Joe Fusco
Encyclopedia
Joe Fusco is a former American football
player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania
from 1972 to 1990, compiling a record of 154–34–3. Fusco was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
as a coach in 2001.
Fusco had a lifetime association with Westminster College. He was guard
on the football team from 1957 to 1959, assistant coach from 1968 to 1971, head coach from 1972 to 1990, and director of athletics from 1985 to 1999. His other coaching duties were at Wilmington and Grove City, Pennsylvania
high schools, where he had a 55–14–3 record from 1960 to 1967. In 19 years at Westminster, his team was in the NAIA
top 20 15 times, in the NAIA playoffs nine times, had a 27-game winning streak, and won four NAIA Division II National Championships
. The national titles came in 1976, 1977, 1988, and 1989. His record as head coach at Westminster was 154–34–3, a winning percentage of .814. His 1977 team won the Lambert Cup as the best small-college team in the East.
Fusco graduated from Westminster in 1960, added a master's degree in education in 1965 and a doctorate in education from the University of Pittsburgh
in 1980. In addition to the College Football Hall of Fame, Fusco is in the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, Lawrence County Hall of Fame, and NAIA Hall of Fame.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania
New Wilmington, Pennsylvania
New Wilmington is a borough in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, first platted in 1824 and established as a borough on April 9, 1873. The population was 2,452 at the 2000 census...
from 1972 to 1990, compiling a record of 154–34–3. Fusco was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
as a coach in 2001.
Fusco had a lifetime association with Westminster College. He was guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
on the football team from 1957 to 1959, assistant coach from 1968 to 1971, head coach from 1972 to 1990, and director of athletics from 1985 to 1999. His other coaching duties were at Wilmington and Grove City, Pennsylvania
Grove City, Pennsylvania
Grove City is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, approximately north of Pittsburgh. It is the home of Grove City College, a private conservative Christian liberal arts college; General Electric; Instron; USIS; George G. Howe Co.; and a number of small businesses. It is also the home to...
high schools, where he had a 55–14–3 record from 1960 to 1967. In 19 years at Westminster, his team was in the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
top 20 15 times, in the NAIA playoffs nine times, had a 27-game winning streak, and won four NAIA Division II National Championships
NAIA national football championship
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Football National Championship is decided by a post-season playoff system featuring the best NAIA college football teams in the United States. Under sponsorship of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the championship game has...
. The national titles came in 1976, 1977, 1988, and 1989. His record as head coach at Westminster was 154–34–3, a winning percentage of .814. His 1977 team won the Lambert Cup as the best small-college team in the East.
Fusco graduated from Westminster in 1960, added a master's degree in education in 1965 and a doctorate in education from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in 1980. In addition to the College Football Hall of Fame, Fusco is in the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, Lawrence County Hall of Fame, and NAIA Hall of Fame.