Wabash College mourns the passing of former Little Giant football coach Frank Navarro, who died May 30 at the age of 91.

Navarro served as head coach of the Wabash football team from 1974-1977. He finished with a record of 26-17 and guided the 1976 Wabash team to a 7-3 record for the first winning season by the Little Giants on the gridiron since 1965. Navarro completed the turnaround of the football program when his 1977 team earned an 11-2 record and the first NCAA playoff berth in school history. Wabash recorded wins over St. John's University and the University of Minnesota-Morris in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Little Giants lost a 39-36 shootout to Widener University in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl championship game played in Phenix City, Alabama. Navarro earned the Eastman Kodak-American Football Coaches Association College Division Coach of the Year Award in 1977.

"I met Coach Navarro in February 2019 at an event held in his honor," said Don Morel, the current head football coach. "After spending only a few minutes with him, it became clear to me that this man set the standard for what Wabash football has become over the last 50 years. Without a doubt Coach Navarro was a tough, driven coach who loved the game and the young men who played for him at Wabash College. It also became apparent Coach Navarro was a tremendous husband, father, and grandfather. He will be missed by many."

Navarro came to Wabash from Columbia University, where he amassed an overall record of 16-36-2 over six seasons. His career as a head coach started at Williams College, coaching from 1963 to 1967 with a record of 28-11-1. Navarro moved to Princeton University after his four seasons at Wabash where he was the Tigers' head football coach for seven seasons and finished with a record of 29-25-3. Navarro ended his coaching career with a record of 99-99-6 over the course of 22 seasons. He retired from coaching and entered the real estate business with his sons in addition to serving as a broadcaster for the University of Massachusetts and the University of Rhode Island.

Navarro was inducted into the Wabash College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986. The new football field at Wabash, installed as part of the new $13 million Little Giant Stadium, bears his name as Frank Navarro Field. His image is the first at the west entrance to the Hall of Giants on the concourse of the stadium. Images of Navarro are also included in murals in the club-level suites of the stadium.

Navarro played guard for the University of Maryland and helped the Terrapins win the 1952 Sugar Bowl.

Navarro is survived by his wife, Jill, along with eight children, 22 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.

A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 4 at St. Patrick's Church in Mystic, Connecticut followed by a private burial service. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Meeting Street Schools (www.meetingstreetschools.com; Nikki Dickens, Meeting Street Schools, 200 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401).

An online guest book is also available through https://www.mysticfuneralhome.com/obituary/frank-navarro.