The coach is history
in the making

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

In 1966, Frank Greco walked through the doors of Central High School for the first time. He was 15 years old.
More than four decades have passed, but Greco never fully cut ties with his alma mater.
"I loved playing basketball at Central when I was a student," said Greco, who was a forward for the Lancers. "I had such great relationships with my coaches. They gave me good guidance. And because of them, I always had interest that I could coach."
Greco has been doing that at Central for 22 years, a significant part of his 34 years of coaching in the city school district. Greco, now 56, has led the girls’ basketball squad at Central to six consecutive championships and a current 93-game winning streak.
"I’ve been blessed year after year now with the kids who are coming into this school," said Greco. "The kids make the program. They work very hard. We win some, we lose some, but we always get better. I would love to tell you how great a coach I am, but the reality is that it’s all the kids."
The Somerton resident coached boys basketball at University City, West Philadelphia and Benjamin Franklin High School for 12 years overall before returning to Central.
"I was pretty fortunate," he said. "I got to learn under some really talented coaches, before I became a head coach. I think I was better prepared because I had years of dealing with tremendous coaches. I was always listening and learning."
Around the time Greco joined the Lancers as a coach in the mid-’80s, he made the move to girls basketball, a decision greeted by mixed reactions in the community.
"The crossover to the girls was presented because my daughter played varsity as a freshman," explained Greco. "I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to coach your child. That’s why I took that job.
"Originally, people thought I was taking the girls job because it was an easier position," he explained. "I told them I plan to coach the same as I would the guys. We treat them as basketball players — not necessarily boys or girls."
Greco’s supervision of the girls team has gone just about flawlessly. The Lancers have not lost a game in seven years; when the latest season ended, they were riding a 93-game winning streak — the longest in Public League history.
"I don’t know if the girls realize they’re making history," said Greco. "It’s going to be a long time before anyone touches these numbers. And we’re not done. We’re going into next season to see how many more we can tack on to ninety-three."
The streak started with the 2001 season, a year highlighted by Central’s defeat of the Franklin Learning Center, 61-39, for the league title. The Lancers had a 13-0 record during that ’01 season. Now, six years and six championship victories later, the Lancers are still cruising.
"After a game, the parents come up and say, ‘That’s ninety-three.’ But when we’re preparing, we never look at the records," Greco said. "That’s after the fact. If you start worrying about records, you’re doing a disservice to the kids."
Greco and his squad already are preparing for the upcoming basketball season. If the streak keeps rolling along, they’d be perfectly happy about it.
"My goal was to be competitive and make them a playoff team," Greco said. "The fact that we have done so much, and had so much success, is motivational. Nobody wants it to end on their watch. So I think we kick each other in the butt to keep going."
Over the years, Greco has formed a unique bond with his squads. In 1986, his coaching responsibilities jumped beyond the basketball court and onto the diamond, when he started a new softball program for the school.
"A bunch of girls came to me asking about a softball team," he said. "So one day I took them all out to the blacktop and started practicing. I remember having about one-hundred girls show up. The athletic director came out and said, ‘Set up a team, get uniforms,’ so we did.
"It’s nice that I started something," he added. "That’s something that is very special to me. We built something really good at Central. I’m glad I made the move to girls sports. They want to be every bit as good as boys want to be. And they work every bit as hard as the guys."
Greco’s success with the ladies, though, won’t obscure his memories of coaching boys basketball in the School District of Philadelphia.
"The relationship with the kids is definitely the best part of coaching," said Greco. "I got guys calling me who are thirty-seven years old still call me ‘coach,’ inviting me to their house for their kid’s birthday party. None of us get rich being schoolteachers, but that’s the part of teaching that people can’t put a dollar figure on."
Greco’s involvement with Central intensified in 1998, when he accepted the position of athletic director.
"It’s a lot on my plate," he said. "Fortunately, I have a wonderful department. They make the athletic program successful. Everybody pitches in and we work really hard."
The kids, of course, are part of it all.
"These kids are working every bit as hard as me," he said. "That kind of dedication inspires me to work hard with them. They could be doing a million others things that teenagers are doing. But instead they decided to be dedicated to this."
Thanks to the students, athletes and faculty at Central, Greco’s career was able to blossom and make school history. But there’s someone else whose support Greco says he can’t overlook.
"None of this happens without my wife Michelle," he said. "If it wasn’t for her enjoying the athletics and the kids and giving me the leeway to do these things, none of it would have happened. She’s a great partner in all this."
Encouragement also has come from their two children, Christina and Tim, who are Central alumni and former athletes.
"I think a handful people are in the right place at the right time," said Greco. "It happened to me. I ended up wonderfully.
"I was lucky enough to go back to a school I love and continue to be a part of it," he added. "And the rest is history." ••
Coach Frank Greco will address the Sportsters meeting on July 16 at 7 p.m. at the JCC Klein Community Center, Jamison Avenue and Red Lion Road, in Bustleton. He will discuss his career, working with high school athletes, and how the Philadelphia Public League has changed over the years. A question-and-answer session will follow.
The non-profit Sportsters is an organization of former athletes, coaches and referees. Guests are welcome to attend meetings, held on Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m. Admission is free.
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com