Athletic greatness comes in all shapes and all sizes.

It doesn't come naturally, but is achieved from hard work, diligence and adversity along the journey.

There's opportunity and there's always struggle.

There is triumph and there is defeat, and there is always a story behind the glory.

When it comes to great Louisiana high school coaches, it's hard to look past the credentials of Bryant, Monica, who spent a half century coaching in Louisiana at Lusher Riverside Academy, Jesuit and Saint Charles Catholic.

And I never seen a coach have so much passion for taking teenage boys and turning them into young men.

Coach Monica and I crossed paths 40 years ago.

He's one of the icons in this business.

Frank, congratulations.

284 high school football victories.

State championships at three schools.

Just remarkable.

But I want to take you back a few years.

I want to take you back to those magical times on Friday nights.

And the river parishes in deep South Louisiana.

And the whole community is supporting the football program, and it's on everybody's mind.

And it's small town America at its best.

Do you remember those days?

Very well.

I started at Lester High School, and then I remember my first job at Lutz High School was three sports.

And, I had five classes, academic classes.

And then my salary was.

What did you teach?

7500 a year, you know, a year.

And I taught social studies and civics and world history and enjoyed that.

But it was really tough because you had three different sports to prepare for.

You know, I understand there were times just a few where you might heat somebody.

Gumbo.

Correct.

Yeah, exactly.

You know in the river parish it's really big I think it's the jambalaya, the gumbo over there and nobody makes it better than the people in river parishes.

And, and on Friday night it was a big deal, because that's exactly.

You went to the house to house.

And along with all the bonfires they made on the levees, I mean, everybody had open house and there might have been a libation of two.

Oh, so especially on Tuesday night at the Quarterback Club.

While Monaca is known for his football mentoring, he started his brilliant career in baseball as an All-Conference player on the 1970 division two College World Series baseball team at Nicholls State that reached the championship game.

So tell me about the story, which I find amusing.

Many years ago, when you found out you were Letcher head coach.

It was a middle of the night, encounter, was it not?

It was, my head football coach was guy by name, Lewis Adeyemo.

Who?

That who took to the baseball job at northeast at the time was yelling, and, he resigned.

Well, a couple nights later, two school board members showed up at my house.

It was like 1030 at night, and it was a knock on the door.

And they said, congratulations to you, Frank.

That's it.

For what?

And he said, you're a new head football coach at such a high school.

We had just won two state championships.

I was the offensive coordinator.

In fact, one state champion football in baseball in 75.

And, and, he said, you're the new head coach.

And I said, I'm sorry, guys, get out of here.

I'm a 26 years old.

I'm not following the state championship.

Graduated 30 seniors.

I said, I'm not taking it.

They said, you have to.

And I.

And they stayed there for an hour and a half, convinced me to take the job.

I didn't want to, but I was sort of forced to do it.

And, you know, and the guy told me, said Frank, it's a short distance to an assistant coaches desk to the head coach, but it's a long walk, and I'll just do what he meant.

It meant that, you know, if Administrator, a player, a parent gets a headache, you have to take the aspirin.

Monica compiled a 284 victories in his time as head coach, with state titles at Letcher, Riverside and Saint Charles.

I've been blessed with two great parents who are the greatest influences in my life, but the greatest influence on my career is, Uncle Frankie.

You know, working for Coach Monica wasn't always easy, right?

He, he was an intense guy.

And I think the players will say the same, but it's definitely something I.

When you look back on, you really appreciate going through all struggles and you really understand that all he ever wanted was for you to be the best.

He's a guy that everybody looks up to.

He's such an inspiration to coaches who have coached at every level and aspire to be where he was and he's a great mentor of young coaches and, the kids that play for him absolutely love him.

You one 284 high school football games.

State championships at Letcher at Riverside Academy and at Saint Charles, and a special success at Saint Charles with 12 semifinal appearances and six championship games.

Your high school coaching career not at one school, not at two schools, but at three schools is as good as anybody, anytime, anywhere.

And when you look back on it is there one thing that stands out above the victories?

I think the one thing is the relationships that you have with players, you know, and, you know, I used to tell people I treated all my periods the same, all bad.

You know, it was one of those things, I think that discipline is very, very important.

When you talk to the kids.

I think that, you know, it's very, very important to get their attention.

And, you know, a lot of times if you don't give them structure, I wish every kid played football.

I wish every boy would play football so they can least one thing.

They can learn structure and they can learn how to take orders and be on time.

That was a big thing with me.

If you make the little things important, big things take care of themselves.

Now, a lot of that I got from some couple of my college coach, Larry Smith, who hired me to Tulane, he really, really was a guy that was big in the Dale Carnegie in motivation and things like that.

So to me that he was a mentor to me.

And when I got back to high school after staying in college for 12 years, I think that made me a better coach.

Frank, do you think that we will sink and deteriorate on the high school football level with the oncoming of the NFL and all of the other things that, weren't even considered when when you were coaching and winning championships?

But are we are we on the the edge of the cliff in terms of tipping over and making high school sports more professional?

Absolutely.

I think that what's happened is selfishness has crept into the sport.

And that's what you're seeing now.

You're seeing people being more selfish and worried about things.

Now, how do you be fair to an offensive lineman that doesn't have a deal?

How do you how do you fair to rest rescue team.

How do you look them in the eye and say, well, this guy's got a special treat and he's got a special deal, but I don't.

And I block for this guy.

I work just as hard.

I'm in a weight room more often.

In fact, it takes me more to complete my tasks.

And he does.

He's more a natural talent.

And that's the guys.

What really skilled athletes are making a lot of money.

Those guys, the offensive linemen don't even have fingerprints, you know, because nobody knows who they are.

But I think the bottom line is that it's got to stop somewhere.

Someone has to ask us to stop it, whether it's the courts, whether the rules, the NCAA, whether the high school athletic Association, somebody has to step forward because, even in high school, we're drifting towards the path of that same thing.

But Monica was not just a coach, but a beloved member of the communities in which he worked, so many people that, he coached at a certain place or had some type of connection, no matter where he's, coached, he's lived in the place he was born and raised in Carville, just like myself.

So it brings a sense of pride to the whole area.

What was it like in those communities that are so tightly bound and especially on the Fridays?

And we've already talked about that, but what was it like being in a leadership role at a, at a at a very high level where everybody in the world knew the football coaches name?

No question.

When you went to the grocery store, when you went to the gas station, everybody knew who you were.

But that was a good thing and it made you work harder.

I mean, many a nicer 1 or 2:00 in the morning designing plays are trying to find a way to put kids in a position to win games, and the late hours that you spent on the practice field and stuff like that.

And but the kids had to buy into it.

And the parents, the parents had to buy into what you were doing.

It was important in, in those communities, especially river parishes where the nowhere where the Saint Charles Catholic, Riverside Metro High School where first started, the parents accepted the fact that you were pushing them hard.

Most people have a comfort zone and 85% of the people are average.

But the 15% that you can push above average, that comes from coaching.

And that's where we come in to push you, to make you better than what you are.

Frank.

Monica, what do you miss the most?

I miss, I miss the relationship.

I miss designing plays and sounds really, really funny.

I miss, I miss, practices, weather in baseball, especially because every position has a group of fundamentals that are separate than anything else.

You know, whether you're shortstop and, first baseman or catcher, those fundamentals are different.

Offensive linemen are basically the same, linebackers as secondary.

I mean, I just miss teaching, designing plays and teaching on practice because the game time is sometimes the kids get nervous or whatever it is.

You just don't see the fruits of your labor.

But the most rewarding thing is a coach.

So if you draw something up and you see a play, or you teach a kid how to throw a curveball, and all of a sudden he goes out there in the execute that play, or you execute how to throw the curveball, and you can just see him smiling like you've swallowed a banana sideways, you know?

I mean, so that's what you get is that's a big rewarded coaching.

I think one of the greatest gifts I got from him personally was having confidence and preparation.

Right.

Being so prepared that that that's where your swagger confidence came from.

I think that's the kind of confidence he coach with, not an arrogance.

He coach with the confidence that he was just prepared that he could be.

And I think that that's what thing he left to his assistant coaches.

And I mean, he again, he had a great impact on my career and a lot of people ask about, you know, following a legend.

And I'm still just trying to do whatever I can to keep him to, you know, for him to be proud of me and be proud of our community and our school.

Is Saint Charles Catholic family honored him with Frank Monica Field.

He has been named to the Louisiana Sports Athletics Hall of Fame.

And in 2024, received a top honor for the state's sports professionals, joining an elite list of other prep coaches as a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

And let's wrap it up with this.

Is there anything you would have done differently and not a thing?

You know, I've had opportunities to go back with, Larry Smith, Arizona, when we left, Tulane had an opportunity to go with him when Mack Brown went back to Tulane at one time and decided to stay with respect to school, when I was at Jesuit High School for the for those years.

But I decided to stay there and I don't look back and I would say, don't look back if someone's gaining on you.

Well, that's that was sort of my thing.

And I'm so happy because I had a lovely wife, you know.

Then she's my agent.

And then she was a, you know, she's the best teammate I ever had.

And she was a and I think she got him and said, listen, but she took care of the kids.

She took care of the kids.

She raised my four kids.

And I was just kind of to come back.

And I didn't see him, especially when I was in college football for those 12 years.

So that that's one thing I'm very, very proud of is the fact that I bounced around a little bit.

But yeah, it was very rewarding and I think I made the right decision.

You been one of the best ever.

Congratulations on your induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

Well, I've been very blessed.

The good Lord, take care of it.

Forgive me a long life so I can be here today.

Thank you so much.

If you enjoyed this conversation, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum as exhibits and stories about Louisiana sports.

Great Natchitoches is where history and fun blend with our state's rich sports culture.

Find travel planning tips@natchitoches.com.