Former Delaware Head Coach Joins Penn State's Staff
Former Delaware head coach Frank Rocco, a Penn State letterman with nearly 40 years of coaching experience, has joined Penn State's staff as a defensive analyst, one of several new hires James Franklin made this offseason to bolster his football program.
Rocco most recently spent five years as Delaware's head coach, compiling a 31-23 record before being let go in November. Delaware was Rocco's third FCS stop as a head coach. He compiled three 10-win seasons and made five FCS playoff appearances.
Rocco has a long coaching resume across college, the NFL and the country. He was a head coach at Liberty and Richmond before Delaware, was an assistant at Maryland, Texas, Boston College, Colorado and Wake Forest and spent the 2000 season with the New York Jets.
Rocco lettered on Penn State's 1979 and '80 teams, playing in the Liberty and Fiesta bowls before transferring to Wake Forest.
"When you get guys like Danny Rocco to be able to join our program," Franklin said, "not only his experience in the NFL, his experience as a head coach, his experience as a coordinator, and he's also a letterman. That's also been an emphasis that we've seen in our staff as well. ... That's been really valuable and exciting, having these guys back involved in the program."
Rocco is one of two lettermen who joined Franklin's staff as an analyst this offseason. Dan Connor, a two-time All-America linebacker, had been Widener's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. Franklin said that Connor was "really open to getting back here however we could make it work."
"To me, it was an ideal situation, because here is a guy who had been coaching high school, now had got his foot in the door of coaching and worked his way up to being a defensive coordinator and had been having success," Franklin said of Connor. "His college coach spoke very very highly of him. I don't think Penn State is necessarily a first-time job, so I think when it plays out like it did with Dan."
Franklin begins spring practice with 10 analysts, including newcomer Gabe Infante from Temple, who is listed as an analytics coordinator as well. Franklin said the staff additions were central to the new 10-year contract he signed last November.
"It's about manpower in recruiting, it's about manpower in terms of when we're breaking down film and when we're watching tape that we have enough perspectives in the room and enough experience," Franklin said. "And then obviously it helps you in terms of manpower when it comes to game-planning. There's tremendous value to it.
"We have taken some really good strides. I'm pleased with the strides we've made. Obviously, my contract was a big part of that."
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