Angelo’s still a
Pioneer at heart

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Al Angelo loves the stories.
He loves to reminisce about his days coaching the Frankford High School football team.
He enjoys going over plays that helped Angelo — who guided the Pioneers from 1965 to 1984, and again for the 1987 season — win 184 games and 10 Public League championships.
But more than anything else, Angelo loves the people who helped him build such a legacy, both as a coach, mentor and teacher.
Lately, those friends have been especially important.
Just after Thanksgiving last year, Angelo was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Since then, he’s been doing his best to beat the disease. It’s a long battle, but he has undergone radiation sessions at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital and chemotherapy treatments.
And because the retired coach now lives in Ocean City, N.J., that means a lot of travel to undergo treatments.
"I’m doing OK right now," Angelo said. "I’m feeling pretty good. Not sure what the future holds, but right now, I feel pretty good.
"It’s tough," he added, "but I’m lucky because I have a lot of people around me who help me out."
Angelo’s visits to Philadelphia, for the most part, have been trying. But last week he had quite an enjoyable day.
Angelo, 77, came up from the Jersey Shore to take part in a Frankford football reunion. About 300 of his former players and colleagues went to Dugan’s on the Boulevard to talk about the old times, the days when Frankford ruled the gridiron. The days when Angelo and his new wing-T offense helped the mighty Pioneers claim championship after championship.
"I love those guys," Angelo said. "I still recognized them. They might have some gray hair or they might be a few pounds heavier, but I recognize them. To me, that’s what it was all about.
"I loved coaching football and I loved winning, but it’s about the other things," Angelo said. "I love socializing with those guys, catching up, talking about old times and talking about current times."
As for the current times, Angelo is staying busy. If he’s not feeling too sick, he’ll grab his clubs and enjoy some golf. He also spends quality time with his wife Janet.
"My golf game isn’t much worse than it was this time last year, so I can’t say the cancer has hurt my game," he said.
Angelo likes to keep up with how the Pioneers are doing these days. But he’s also a fan of the Ocean City High School football team.
"My grandsons play for Ocean City, so I only go to Frankford games when there’s not a conflict," he said. "When they’re not playing, I try to make as many Frankford games as I can."
Angelo always demanded the most out of his players — he always demanded 100 percent effort. It is what he demands of himself now as he tackles his biggest challenge, overcoming cancer.
"It’s not easy, but I’m going to fight it," he said. "Cancer is something you just have to fight for as long as you can, and enjoy as much of your life as you can." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com