Longtime LCA football coach earns 250th win

Frank Rocco recently celebrated his 250th career win as head coach Friday night when the LCA Bulldogs defeated the Amherst Lancers on senior night, 34-0.  

However, for Rocco, the battle remains never-ending on and off the field.

No matter where life has taken Rocco, from heading to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to begin his coaching tenure, or returning to Virginia initially to give his children a Christian education through Liberty University (only to end up as an assistant for the Flames before landing right next door at LCA), Rocco’s message has remained the same: developing teenagers to grow in Christ.  

 “We are very big into stressing the total-person development,” Rocco said. “Football is physical, but there’s so much of being a teammate that is social. The way we do things, it’s spiritual … So in all those areas, the development of the total person is what our calling card has been.” 

Between Frank Rocco winning his 250th game in his career as head coach on Friday night and his brother, Danny Rocco, winning over 150 games throughout his career, the Roccos and success have gone hand-in-hand since both their tenures began. 

 However, for Frank Rocco, success transpires for so much more than just winning football games.  

 “You can’t be just a caveman and play, you have to have intellect,” Rocco said. “We hold our guys to a standard academically, and we do not shy from that at all.”

When asked if he had a favorite memory from his long coaching career, Rocco did not mention a particular win or any sort of moment from any game, but one move stood out to him: the move to the VHSL (Virginia High School League). At the time, LCA remained the only independent public school in the entire league, which totaled an impressive 360 schools. Rocco, who described the move as “monumental,” further classified it as an opportunity to show the teenagers that he coaches a way to play the game right.  

 “To have been able to navigate those waters to a point where we have been successful across the board … I really think (that is) my greatest moment,” he said.

Rocco and company, who have now improved their record to 9-0, will travel to EC Glass to finish their regular season Nov. 4 before beginning Seminole District tournament play the following week.  

Palermo is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter