Longtime Brother Rice football coach says one more season
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By Ryan Ermanni Fox 2 News
BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (WJBK) -- It was an announcement that many knew was coming sooner rather than later, but on Saturday the all-time winningest coach in the State of Michigan in high school football history made it official. Next season will be Al Fracassa's 45th and final year on the sidelines leading Brother Rice.
"I just love the game so much that maybe instead of going on vacation and sitting on my butt, why not be active still as much as I can and see if I can do it one more year," he remarked.
44 years at one school and so many memories -- 416 wins and eight state tournament championships, including back-to-back in 2011 and 2012.
Fracassa said he holds something about each team very special, but perhaps one of his favorite teams was one that had a losing record.
"It was not a winning season. I lost one game too much. They were a bunch of great kids that gave all they had, and that's what a coach's job is. If he has a bunch of boys that give a hundred percent, that give themselves totally, you're a winner," he told me.
Fracassa stayed so many years at Brother Rice not because he couldn't go anywhere else. Monte Clark offered a position to coach for the Lions. He was also offered the offensive coordinator position at Michigan State twice and turned it down to stay in Birmingham.
"I just never wanted to leave. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably be a high school football coach," he said.
Fracassa does have some advice for the next coach that takes over.
"He's going to have to keep the tradition going. That's all I'll tell him."
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