Frank Navarro

Navarro joined the Williams College coaching staff in 1957 as an assistant to head coach, Len Watter’s, where Navarro introduced the “Monster Defense[2]” and rang up a slew of shutouts in the early 1960’s.  In 1961 and 1962, the Ephs won 12 games and 8 of those wins came by blanking the opposition. The monster defense was designed for the linemen to tie up the blockers and allow the linebackers to make the tackles. The monster defense featured a new technique – slanting defensive linemen. The monster, or the scrape linebacker, was the one who was targeted to make tackles after the linemen tied up the offensive line. While at Williams, Navarro amassed a head coach record (1963-1967) of 28-11-1 with only 5 total losses in last four years, including a 7-0—1 mark in 1977, where he was named New England College Coach of the year[3]. Also, while at Williams, Norman Rockwell used Navarro as a model for the coach in his painting, “the Recruit”. 

After the 1967 season, Navarro left Williams to become the head coach at Columbia (1968-1973). He led the Lions to an impressive 6-3 mark in 1971, with the three losses coming by a combined total of just eight points. The winning 1971 season was the only three winning campaigns for Columbia since 1952. Navarro was named the New York Writers Association Eastern College Coach of the Year[4] for that achievement.

Following Columbia, Navarro heading to Wabash College (1974-1977).  During his four years at Wabash, he led the Little Giants to a combined 26-17 record, including an 18-5 mark over the last two seasons. Wabash had not had a winning season for ten consecutive years until Navarro led them to a 7-3 record in 1976. 1977 was even better as he directed the Little Giants to a 11-2 mark and a second-place finish in the NCAA Division III National Championship in a (39-36) shootout loss to Widener as the clock ran out.

At Princeton, Navarro’s most gratifying season came in 1981 when the Tigers finished 5-4-1, including a stunning 35-31 last-second win over defending Ivy champions, Yale University, snapping Princeton’s 15 game losing streak to the arch rival Bulldogs. For his outstanding coaching performance in that game, Navarro was named UPI Coach of the Week[5]. By beating Yale and tying Harvard (17-17), Princeton captured its first Big Three title since 1966. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ 5-1-1 Ivy mark was their best League record since they won a share of the League title in 1969.

After Navarro closed out his coaching career at Princeton (1978-1984), he moved to Charlestown, Rhode Island, to their summer home, where he spent time working with sons, Damon, Brian and Ed, on real estate syndication. For one year, Navarro served as a color commentator for UMASS football broadcasts and later spent six years on the broadcasts of the University of Rhode Island Rams. Navarro also founded the Literacy Foundation of Rhode Island, serving as board member and helped formed The Compass Fund, a Navarro family endeavor that funded educational scholarships for under-resourced children in the New London, CT area.

Frank Navarro and his wife, Jill, are parents to seven sons and a daughter, and have twenty-two grandchildren. They currently reside in Mystic, Connecticut and continue to be engaged in a number of family businesses and philanthropic endeavors, and, of course, football.