Hall of Fame
The longest serving head coach in the history of Towson University athletics at the time of his induction, Frank directed the men’s soccer program for 31 seasons against NCAA Division I competition compiling a 283-227-51 record until the sport was discontinued in 2012 after its 84th season.
Frank came to Towson as an assistant coach in 1978 after a four-year career as a starting defender and a team captain (1977) at Johns Hopkins. He was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic Team following his senior year when he was also a professional indoor league draft pick by New York.
After three years as an assistant, Frank assumed command of the program on an interim basis in 1982 after head coach Rich Bartos lost a battle with leukemia. The following year he was appointed full-time head coach by Athletic Director, Joe McMullen.
Midway through his tenure as the Tigers’ skipper he became Towson’s winningest soccer coach. On October 23, 1998 the Tigers defeated New Hampshire 2-1. That victory was career number 157, moving Frank past Doc Minnegan who coached the Tigers for 29 years. Before it ended Frank would notch 283 wins as Towson’s coach.
Frank is also the only Towson coach to guide a program in four different conferences; the East Coast Conference (1983-91), the Big South (1992-95), America East (1996-2001) and the Colonial Athletic Association (2002-2012).
Under his leadership the Tigers captured three ECC titles (1989, 1990, 1991), one America East championship (2001) plus that league’s regular season championship (1998). In 2006 his squad earned the regular season championship with an unbeaten, once-tied 10-0-1 mark in the highly competitive CAA. That remains the all-time CAA record for the only team in its history to record double digit league wins.
Two of his teams competed in the NCAA Tournament, accounting for Towson’s only two NCAA post-season soccer appearances at any level in the 84-year history of the program. In the Tigers’ first post-season trip in 2001 they stunned James Madison 4-1 to post the largest margin of victory in the tournament’s opening round. The season ended with a second-round loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels who went on to win the National Championship.
The 2006 Tigers reached the final round of 16 before falling to 3rd-ranked Wake Forest. In 1995, Towson’s first year in America East, with a 14-4-0 record, he directed the Tigers to their first-ever national ranking, closing out the year ranked 20th in the nation, followed by national rankings in 2001 (25th) and 2006 (15th).
The individual accolades piled up over the years. Frank was honored as conference coach of the year four times; ECC once, America East twice and CAA once. He was named South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2006. His colleagues voted him Towson’s Coach of the Year three times. In 2004 Frank was inducted into the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame by the Oldtimers Association.
Active in NCAA affairs, Frank served as regional chairman for the NCAA championship tournament. He was a member of the regional selection committee and has served on both the Maryland and the Eastern Regional Olympic Development staffs. In 2008 Frank was chosen as a scout for the U.S. Soccer National Teams Staff, working specifically with the Development Academy.
During his tenure Tiger soccer teams earned 11 Academic Achievement Awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. He coached 12 All-Americans, seven conference Players of the Year, and All-Conference selections in the CAA (20), America East (21), Big South (5) and ECC (25). Counted among his former players, 51 were domestic professionals, 10 were international professionals and nearly 40 joined the coaching ranks at both the collegiate and high school levels.
After leaving Towson Frank continued his coaching career. He piloted the program at Davis & Elkins for two years compiling a 24-7-2 record that included a Mountain East Conference title in 2016. He returned to the Division I ranks as head coach of St. Francis University - Loretto, running up a 32-24-8 record and taking the Red Flash to three Northeast Conference tournaments.
Frank then returned to Baltimore as the inaugural men’s soccer coach at Notre Dame of Maryland University on North Charles Street where he developed the program from its infancy. The Gators posted a 5-8-2 in their first year as members of the Division III United East Athletic Conference. Frank was named co-coach of the year. He stands in the top 40 of all-time among winningest coaches in Division I.
