Girardi Gala by Bill Byham

This Digest will be one that is coming to you after the fact. I wish it could have been different but I guess it is a case of bad timing.

It was back in March that a parcel came to us. In opening it we were told we were being invited to a Girardi Gala that would be held in the Pickelner Arena in Williamsport on the evening of Saturday, May 17, 2008.

The banner told us that the Girardi Family and Friends were in charge of what was to be a celebration of a football era at Lycoming College that, I would bet, will never be duplicated. This celebration was to center on Frank Girardi, Sr and his long time associate Robb Curry as both men were announcing their retirements from the College after being together, in success, for 36 years..

Lycoming Coach Frank Girardi, By Comparison

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.—It’s been said from time to time that Lycoming College’s head football coach Frank Girardi is “the Joe Paterno of Division III football.” And there are definitely similarities. Both coaches are of Italian descent, both are affable and both are intensely passionate about football. Both are situated near the top of the NCAA’s all-time victories list (Paterno is 3rd, Girardi 14th). Both have led a single program over decades to remarkable success. And both reside amid the rolling hills of central Pennsylvania, just an hour apart. Even their team uniforms nearly match, with just a yellow-gold accent distinguishing Lycoming. But, even though the comparison is surely a compliment, to pigeonhole Frank Girardi is to overlook a distinctive legacy and the uniqueness of Division III football.