MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / January 13, 1999

LAPLACE – St. Charles Catholic coach Frank Monica has had a long anddistinguished career, both as a coach and a player. Monica will be honoredfor his accomplishments later this month by being inducted into the Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame.

The 14th annual Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held at the New Orleans Hilton Hotel on Poydras Street on Saturday, Jan. 23. Theblack-tie banquet is sponsored by the American Italian Renaissance Foundation and is the group’s fund-raiser.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda will be the keynote speaker. Lasorda managed the Dodgers from 1976-96, leading them to twoworld championships, and is currently serving in the team’s front office.

Lasorda was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, the first year he was eligible.

The hall honors Italian-American officials, writers, coaches and players.

Past inductees include Elmo Adolph, Willi Pastrono, Warren Capone and Joseph Yenni.

Monica earned all-district honors in baseball in 1965 and 1966 and all- state in football in 1965 at Reserve High School. At Nicholls State, he wasthe school’s baseball MVP in 1969 and the MVP of the Gulf States Conference in 1970.

Monica began his coaching career at Lutcher High School in 1971. He ledthe Bulldogs to the state championship in baseball in 1975 and helped the football team to the state championship that same year as its offensive coordinator. Monica led Lutcher to the state championship in football in1978 as its head coach.

Monica served as the backfield coach at Tulane University in 1979 and 1980 and helped the Green Wave make it to the Liberty Bowl and Hall of Fame Bowl during those years. In 1983, he came back to the River Parishesto lead Riverside to the state championship in football before going to Jesuit for five years. Monica went back to Tulane in 1989 as the GreenWave’s backfield and special teams coach, remaining at the school for five years.

Monica moved to St. Charles Catholic High School in 1997 as the school’shead baseball and cross country (See MONICA, Page 2C) coach. He led the Comets to the Class 2A baseball state championshipgame in 1998 and the cross country teams to the district title in 1997.

UNO athletic director Ron Maestri was the one who first called Monica about the induction. Monica said he was sort of surprised and elated tofind out he was being honored but said all of his accomplishments were through the aid of other coaches and players.

Joining Monica in being inducted this year is Sam Bella Jr., a former starfootball player for Chalmette High School and the University of Southern Mississippi. He played in the Canadian Football League for one year beforelater going on to become the head coach at Chalmette High School.

New Orleans lawyer John Amato will receive the 1999 Civic Recognition Award. Times-Picayune writer David Lagarde will be the recipient of theApollo Award for Media Coverage.

“It is pretty unique,” Monica said of the induction ceremony. “They do agood job with it. It is pretty prestigious affair. It is an honor to be a partof it. It should be a fun night.”

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