Duke Greco had a great thing going at Delaware Valley University, his alma mater.
After an outstanding career playing football, he coached at Division III Del Val for 22 years, including 10 as head coach.
Greco’s Aggies were perennial conference champions and playoff teams, and he worked for two decades with College Football Hall of Famer Bill Manlove, a Del Val consultant/assistant.
“I love Del Val,” Greco said. “It was a really, really good run. It was a great experience.”
Last offseason, though, Greco was presented with a chance he couldn’t turn down. The job at Division II West Chester opened up, as Bill Zwaan retired. Zwaan coached the Golden Rams for 21 years, building them into a winner.
In January, West Chester announced Greco as its new coach. The Golden Rams opened the season with three non-conference games before opening Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play Sept. 28 at Bloomsburg.
“It’s exciting,” Greco said. “I feel really good they gave me the opportunity.”
Greco has wanted to be a coach since he was 14, when he began playing for Lower Moreland High School under coach Mark Mayson. He was a quarterback for the Lions, graduating in 1996.
At Del Val, he began playing as a defensive back before moving to quarterback, starting for two years. In 2001, he established school records with 2,405 yards passing and 28 touchdown passes, and also ran for five TDs. He played some in Italy before returning home to start his coaching career.
Greco, who graduated from Del Val with a degree in sports management, was an assistant coach with the Aggies from 2002-13, serving under G.A. Mangus and Jim Clements. The Aggies had a 2-8 record in ‘02, but haven’t had a losing season since.
Greco’s stint as an assistant included time as offensive coordinator. He coached Mike Isgro, a star quarterback who later became his assistant at Del Val and was named his successor as head coach.
In 2014, Greco succeeded Clements as head coach at Delaware Valley when Clements left for Kutztown.
Greco coached Delaware Valley from 2014-23 (no season in 2020 due to COVID). He compiled a record of 91-15 record, winning six Middle Atlantic Conference championships and advancing three times to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. The Aggies had won 54 consecutive MAC games until a Sept. 21 loss to Stevenson (Maryland).
Greco was sad to leave.
“I loved my time with Del Val,” he said. “We kept building and were fortunate to get the right type of kid in there.”
Greco has been able to stay close to home since his playing days at Lower Moreland, playing and coaching at Del Val, in Doylestown, and now coaching at West Chester. He is married with two children, an 11-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son who plays football for the Somerton Spartans.
At West Chester, he believes he has the staff and ability to recruit the players, especially locally, to continue to build on the Golden Rams’ winning tradition.
“We have enough talent here to do big things,” he said.
Greco is happy to have Mayson, a West Chester graduate, on his staff as tight ends coach. Mayson coached Lower Moreland for 36 years and was the school’s longtime athletic director. The Lower Moreland football stadium is named in his honor. Mayson was on Greco’s staff at Del Val as tight ends coach for seven years.
West Chester is 3-5. The Golden Rams opened the season with a loss to Bentley (Massachusetts) on a field goal on the final play of the game, then lost 38-28 to California (Pennsylvania) before falling in the final moments to Seton Hill and PSAC opponent Bloomsburg. The Golden Rams topped Shippensburg for their first win and followed that with a victory over Sheperd (West Virginia) before falling to East Stroudsburg and most recently beating Millersville.
Two PSAC games follow, including the regular season finale at Kutztown, still coached by Clements.
“Jim’s a great friend,” Greco said. “Jimmy gave me my first opportunity to be a full-time coach.”
As the season goes on, West Chester’s top players are expected to include wide receiver D’Shaun Seals and linebacker Connor Noble, with the roster featuring two quality quarterbacks in Cooper Jordan and Ethan Kohler.
Kutztown is the defending PSAC East Division champion, with Shepherd (West Virginia) also expected to have a good season, but Greco believes the Golden Rams will be in contention.
“The PSAC is always strong and will be strong again,” Greco said. “I think we’ll be a tough out.” ••
