Hall of Fame
Fittingly, Frank Vulcano Sr. becomes the first wrestling coach inducted into California University's Athletic Hall of Fame. He also accompanies his son, football standout Frank, Jr., as the first father-son Hall of Fame combination ever at Cal U.
After serving as an assistant coach under the late Paul Ross for two years, Vulcano became Cal U's head wrestling coach in 1968 and guided the Vulcans through the 1983-84 season, compiling an impressive 181-95-4 cumulative dual-meet record.
"I never thought I would get the opportunity to become a college coach but was very fortunate that Paul Ross gave me the chance when he got out of coaching to be the athletic director," Vulcano said. "He was a very nice and fair man and it is because of him that I got to be California's wrestling coach."
Vulcano was also a well-respected faculty member in the university's health and physical education department for nearly 20 years and was granted emeritus status in 1985.
“I was close with Terry Scott, Myles Witchey, Steve Tselepis and Floyd Shuler," said Vulcano. "Those guys were very loyal to California and we were a close department that worked well together."
During his successful collegiate coaching tenure, Vulcano coached four PSAC champions, 10 All-Americans and one national champion, Bill DePaoli, who won 118-pound NAIA national championships in 1977 and 1979.
"Billy never made it out of the WPIAL rounds in high school and I think what he accomplished as a college wrestler was a thrill for not only myself and my assistants but the whole school," said Vulcano. "He was something."
In 1982-83, Vulcano coached the Vulcans to a school-best 16-1 dual-meet record.
"We had a lot of good, solid teams and most of the wrestlers were area kids," said Vulcano, whose longtime assistant coaches were Sam Madia and Phil Hayes. "For a long time Pennsylvania and certainly Washington and Greene counties have produced good, tough wrestlers. I take pride in the fact that we were competitive every year and we beat our share of Division I schools. The kids we had just worked hard and improved each day. Wrestling takes a special commitment and if you are going to be good in it there really is no off-season.”
Before shaping Cal wrestling into a perennial winner, Vulcano began his 32-year coaching career by compiling a 61-37 cumulative scholastic dual-meet coaching record. After coaching Scott Township High School for two seasons he returned to his scholastic alma mater and compiled a 53-27-1 record at Chartiers-Houston High School from 1959 through 1965. He was also a PIAA wrestling official for 32 years and started the nationally acclaimed Powerade Wrestling Tournament in 1967.
"I always enjoyed being a wrestling official and enjoyed the challenge and responsibility of it," Vulcano said. "There's nobody out there on the mat besides the two wrestlers and the official so you had better know what you were doing and be in control of things, including the crowd."
An innovative coach and fund-raiser, Vulcano arranged the first-ever WPIAL wrestling all-star matches between different classifications as well as a Pennsylvania-Illinois all-star match in the early 1970s. Subsequently, Vulcano's idea spurred others to create the popular Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic all-star matches.
"We didn't have scholarships back then and we had to do what we could to raise money," Vulcano said. "I knew the interest was there and that people would come out to see these kind of matches. Obviously I was right considering how big these matches are now."
Originally from Houston, Pa., and a graduate of then-called Chartiers High School, Vulcano was a wrestling and football standout and starter on Chartiers' 1947 WPIAL Class A championship football team.
He continued his academic and wrestling careers at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, where he was a three-time PSAC wrestling champion and one-time state finalist. Vulcano compiled a remarkable 53-7-1 career wrestling record for the Bald Eagles. He received his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from LHU in 1951 and after serving two years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Vulcano earned a master's degree in health and physical education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1955.
Receiving Cal U's most prestigious athletic honor marks the seventh different Hall of Fame that Vulcano has been inducted into. Others include Lock Haven University, PSAC, Washington County Sports, Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association, Southwestern Pennsylvania Wrestling, and the National Hall of Fame's Pennsylvania Chapter, which he was inducted into this past April.
"It's quite an honor to be inducted into any Hall of Fame and it certainly means a lot to receive this award at the school I worked at for so many years," said Vulcano. "To be inducted with my son is certainly special. It is very tough to play two sports in college and I never held him back because he always loved playing football. He was a heck of a football player and very deserving of this honor. Now his son is playing football and is a linebacker so I guess he is following Frank's footsteps."
Frank Sr. resides in Houston, Pa., with his wife, Elizabeth. The couple's other grown children besides Frank, Jr. include Gerald, Deborah, James, and Patsy, who won a PIAA individual state wrestling title in 1984. Jim, who went on to a successful high school coaching career and Frank Jr., named the 2003 Pennsylvania Wrestling Man of the Year, both placed third at the state tourney during their scholastic days.
"All four of my sons wrestled and I still follow the sport but not as much as I used to," Vulcano said. "We were the first ones to start a Christmas high school wrestling tournament and I am definitely proud of how Frank has continued that tournament and everything else that he has gone on to do for wrestling. I am proud of all my children.”
