Bishop Gorman mourns passing of longtime coach George DeFrancesco

Longtime Bishop Gorman teacher and coach George DeFrancesco died on July 17. He was 75 years old.

DeFrancesco, who retired in 2004 after spending 24 years at Gorman, led the Gaels to consecutive boys state golf titles in 2002 and 2003, and also was a part of the football coaching staff that produced several championship teams in the 1980s.

DeFrancesco began his coaching career in Delavan, Wisconsin at Delavan-Darien High School in 1966, where he worked with the football and track and field staffs.

In 1980, DeFrancesco was hired as an art teacher at Gorman and quickly took up coaching. There, he was named Coach of the Year by the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches Associations in 1996.

DeFrancesco is survived by his wife, Susan Miller-DeFrancesco; three children, Gina DeFrancesco of Englewood, Florida, Giulianne (Jeff) Krug of Columbia, Missouri, and Gion DeFrancesco of Oxford, Ohio; seven grandchildren; and four great grandchildren.

There will be a celebration of George DeFrancesco’s life from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at Paiute Golf Resort. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the George DeFrancesco Memorial Scholarship Fund to assist a first-generation college-bound student pursue a degree in visual art or music.