By David Weinberg
Frank Riggitano was first handed the keys to Middle Township High School’s football program in 1990.
During two tenures spanning 22 seasons as the Panthers head football coach, he steered the team to 111 victories and seven state playoff appearances.
Now that he’s decided to leave the sideline, the 63-year-old is ready to get behind the wheel for a new journey.
“My wife (Jeanette) and I just got an RV and we’re ready to take some vacations,” he said. “But I’m going to have to get used to driving it. We took a trip to Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia) recently. I took I-95 on the way down and big rigs were whizzing by me at 80 miles an hour. Jeanette wound up hiding in the kitchen.
“I took a different route back and wound up on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and tunnel. Jeanette wound up back in the kitchen.”
Riggitano was much more comfortable and successful as the driving force behind Middle’s football program. The 1979 Lower Cape May Regional High School graduate enjoyed two stints as varsity coach, serving from 1990 to 2000 before stepping away to spend time with his family. He returned in 2012.
Along the way, he amassed a career record of 111-110 and surpassed former Ocean City coach Gary Degenhardt (101-55) as Cape May County’s alltime winningest coach.
“Of course, I always wanted to win,” he said. “But coaching for me is about so much more than wins and losses. I got much more satisfaction out of former players thanking me for what we did for them. To see former players succeed in life meant more to me than anything.”
Coaching also served as a comfort during some trying times. His younger sister, Laura, passed away from cancer in 2017. Former assistant coaches and good friends Paul Yerk and Will Mendo passed away from Covid-19 in 2021.
Riggitano delivered a eulogy at Mendo’s memorial service. Before he left Yerk’s funeral, he fulfilled a promise by grabbing a cigar with the promise to light it on a special occasion. He did so later that year after Middle beat Lower to win the Anchor Bowl.
“On behalf of Middle Township High School and the entire Middle Township community, we would like to thank Coach Riggitano for the 22 seasons he dedicated to the Panther program as head coach,” Middle athletic director Josh McCarty said in a statement. “Throughout his decades of service to MTHS as principal, athletic director, teacher and coach, he has instilled valuable life lessons every step of the way.”
Riggitano and the Panthers are coming off a terrific run that saw Middle go a combined 21-9, including a 7-3 record this season that included a West Jersey Football League division title and playoff berth.
In recent seasons, however, the chores associated with being a coach began to take a toll. Although he still got a charge out of patrolling the sidelines, he began to grow weary of the other factors.
He informed his team earlier this week that they would have a new coach next season.
“I’ve never been one to do anything less than 100 percent,” he said. “I’ve always felt that if I couldn’t give 100 percent to this, then it would be time to stop. And now it’s time.”
He hasn’t ruled returning as an assistant coach or perhaps a stint as a color analyst for one of the local streaming services.
But for now, he’s ready to hone his golf game and embark on new adventures in his RV.
“Life goes on and we all will move forward,” he said. “I’m looking forward to future RV trips and bucket list items like visiting the (Baseball) Hall of Fame (in Cooperstown, New York). But I will be in the distance rooting for the Panthers.”
Whether he’s driving a golf cart on a fairway or the RV on a highway, the journey promises to be exciting with Jeanette by his side.
Instead of in the motor home’s kitchen.
Thanksgiving Rivalries disappearing
This season’s Anchor Bowl was shaping up to be one of the more exciting games in the Middle Township-Lower Cape May rivalry. Middle (7-3) and Lower (8-2) both enjoyed outstanding seasons.
However, the team’s will not be playing this season. The reasons vary depending on who is asked, but the bottom line is one of the area’s top games was shelved for this season.
It marks just the second time the Panthers and Caper-Tigers haven’t played in over 50 years, though the game wasn’t always played on Thanksgiving. Last season, for example, the teams met in September. The last time it was canceled was 2013, when Lower forfeited its final four games because of injuries.
It’s not the local Thanksgiving game to be plucked. Since the NJSIAA decided to expand its season and playoffs to crown state champions, a number of them have disappeared. For instance, the Ocean City-Pleasantville game was played in August this season.
As a result, Atlantic City-Holy Spirit and Millville-Vineland are the only games on the schedule this Thursday.
Atlantic City leads Holy Spirit 50-40-4 in a series that dates back to 1926. Vineland owns a 67-65-19 advantage of Millville. Those teams will be meeting for the 152nd time Thursday after first playing in 1893. It is the state’s longest running Thanksgiving game.
Mainland vying for state title Sunday
Mainland Regional (13-0) will be trying to win the State Group 4 championship Sunday when it faces Ramapo (12-0) at Rutgers University at 2 p.m.
The Mustangs won the South Jersey title two weeks ago by upsetting defending state champion Millville 35-13, then won the state semifinal with a convincing, 41-7 win over Winslow Township.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points.
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