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A true student of life and football, Frank “Roscoe” Natale knows rebounding from any sort of setback shows resolve and strengthens character. Therefore, the head pigskin coach and athletic director at Edward Bok Technical High School, 1901 S. Ninth St., understands tomorrow will feature a rightful mix of tears and laughs, as he and his sporting colleagues make their last journey to the 75-year-old institution.
“I’m going to miss Bok,” the resident of the 1600 block of South Juniper Street said yesterday at the East Passyunk Crossing site, a victim of the School District of Philadelphia’s staggering $304 million operating deficit. “I’ve become attached to it and have come to see everyone here as extended family. We’re ready for the next challenge and the constant display of responsibility that’s synonymous with Bok.”
The School Reform Commission decided March 7 to close the secondary education spot and shift registrants to South Philadelphia High School, 2101 S. Broad St. Natale, who has already secured the same coaching duty and a chemistry teaching position at the Lower Moyamensing facility and interviewed Tuesday for its athletic director opening, has spent nine years at Bok, a tenure that saw him guide its football, baseball and badminton squads for 11 seasons. The first pastime proved the most profitable, yielding two straight Public League title runs and as many City runner-up campaigns.
“What’s impressed me most is how the kids welcome the trust we’ve placed in them,” the 2011 league Coach of the Year said. “I’ve observed so much confidence in the players, and I’ve loved that because what [my predecessor] Tommy [DeFelice] and I have always wanted is similar, which is to treat athletes as individuals who will carry on their potential well beyond high school.”
Though Bok has produced quality performers in other sports, football has resonated as a prime example of Wildcat grit since the program’s 1948 inception. The gridiron groups won league championships from ’50 through ’52 and added another in ’54, all under Anthony “Mex” Siani. His immediate successors experienced sporadic fortune, but Charlie “Pops” Guida led a mid-’80s to early-’90s resurgence, with DeFelice taking the post in ’93.
“I knew when I joined the team in 10th grade that I would learn a lot from him,” senior center and defensive lineman Tahree Snead, a West Philly dweller, said of the inspirational DeFelice, who retired two years ago. “Everyone here has helped to mold me into a great man. Being here, there’s just been a different feeling among all of us because Bok people care about what happens to us.”
“I’ve liked it all,” senior running and defensive back Antoine Whitney added. “Being a Bok player has brought out so much in me and made me into something I’m proud to call myself, a leader.”
The Southwest Philly inhabitant will go down in Wildcat lore as the last player to catch a touchdown pass and snare an interception, accomplishing both in Nov. 17’s 49-28 Class AAA championship loss to Archbishop Wood. An All-Public selection, he will head to New York City-situated Globe Tech, a junior college that also will enroll fellow league honoree and senior fullback and defensive end Vittorio Goggins.
“I’m proud of them all,” Natale said, with Snead, bound for Lancaster’s Thaddeus Stevens School of Technology, offering his mentor a handshake. “Perception is reality and sports are a big help in determining how people look at the bigger picture. These guys and everyone before them have given great examples of what we’ve tried to do. That’s going to last even though Bok isn’t.”
Nobody can doubt that DeFelice helped to establish that infatuation with self-respect and discipline. The ex-Bella Vista resident’s 18 varsity units registered 129 victories, including 43 straight regular season victories against public schools, and collected 13 regular season division crowns.
“We always wanted to win, yet the overall goal was to be competitive and have that fire in your belly,” the Glen Mills denizen said. “I’m constantly reflecting on enlightening memories and love knowing that so many of my guys have gone on to start families and be contributors to society in so many ways.”
DeFelice, whose 2007-’09 teams amassed the site’s only double-digit victory seasons, regularly keeps in contact with Bok products, even receiving Father’s Day correspondence from them. Due to speak at today’s graduation, he finds especially relevant his belief that change is a process, not an event. Goggins, who scored Bok’s last rushing touchdown against Wood, feels fortunate to have learned from him and Natale.
“I’ve become more mindful of who I am and who I can be,” the resident of the 3100 block of Tasker Street said. “That’s priceless.”
Under the two coaches, the school claimed five straight classification crowns, meaning Bok will fold during its best run in six decades. The program will finish with 270 wins, 206 league selections and the distinction of having helped to send 1951 alumnus Willie McClung to the NFL. Regardless of any squad’s outcomes, though, effort has always mattered most, a philosophy Natale has enjoyed promoting.
“We’ve built great momentum here that I believe we can transfer to Southern,” he said. “The camaraderie will be there.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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