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Lycoming College officially dedicated Coach Frank Girardi Stadium during the football team’s home opener against SUNY Cortland on Saturday, Sept. 9, in a pregame ceremony that featured Lycoming College President Kent Trachte, Head Football Coach Mike Clark ’93, Coach Girardi’s son, Jerry ’86, and, of course, Coach Girardi.
“The best part of achieving any recognition that you may receive in your lifetime is sharing it with others,” he said. “Your family, your loved ones, your friends, the outstanding fans that we have. And that’s what I’m doing today. I’m sharing this wonderful day with all of you.”
After opening remarks from Executive Vice President Chip Edmonds, Ed.D. ’98, Coach Clark, who played for Coach Girardi from 1989-92, winning four Middle Atlantic Conference titles and reaching the Division III Championship game in 1990, pointed out that Coach Girardi was always quick to share credit for the football team’s success during his 36-year run as coach from 1972-2007, but was more than deserving of any of the many honors bestowed upon him during his career, including 13 MAC Coach of the Year awards and induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
President Trachte read from a proclamation made by the Board of Trustees in October 2022, which concluded:
“WHEREAS Coach Girardi was a gifted leader of student athletes;
WHEREAS Coach Girardi believed in and developed the potential of his student-athletes by demanding excellence while also cultivating a sense of belonging and family;
WHEREAS Frank L. Girardi Sr. has profoundly impacted Lycoming College and did much to sustain our culture of excellence;
The Board of Trustees expresses its appreciation to Coach Girardi by proclaiming that the football stadium that houses David Person Field at the Shangraw Athletic Complex shall henceforth be known as Frank L. Girardi Stadium.”
Jerry Girardi spoke as a former player, as an assistant coach with his father for parts of three decades, and as Girardi’s son.
Coach Girardi spoke last and, befitting his modest persona, quickly turned the attention to his excitement to celebrate the day with the hundreds of family members, former players, and loyal supporters from throughout his career that attended the dedication.
“The best part of achieving any recognition that you may receive in your lifetime is sharing it with others,” he said. “Your family, your loved ones, your friends, the outstanding fans that we have. And that’s what I’m doing today. I’m sharing this wonderful day with all of you.”
A video commemorating Coach Girardi’s years of service that was shown during the ceremony can be viewed at https://youtu.be/q78TgQMcI5U.
Coach Frank Girardi Stadium resides in the Robert L. Shangraw Complex and encompasses the grandstand, press box, training and locker rooms that the football team uses on a daily basis before practicing and playing games on David Person Field, a FieldTurf-surfaced playing field.