AYSO soccer coach.

``Even when he was 10, he was mature for his age,'' Kilpatrick said. ``(Danelo) had a lot of poise and nothing fazed him. That's probably why he was such a good kicker. ... I couldn't believe a kid this young didn't get upset or flustered and didn't get too overly excited.''

Sam Anno, USC's graduate assistant football coach for special teams, said he'll remember Danelo for so many contributions he made on the field.

``I'll never forget a bunch of stuff. ... There were so many kicks he did that were such huge momentum changers for us,'' Anno said. ``There were games when he'd make a field goal before the half and I'd say, `Man, that's our start right there, bud.' And then we'd come back.

``He would do whatever the team needs. You ask him and he'd say, `Whatever you want, coach. Whatever you want to do, man.' ... He was incredibly supportive, a take-charge guy. Just a fantastic kid and I miss him terribly already.''

The Danelo family remained at their home Sunday, declining interviews with reporters.

Joey Danelo, Mario's brother, briefly spoke on the telephone with The Associated Press. He called his brother's death an ``unfortunate accident.''

``He was a good kid,'' Joey said. ``There was not a person I know that didn't like him.''

The street outside the family house was lined with parked cars, and many people sat in the picturesque front yard, quietly talking and eating.

About a mile away, at the barrier wall of Point Fermin Park, friends and fans trickled in during the day to leave flowers, candles, balloons and USC paraphernalia.

``RIP Mario'' was freshly scrawled, graffiti-style, in red spray paint on the concrete barrier.

San Pedro resident John Pirrone stopped by to leave a memento Sunday. He didn't know Danelo personally but, like many other San Pedro residents, Pirrone felt connected to him because of where he lived and where he went to school.

Pirrone is a founding member of the ``Thundering Heard,'' a group that chants as USC players come onto the field, he said. Once at a practice, Pirrone yelled, ``San Pedro!''; Danelo smiled and did a little dance, he recalled.

Bob Franco, an assistant chief for the Los Angeles City Fire Department who said he grew up with Danelo's father, stopped by the memorial Sunday morning after finishing up his shift at the station.

The night before he helped move Danelo's body; Sunday morning, Franco wanted to pay his respects.

``So many kids looked up to him here,'' the San Pedro resident said. ``It's very tragic. He had such a promising career.''

The crowd thickened as night fell Sunday. Friends and fans hugged and cried as the sun set and a saxophonist played a mournful ballad from a nearby hillside.

Rancho Palos Verdes resident Gloria DiLeva and her daughter Monique stopped by the makeshift memorial Sunday to leave cheerleader pom- poms in USC's team colors of cardinal and gold.

``He was really decent,'' said DiLeva, wiping back tears. ``Just a good guy.''

USC sports information director Tim Tessalone said funeral services for Danelo still are pending.

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A makeshift memorial sits above the site where USC kicker Mario Danelo was killed after apparently falling from a cliff.

Sean Hiller/Staff Photographer