Greg Botta, legendary Franklin Regional football coach, retires
Written by: Sean Meyers
January 14, 2021
Tags: Greg Botta
Greg Botta won 177 games in 27 seasons at Franklin Regional.
With more than 40 years of coaching experience, Franklin Regional’s Greg Botta has been one of the most accomplished and respected football coaches in the entire WPIAL. He has enjoyed incredible success during his 27-year tenure guiding the Panthers, including capturing a state title. But on Tuesday, Botta offered his resignation as coach, a decision that he has contemplated for the past several years.
Botta, a graduate of Penn Hills, began coaching with Franklin Regional in 1992, and became the head man shortly thereafter. He inherited a winless team, and immediately turned the Panthers into title contenders, a distinction they have held for the majority of his seasons at the helm.
In recent years, however, Botta has experienced numerous changes in his personal life that made coaching a more difficult task. With his family spaced out across the country, including in Philadelphia, Texas, Arizona, and California, he often had to forego opportunities to visit loved ones because of his football commitments. To that point, he has yet to see his 8-month-old grandson in San Diego.
Additionally, the recent passing of his longtime assistant Larry Sellitto, combined with some recent health scares of his own, caused Botta to reevaluate his future.
“If you do this job right, you gotta be here. It’s time that I moved on and spent time with my grandkids and my family, and maybe golf a little bit more too,” Botta said, also noting that he hopes to return to Europe. “I want to make the most of what time I have left on this earth.”
“Probably the toughest decision I ever had to make, but I think it’s the right one,” he continued.
News of Botta’s resignation broke on Tuesday night, in part because his son shared it on Facebook. Botta turned his phone off shortly thereafter for the night, but he awoke on Wednesday to a bevy of messages from current and past players, boosters, and an array of fellow coaches, including Pitt football head coach Pat Narduzzi.
While his 177 career wins speaks to his consistent excellence, Botta will forever be associated with his 2005 squad. That team posted a mark of 15-1, defeating Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL Class AAA Championship at Heinz Field, and then besting Pottsville for the PIAA crown in Hershey.
One of the standouts from that team, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman John Malecki, called Botta to reminisce about that campaign. Malecki told him that many of the players from that team still watch the season highlight tape when they convene.
While that was the lone season that ended with district and state titles for Botta, he also highlighted several other teams that achieved great success, including in 1995, 98, 02, 11, 13, and 15. The 95 team was particularly significant to Botta, as the Panthers reached the WPIAL title game at Three Rivers Stadium, just two years after he took over a squad that went 0-10.
This fall, the Panthers went 4-3, but failed to qualify for the postseason in Class 5A. It marked the first season that FR did not make the playoffs since 2003.
Ultimately, the wins and losses were only a small part of his career, however, as he helped mold hundreds of players over the years, including dozens who went on to play collegiate athletics. As much as Botta gave to Franklin Regional, he also expressed his appreciation for everyone who played a part in his incredible career.
“I want to thank the community, the people who lived there, school board, superintendents, athletic directors,” he stated. “I was truly, truly blessed in my career when I look back.”