May 7, 2011, beloved son of Joseph R. and the late Dolorita (Gallagher) Francescone; loving friend of Sandra Hambleton; also survived by many loving friends and former students. Friends may call Thursday 4-8 PM at the PERNA, DENGLER, ROBERTS FUNERAL HOME, 1671 Maple Rd., Williamsville. Friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial, Friday from St. John the Baptist R.C. Church, Kenmore at 9:30. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The City Honors High School Athletic Department, 186 East North St., Buffalo, NY 14204. Online tributes may be sent to www.denglerrobertspernafuneral.com
Drake Francescone had a favorite expression, one he used in every situation, sometimes in jest: "Thank you for your kindness."
The sentiment went both ways. Francescone, who died Saturday at 63 of pancreatic cancer, performed countless acts of kindness during his 34 years as a teacher in the Buffalo city schools, including 23 as a stunningly successful head coach at City Honors.
Francescone won 49 city championships and five state titles in six sports at Honors. His girls volleyball team won 11 straight city titles and created a dynasty that continues to this day. His coed tennis and cross-country teams went years without losing. His boys basketball team won three sectional titles and won the state Class C title in 2003, the year he retired. Later that year, he was voted into the State Public High School Hall of Fame.
That's quite a resume for a man who never had a paid assistant. But Francescone's legacy was the kids he helped along the way. He was an imposing (6-foot-5) physical presence, a man who had never played rugby when he was asked to join the team at Indiana University, then became an all-American.
Francescone, a Tonawanda native and Kenmore West graduate, could be gruff and demanding. But he was an old-school coach with a big heart.
Coach Fran believed children were filled with possibility, if you demanded and nurtured it. He was renowned for putting schoolwork first. He was most proud of the fact that he produced 26 scholarship athletes, and every one graduated from college.
Teachers get a lot of grief. It's good to be reminded that they inspire children's lives and touch the future in unimaginable ways. The kids remember, too.
"You can't imagine all the e-mails I've gotten from Drake's former students," said Jim Duggan, a former English teacher at City Honors and dear friend of Francescone. "I haven't even gotten to Facebook yet. The kids say, 'He did this for me.' 'He did that.' 'Nobody knew the influence he was on me.' 'I'm a gym teacher because of him.'"
Duggan said Debbie Matos, the current City Honors volleyball coach, said Francescone spent hours of his own time with her when she took over the job. Matos said the girls still refer to Francescone's methods, years later.
"He really did affect a whole lot of lives," Duggan said.
I know. Francescone coached my daughter. Emily was no athlete. Her passion was the arts. But Drake liked her and wanted her to be involved in sports. He gave her the boys basketball score book and asked her to tabulate the statistics for him. Emily dutifully typed up the stats. When City Honors won the state title in '03, Drake invited Emily to the banquet and gave her a varsity letter as a manager.
That dinner was unforgettably moving. It was a special team, a bright, racially balanced and harmonious group. Each one of them stood up and spoke. It was one of Francescone's rituals, making his players express their gratitude in front of a crowd.
The kids were eloquent and funny. They told their parents they loved them. They thanked their teachers and coaches. You could see how much the experience meant to them. It wasn't so much the championship, but the sense of worth that comes through shared striving, something teachers pass along every day.
Francescone took pride in making connections with people. He had a way of getting things done. He got to know the custodians. Duggan said they would run circles for the coach. Drake would give them a bottle of whiskey or some gift to show his appreciation.
When he took over the softball team, he had no place to practice in winter. So he went to the Armory and got an audience with a colonel. Drake told a little fib about his own service and said his inner-city kids had no place to work out. The next thing you knew, they were moving tanks and making space for a softball field.
"Don't you know, the soldiers would be down there applauding, even chasing after foul balls," Duggan said with a chuckle. "They'd come out and watch the games. The kind of things he would do affected people. They were just willing to do things for him."
When Emily was a sophomore, Drake asked her to play tennis. She had barely ever swung a racket. But she took some lessons, went to the practices and did her best. She even won a match or two in doubles.
I'm sure Drake knew that when Emily applied to the top colleges, it would help to have "Two years varsity tennis" on her application. When you're competing with the brightest students, playing sports can be a factor. When she got into Amherst College, one of the top schools in the country, I gave Drake partial credit.
Emily got a degree in music. But she wanted to teach and went to grad school for education. Last Friday, the day before Drake died, she landed her first teaching job in Brooklyn.
I'm sure her old coach would be very proud.
Drake M. Francescone, the legendary coach who turned underdog athletes from Buffalo City Honors High School into state champions, died Saturday in his Town of Tonawanda home after a brief illness. He was 63.
Mr. Francescone, who started building the girls volleyball program at City Honors in 1980, led undefeated teams to three state championships in a row in the early 1990s. It was the first time a Buffalo city school had won three straight state crowns in any sport.
Upon his retirement in 2003, News Sports Reporter Keith McShea recounted his accomplishments:
“There’s got to be over 800 [victories] in volleyball, where he won four state titles; over 200 in basketball, where he’s led the Centaurs to four sectional championships, within nine points of last year’s ClassCstate title and has them in position for a run at this year’s C-1 crown. [They won it.] There’s plenty more in softball (sectional title), cross country (sectional title), tennis (a streak so long he doesn’t know when it started) and swimming (where winning the city title became so commonplace he put the trophy in the bottom of the pool to inspire his team.)”
Mr. Francescone, who stood 6-foot-5, brought athletic prowess to a school best known for its academic excellence and did it despite the lack of a full-sized gym. The Centaurs basketball team never practiced or played a game within the walls of their own school.
In all, he won 49 city championships, 12 Section VI championships, eight Far West regional championships and five state championships. He was inducted into the New York State Public High School Hall of Fame in 2003. Earlier, Mayor James D. Griffin awarded him a Key to the City.
Many of his students went on to college with athletic or academic scholarships. He was particularly proud that all of them graduated from colleges.
Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of Kenmore West High School and a 1970 graduate of Indiana University, where he was an All America rugby player and earned a bachelor’s degree in education. He earned a master’s degree in education from Niagara University in 1972.
He had a 34-year career in the Buffalo schools, teaching physical education at Schools 80 and 81 before joining the City Honors faculty in 1980.
He was a 30-year member of Crag Burn Golf Club.
Surviving is his father, Joseph.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a. m. Friday in St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 1085 Englewood Ave., Town of Tonawanda.
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