Football Hall of Fame Coach Frank Girardi (Courtesy of John Green) |
Girardi, who received the Ray Keyes Sports Award from the organization in 1997, will be honored once again along with Frank Lupacchino, Paul Missigman and Blue Star Mothers.
Over the course of 36 years, Girardi cobbled together one of the finest resumes in the history of college football. He won 257 games, which still ranks 16th all-time in NCAA history. He helped Lycoming win 13 Middle Atlantic Conference titles and make 11 appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament. He led the Warriors to the national title game in 1990 and 1997 and the semifinals in 1996.
The hallmarks of Girardi's teams seemed to always be the defense, which led Division III in total defense twice (1975, '83), rushing defense three times (1976, '82, '87) and scoring defense once (1999) during his career. By the mid-'80s, though, his offenses had the firepower to match the defense, leading the MAC in total offense for the first time in 1984 (178.5) and four more times in his career.
Football Hall of Fame Coach Frank Girardi (Courtesy of John Green) |
By the time Girardi decided to retire at the end of the 2007 season, Girardi had coached 82 All-Americans, 328 All-MAC selections, five Academic All-Americans (including Academic All-America Hall of Fame Member Vanaskie), 13 Academic All-District picks, 13 Lycoming College Male Athletes of the Year and seven MAC Most Valuable Players/Players of the Year.
The Lycoming County Brotherhood Alliance was formed 60 years ago to promote fraternity and unity in the local community. It supports several local events, such as a Holocaust Remembrance Program, Club Cadet and a Diversity Tour.