Winningest Southwest Area Coaches - Quiz

[OldSchoolLion]

Who are the top two most winning high school football coaches from Southwest Florida (Collier, Hendry and Lee Counties - only counting victories while coaching in those counties)?  Name #1 and #2 and where they coached.

Both of these coaches 

• coached for 30 or more seasons
• retired more than 5 years ago
• spent all or most of their careers at one school

Hope this is a little diversion with the bad news we are dealing with of late.  We need to pay homage to our great coaches.

 

[DisabledAccount]

2 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

Who are the top two most winning high school football coaches from Southwest Florida (Collier, Hendry and Lee Counties - only counting victories while coaching in those counties)?  Name #1 and #2 and where they coached.

Both of these coaches 

• coached for 30 or more seasons
• retired more than 5 years ago
• spent all or most of their careers at one school

Hope this is a little diversion with the bad news we are dealing with of late.  We need to pay homage to our great coaches.

 

Idk the name but I'm going to guess one of the coaches was at fort Myers 

[badbird]

Sam Sirianni

[OldSchoolLion]

Sam Sirianni of Fort Myers is the second winningest coach from SW FL.  Good job badbird and ColumbiaFan!

Who is #1?  Here is a hint...His name has a vowel in it

How about he won a state Coach of the Year honor at one point in his coaching career.  

[badbird]

Al Morrell?

[OldSchoolLion]

Where did he coach?

[badbird]

same place a family member of mine did. he was on his staff.  Clewiston.  

[OldSchoolLion]

...and the answers are....

#1. Al Morrell, who coached for 25 seasons at Clewiston, is the winningset coach ever in SW FL, and is #15 on the list of all-time wins.  He retired in 2001.  He started his career coaching 5 years at Naples Lely back in the 1970's.   Under Morrell, Clewiston went 232-61-1, including one state co-championship, four state runner-ups, 12 regional final appearances, 17 district titles, and 25 overall playoff wins. He was 261-78-5 overall as a high school football coach in Florida.

#2. Sam Sirianni spent 33 season coaching at Fort Myers, and is the second winningest coach ever in SW FL, and is #17 on the list of all-time wins.  He retired in 2001.  Under Sirianni, Fort Myers went 244-103-4, making playoff appearances in 13 seasons.  His teams won 10 playoff games, all between 1991 and 2001.  His 1991 and 1992 teams made it to the state semifinals, losing both times to St Thomas Aquinas.  His 1999 and 2000 teams made it to the regional finals, losing both times to St Thomas Aquinas.      

 

[badbird]

Not my family member but a former head coach at Clewiston who passed away recently.  Thought I would bring him up

 

Mr. Lawrence “Larry” Antonacci, age 59, passed away Wednesday, September 6, 2017. He was born September 6, 1958 in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania to Dominick and Eleanor Rahl Antonacci. Mr. Antonacci was a resident of   DeFuniak Springs, Florida. He was Christian by faith and a member of the Life Changers International Church. He graduated from Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, receiving his Bachelor’s Degree. He worked as a Teacher and Girls Softball Coach at Walton High School as well as an Offensive Coach for the Walton Braves Football Team. He was an avid freshwater fisherman. He also won four High School State Football Championships, during his coaching career. Mr. Antonacci was preceded in death by his father, Dominick Pat Antonacci and one sister Suzanne Diltz. Mr. Antonacci is survived by his  mother, Eleanor Antonacci of Berwick, Pennsylvania; his loving wife Elaine Antonacci of DeFuniak Springs, Florida; one daughter, Suzanne Waldon and husband Brad of Cape Coral, Florida; one son, Shane Zubaty of Alva, Florida; two brothers, Daniel Antonacci and wife Elizabeth of Tennessee and Dominick Antonacci and wife Sarah of Arizona; four grandchildren, Aubrey, Alana, Addison, and Cade; one God Child, Danielle Antonacci. Also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

 

[OldSchoolLion]

17 minutes ago, badbird said:

Not my family member but a former head coach at Clewiston who passed away recently.  Thought I would bring him up

 

Mr. Lawrence “Larry” Antonacci, age 59, passed away Wednesday, September 6, 2017. He was born September 6, 1958 in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania to Dominick and Eleanor Rahl Antonacci. Mr. Antonacci was a resident of   DeFuniak Springs, Florida. He was Christian by faith and a member of the Life Changers International Church. He graduated from Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, receiving his Bachelor’s Degree. He worked as a Teacher and Girls Softball Coach at Walton High School as well as an Offensive Coach for the Walton Braves Football Team. He was an avid freshwater fisherman. He also won four High School State Football Championships, during his coaching career. Mr. Antonacci was preceded in death by his father, Dominick Pat Antonacci and one sister Suzanne Diltz. Mr. Antonacci is survived by his  mother, Eleanor Antonacci of Berwick, Pennsylvania; his loving wife Elaine Antonacci of DeFuniak Springs, Florida; one daughter, Suzanne Waldon and husband Brad of Cape Coral, Florida; one son, Shane Zubaty of Alva, Florida; two brothers, Daniel Antonacci and wife Elizabeth of Tennessee and Dominick Antonacci and wife Sarah of Arizona; four grandchildren, Aubrey, Alana, Addison, and Cade; one God Child, Danielle Antonacci. Also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

 

In his first year as head coach at Clewiston in 2006, Larry Antonacci led his team to a 13-1 record and state 2A runner-up finish.  He was voted the 2006 Class 2A Coach of the Year.  2A was extremely competitive back then.  Clewiston defeated Tampa Catholic and defending champion Chaminade-Madonna to reach the 2A finals.  Those 2 games were decided by a total of 7 points.  

Mr. Antonacci coached in one of the most exciting state final games in recent history.  The game against Bolles ended in a 7-7 tie after regulation.  Both teams traded touchdowns in the first two OT's, making it 21-21.  Clewiston kicked a field in the third OT and then Bolles scored a TD, ending the game 27-24 in favor of Bolles after 3OT's.

[MuckCityChamp]

13 hours ago, badbird said:

Not my family member but a former head coach at Clewiston who passed away recently.  Thought I would bring him up

 

Mr. Lawrence “Larry” Antonacci, age 59, passed away Wednesday, September 6, 2017. He was born September 6, 1958 in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania to Dominick and Eleanor Rahl Antonacci. Mr. Antonacci was a resident of   DeFuniak Springs, Florida. He was Christian by faith and a member of the Life Changers International Church. He graduated from Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, receiving his Bachelor’s Degree. He worked as a Teacher and Girls Softball Coach at Walton High School as well as an Offensive Coach for the Walton Braves Football Team. He was an avid freshwater fisherman. He also won four High School State Football Championships, during his coaching career. Mr. Antonacci was preceded in death by his father, Dominick Pat Antonacci and one sister Suzanne Diltz. Mr. Antonacci is survived by his  mother, Eleanor Antonacci of Berwick, Pennsylvania; his loving wife Elaine Antonacci of DeFuniak Springs, Florida; one daughter, Suzanne Waldon and husband Brad of Cape Coral, Florida; one son, Shane Zubaty of Alva, Florida; two brothers, Daniel Antonacci and wife Elizabeth of Tennessee and Dominick Antonacci and wife Sarah of Arizona; four grandchildren, Aubrey, Alana, Addison, and Cade; one God Child, Danielle Antonacci. Also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

 

Coach Antonacci was also on the staff at Glades Central when I was there. He was an Assistant on the 1997 Team that lost in the State Championship game against Jacksonville-Raines. He then was then OC the next 4 seasons and won 3 state titles in the mix. Coach was really a good man. 

[OldSchoolLion]

1 hour ago, MuckCityChamp said:

Coach Antonacci was also on the staff at Glades Central when I was there. He was an Assistant on the 1997 Team that lost in the State Championship game against Jacksonville-Raines. He then was then OC the next 4 seasons and won 3 state titles in the mix. Coach was really a good man. 

...much respect to anyone who has coached at Glades.  It must be very tough.  Historically the program has had a lot of turnover.  

Must be very satisfying for someone to know they touched the lives of some young men who grew up under rough circumstances and desperately needed guidance.  

[MuckCityChamp]

23 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

...much respect to anyone who has coached at Glades.  It must be very tough.  Historically the program has had a lot of turnover.  

Must be very satisfying for someone to know they touched the lives of some young men who grew up under rough circumstances and desperately needed guidance.  

I had to read your response several times to get a clear understanding of what you are saying. Yes, Coach did well here and was loved here. But, I think you are stretching it a bit with the "rough circumstances and desperately needing guidance," part. Don't believe everything you hear or read. There is a lot of miseducation about the area. 

[OldSchoolLion]

38 minutes ago, MuckCityChamp said:

I had to read your response several times to get a clear understanding of what you are saying. Yes, Coach did well here and was loved here. But, I think you are stretching it a bit with the "rough circumstances and desperately needing guidance," part. Don't believe everything you hear or read. There is a lot of miseducation about the area. 

MuckCityChamp,

What I was thinking when I said "It must be very tough"...to be a coach that is.  I have heard that local folks have extremely high expectations to win, making it difficult for coaches to satisfy year-in and year-out.  

Concerning the "rough circumstances."  It has been many years since I have visited Belle Glade, so I am probably out of touch.  Hard for me to get out of my head visions of the past when I visited.a very impoverished area. The "desperately needing guidance" comment applies in a lot of other places beyond Belle Glade.

Sorry if it came across the wrong way...only positive intentions on my end.         

 

[badbird]

belle glades is one of the poorest area's in Florida. There have been many articles and documentaries of the rough upbringing in the Muck.  Are they all lying?   

 

Quote

According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2005-09, the latest figures available, 43.5 percent of households in Belle Glade had yearly income below $25,000, including 20 percent under $10,000.

 

For a lot of those kids football is the only way out.  I don't think oldschoollion was trying to be disrespectful but it is well know that area has lots of struggles.  

[DarterBlue2]

14 hours ago, badbird said:

belle glades is one of the poorest area's in Florida. There have been many articles and documentaries of the rough upbringing in the Muck.  Are they all lying? 

The area around Lake Okeechobee reminded me of the most rural areas in Jamaica when I worked on a job there for a week in 1993. It was eye opening to me, as it was by far the most poor rural area I had seen in my time in in the USA up till then and since. 

That does not necessarily mean the people who live there are worse off than many kids living in some large cities in the USA. It comes down to a number of factors, some intangible, when making a determination about living conditions.  

[MuckCityChamp]

Very misleading. Survey are just that, "Surveys." You have to consider who they are "surveying." The count against the area is the migrant workers that come here to work in the fields. Football is definitely NOT the only way out. Education is the way out. I can show you plenty of kids that played high school football here, but not in college, and still obtained their degrees. 

[MuckCityChamp]

On 2/19/2018 at 4:56 PM, badbird said:

belle glades is one of the poorest area's in Florida. There have been many articles and documentaries of the rough upbringing in the Muck.  Are they all lying?   

 

 

For a lot of those kids football is the only way out.  I don't think oldschoollion was trying to be disrespectful but it is well know that area has lots of struggles.  

What city do you live in? I guarantee if I want my documentary to flourish, I will find the poorest part of that city to make it seem like I know what I'm doing.