Written by Matt Williams
- Salem News, Assistant Sports Editor
BEVERLY, Mass. — Endicott College head baseball coach Bryan Haley recalls heading out to the field on a chilly day about 10 years ago, noticing someone doing push-ups in the outfield and wondering, 'Who is that?'
"Of course, it was coach Deef," said Haley, referring to the legendary Frank DeFelice of Swampscott, who in addition to his decades of service to his hometown Big Blue was an assistant football and baseball coach at Endicott.
Rugged. Disciplined. Competitive. Old school. Smart. Prepared. Blunt. Loving. Supportive. Witty. Vibrant. These are just a few of the words friends, colleagues, and mentees used to describe DeFelice after he passed away earlier this week at age 84.
"He was one of one," said longtime friend, confidant, and dugout lieutenant Paul Halloran.
In high school baseball alone, DeFelice's resume has few, if any, equals.
In 35 seasons guiding Swampscott High, he won 435 games. The Northeastern Conference all-time record holder for victories when he stepped away in 2006, it still ranks second in the league and third in the region nearly 20 years later.
The architect of the 1993 Division 3 state championship team, his Big Blue teams won eight NEC titles, made 10 North sectional appearances, and won four of those. With an eye for detail, a knack for getting his players to compete for everything (including in practices), and a military-like discipline, DeFelice's teams were seldom caught off guard and always ready to work.
"A lot of guys will say 'Coach was tough on us ... but looking back, I'm glad he was tough on us," Halloran said.
Longtime friend Nelson Woodfork once said DeFelice's practices were the only ones he could watch without getting bored. That's because the coach drilled so many different situations and scenarios in fast-paced, creative ways that even an observer could learn something.
That lifetime of baseball wisdom and experience certainly paid off at Endicott, where DeFelice served as an assistant coach and later consultant from the time he left Swampscott's dugout until just last spring.
"He was our Don Zimmer," Haley said, referencing the Yoda-like figure that inspired the New York Yankee dynasty of the late 1990s. "Frank forgot more about baseball than most of us will ever know. His presence and his knack for storytelling made it a joy to be on the field with him every day."
'Deef-isms'
A book of the one-liners DeFelice delivered to his thousands of players over the years would be an instant bestseller. Just a few of the hundreds recounted by his players in group text message chains in recent days were:
The three-run homer is the best play in baseball ... perhaps borrowed from Earl Weaver.
Against a particularly tough pitcher, he'd say, OK, boys, time to pack up the bats.
They look like they're wearing pajamas, when an opposing team's uniforms weren't up to snuff.
On a tough hitting day, he might say, He was 0-for-4, but it was a comfortable 0-for-4.
Any time the opposing team pulled the infield in, he'd get excited and exclaim Everyone's a .400 hitter with the infield in.
He'd always remind his players The game doesn't start until we arrive, and even modified that to apply to Swampscott's senior prom, noting The dance doesn't start until you arrive.
After a particularly long game or doubleheader, at the final out, he'd remark: Coach, I've been waiting for this one all day.
One still quoted by many players to this day would come if some rules or instructions seemed contradictory or difficult: Boys, figure it out.
Another that will no doubt live in Endicott baseball lore forever would be said leading into an off-day or following a big accomplishment: Men, it sounds like tonight is a great night to go dancing.
"Those 'Deef-isms' were classic, one-liners that get passed on to people that never even met him. They'll resonate through history," said Haley. "To this day, I'll be sitting at the field and think of something he said and start laughing."
Passing down life lessons
An amazing athlete in his own right, DeFelice starred at nearby Winthrop High and played both baseball and football at Boston College. He settled in Swampscott with his wife of 56 years, Susan, and raised their three children, Jim, Paul, and Mary Francis Bozarjian. He frequently decried night games, preferring instead to be home for dinner with his family.
A member of the Halls of Fame for Swampscott, Winthrop, Boston College and the Mass. Baseball Coaches Association, DeFelice was also a football savant. One of legendary coach Stan Bondelivitch's right hand men (along with Dick Lynch), he helped the Big Blue dominate the NEC in the 1960's and was head coach for four seasons after Bondelevitch stepped down.
From Swampscott, he followed the coast of the Atlantic Ocean up to Endicott College, where he served as a defensive line coach and defensive coordinator that helped the Gulls' football program get off the ground in the early 2000s.
With a memory like a steel trap, DeFelice knew not just his own players but their parents and their children. In recent years, he'd watch Little League games in town as well the Big Blue at Phillips Park, which was appropriately rechristened as Frank DeFelice Diamond last spring.
"If he thought I was giving away too many outs, he'd let me know," said Joe Caponigro, the current Swampscott High baseball coach who also played for DeFelice. "I'm going to miss those calls."
DeFelice hardly ever raised his voice at an umpire and was never known to curse. Beyond drilling hitting pointers and fielding mechanics, DeFelice was the kind of coach that molded boys into young men. He did so with expectations of work ethic, timeliness, accountability, and loyalty — to the team and to each other.
"As a player, you don't always appreciate all those lessons right away. You get older and you see it," said Caponigro. "He taught us about being role models, being good people and all those things."
So many future pros and college players came through Swampscott that DeFelice could have his own personal page on the Immaculate Grid. He was just as proud to see ex-players go on to be public servants, teachers and coaches.
"Little did we know we were learning more about life than we were the game of baseball," former player and current Executive Director of the North Shore Navigators Derek January said, "...and we learned a lot about baseball."
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(Photo Credit - Salem News | David Le '10)
