Frank Allocco, a highly successful coach at De La Salle High, will be leaving the Spartans to join the USF basketball program as its associate head coach, USF announced
Allocco will serve under head coach Rex Walters on the Hilltop.
At De La Salle his teams won 17 league titles and two state Division I championships in 18 years, compiling a record of 487-71. His 2000 and 2006 teams won state titles. He also went 167-28 at Northgate in six years there and won the Division III state title in 1995.
Allocco also coached the 2014 McDonald's All-American West team to victory.
More than 60 of Allocco's players went on to play in college.
"Great athletic traditions are something that has always resonated with me," said Allocco via release. "It's what drew me to Notre Dame and inspired me to build winning programs at Northgate and De La Salle. The incredible tradition that echoes through the rafters and permeates throughout the USF basketball program has drawn me to the Hilltop. I'm excited for the opportunity to work with coach Walters in creating a culture of excellence that will carry that tradition to new heights and bring honor to the University and Bay Area."
Allocco made all state in three sports and broke the basketball scoring record at New Providence High four times, including scoring 52 points one night in 1971 when he made 24 of 37 shots from the floor in an era before the 3-point line was adopted.
Allocco played football and basketball at Notre Dame and was at quarterback in 1975 for Notre Dame against Georgia Tech. It was in that Irish blowout win that ND reserve Rudy Reuttiger made the QB sack of a Yellowjacket in the final seconds. The moment inspired the movie "Rudy." Moments before Reuttiger's sack, Allocco led a Notre Dame touchdown drive.
He played football for Ara Parseghian at Notre Dame and was a member of the Irish's 1973 national title team and played two years of basketball for coach Digger Phelps.
De La Salle players respected the thin, balding man for not only his glittering playing career but his coaching ability and general demeanor. Said DLS star Jordan Ratinho to Prep2Prep last winter: "He's a great coach. He's the best coach (I've had). He teaches us to be great men and not just players, on and off the court. You can talk to him about anything."
