Frank Michael Tritico (March 25, 1909 – March 5, 1966), sometimes listed as Frank Mitchell Tritico,[1] was an American football coach. He was the head coach of the Randolph Field football team during World War II. His 1943 Randolph Field Ramblers football team compiled a 9–1–1 record, including a 7–7 tie with Texas in the 1944 Cotton Bowl Classic. The 1944 team compiled a perfect 11–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 441 to 19, and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP poll. Football statistician and historian Dr. L. H. Baker selected Tritico's 1944 squad as national champions for 1944.[2]

Frank Tritico
Tritico in 1944
Biographical details
Born(1909-03-25)March 25, 1909
Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedMarch 5, 1966(1966-03-05) (aged 56)
Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1943–1944Randolph Field
Head coaching record
Overall20–1–1 (college)
Bowls1–0–1

Prior to World War II, Tritico coached high school football for LaGrange High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He later owned the Tritico Mattress Factory in Lake Charles. He died of a heart attack in 1966 at Lake Charles.[3][4]

Head coaching record

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College

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs AP#
Randolph Field Ramblers (Independent) (1943–1944)
1943 Randolph Field 9–1–1 T Cotton
1944 Randolph Field 11–0 W Treasury Bond Bowl 3
Randolph Field: 20–1–1
Total: 20–1–1

References

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  1. ^ World War II Draft Card, October 1940, for Frank Mitchell Tritico, born March 21, 1909, in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Ancestry.com.
  2. ^ Baker, Dr. L. H. (1945). "The Nation's Leading Teams, 1869–1944 | College and Service Teams' 1944 Ratings and Ranks (Compiled by Dr. L. H. Baker)". Football: Facts & Figures. New York: Farrar & Rinehart. p. 644–645. No. 1 Randolph Field 958, No. 2 Army 951 — The ratings listed here have been computed by a method devised by the author. It consists of a combination of a modification of the Dickinson method plus one used by the author for several years. This combination has proved highly accurate.
  3. ^ "Frank Tritico Coached No. 1 Team in 1944". Lake Charles American Press. March 8, 1966. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Frank Tritico Rites Held Today In Lake Charles". The Shreveport Journal. March 7, 1966. p. 12A – via Newspapers.com.