One in a series of stories on the last independent year of St. John Neumann and St. Maria Goretti high schools.
When word got around that Steve Smith would be the football coach at Neumann-Goretti High School, his phone started ringing off the hook.
He spent so much time talking to family members, old friends and former players that by last Thursday afternoon, his voice was barely audible for an interview.
"I’ve had so many well-wishers over the last couple days that it has been tremendous," said the 1979 Neumann grad. "I am sort of overwhelmed by the whole thing. People have been calling me from all over the country. I am trying to figure out how they found out."
A sister living in San Diego accounts for at least some of the long-distance calls.
Closer to home, Smith said he still has a friend and mentor in former Neumann football coach Ed "Bubby" DiCamillo, despite the fact that he is DiCamillo’s replacement. School officials released the former coach last month over conflicts regarding Neumann’s move to the Goretti building, 16 blocks away at 10th and Moore streets, as part of the two schools’ consolidation.
Smith, 43, spent the last four of his 11 years as Neumann’s offensive-defensive line coach under DiCamillo. And when Smith was a Pirates lineman back in the 1970s, DiCamillo was one of his assistant coaches.
The two men talked about the transition last week, Smith said.
"He said it would be tough for whoever would be coming in," said Smith, originally of 32nd and Tasker streets. "In the long run, he was looking at me and worrying about my well-being.
"If he says things, I will definitely listen," the coach added. "I might not incorporate it, but I will definitely listen because of his experience."
Neumann-Goretti athletic director John Murawsky Jr. said Smith was one of 10 candidates seriously being considered for the position, and noted his strong relationship with the current players put him over the top. Some of those athletes showed up last Thursday afternoon after the official announcement naming Smith as head coach to give their vote of support.
Junior tight end Joe Chiaro, who split his time between varsity and junior varsity last season, said he is happy with the school’s choice.
"It’s a real help having somebody come back that you know," he said.
Smith inherits a program that has made four straight appearances in the Catholic League Blue semifinals. Last year, Neumann narrowly lost its semifinal game to eventual champion Archbishop Wood.
Now that Neumann-Goretti has a head football coach in place, offseason training can begin in earnest. Smith, who is also Neumann’s track coach, said he wants to prepare the players by holding a couple of workouts a week through the summer and plans to oversee regular workouts in the weight room.
The new coach also hopes to win back a few Pirates who jumped ship upon the news of DiCamillo’s release. Juniors Marques Slocum, James Smart, Antoine Stout and Michael Evans all applied to West Catholic High School.
Slocum, a 6-foot-6, 335-pound lineman, is the biggest name — and best prospect. He has received more than a dozen Division I-A scholarship offers. Smith called all of the players last week to discuss the future.
"We had a positive conversation," said the coach, who currently works for the Philadelphia Department of Recreation while studying for his teaching certificate. "I did most of the talking. I basically said how the program would be if they were our players."
Many potential players are already excited about the fall, as evidenced by the 94 Neumann students who attended last week’s meeting with the new coach.
By the fall, the team — now called the Saints — will face some major adjustments. They will no longer have the convenience of a practice field directly outside the building. Instead, they will commute to their old field from Neumann-Goretti.
School colors of black, white and gold will replace the decades-old orange and black.
"It’s something we’ll get used to," Smith said of the developments. "Unfortunately, change is inevitable. The kids can adapt to it a lot better than a lot of us adults."
The coach noted that since many of the players and about half of the coaching staff will carry over to Neumann-Goretti, the team will keep pursuing its goal of winning a Catholic League Blue championship.
"We have some great athletes on our team," he said. "We are probably going to try to stretch the field out with a few more plays downfield. On defense, we are going to come at people with reckless abandon, but it’s going to be controlled reckless abandon. It’s going to be a lot of fun."
Sophomore defensive tackle J. Michael Francesco, who played junior varsity last fall, is anxious to play for the new coach.
"I think it will be great for the program," he said. "Coach Steve is a good man and a great lineman coach. I think he is going to take the Saints all the way."
