Contact Coach Tavani:
- Email: football@lafayette.edu
- Office: (610) 330-5485

Now entering his ninth season as head coach, Frank Tavani has transformed the Lafayette football program into a consistent championship contender. The Leopards have spent time in the top 25 each of the last four seasons.

Tavani's teams hold a 19-5 Patriot League record over the last four years and won three consecutive Patriot League championships from 2004 to 2006, resulting in three straight NCAA Playoff appearances.

A top motivator, Tavani became Lafayette's 27th head coach on Dec. 11, 1999 after having served as the Leopards' running backs coach for 13 seasons. His mission was simple: restore the once proud Lafayette program to glory. Since then, the Leopards have made the first three postseason appearances in school history, laying claim to the Patriot League's automatic bid to the playoffs in 2004 and 2006, while earning the program's first at-large bid in 2005.

In addition to Patriot League championships and NCAA Playoff appearances, Lafayette has taken care of business close to home. In 2007 the Leopards defeated their crosstown rival Lehigh, 21-17, for the fourth straight time while dashing the Mountain Hawks hopes of 10th straight winning season. The victory allowed the Class of 2008 to leave College Hill without ever having lost to its archrival, a feat not equaled since the since the Class of 1950.

Tavani's ability to get the most out of his team is unmatched. Over the last four years, Lafayette has compiled 29 wins for the best record since the Class of 1927 won 29 games from 1923-1926. The Leopards' near upsets of defending national champion Delaware in 2004 and eventual national champion Appalachian State in 2005, both in enemy territory, cemented Tavani's reputation for getting his teams ready for big games.

In 2004, Tavani was named Patriot League Coach of Year after leading the Leopards to their first championship in a decade, despite being picked no higher than fifth in the preseason poll of the league's coaches. He was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award for his efforts, and signed a five-year contract extension following the season. Tavani added two more years to his contract after 2006's successful title defense and tacked on another two following the 2007 season, allowing him to patrol the sidelines at Fisher Stadium through at least 2014.

Tavani has been a part of six Patriot League championship teams in his 20 years at Lafayette. He came to College Hill in 1987, and the Leopards captured their first league crown the next year. He was also the running backs coach on the 1992 and 1994 championship teams, and has secured each of the last three titles as the head coach.

During his tenure, Tavani has coached some of the top players in the program's history. Andy Romans, the 2007 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, anchored the No. 1-ranked defense in the country which allowed just 85 yards per game on the ground and 175.2 yards per game through the air. He led the Leopards with 113 tackles and is the third Lafayette player, and first under Tavani, to win the award. Romans and the Leopards finished in second place in the Patriot League standings, one conference win away from a fourth straight title.

Jonathan Hurt `07, the 2006 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, grinded out 1,165 rushing yards as a senior, giving Tavani a 1,000-yard rusher in 10 of his 20 seasons on the Leopards' coaching staff. He has recruited and coached the top four rushers in Lafayette history (five of the top six) and has mentored four different tailbacks to Offensive Player of the Year honors. Erik Marsh `95, the Patriot League's all-time leading rusher, was recognized in 1992 and 1993, while Joe McCourt `05 took the honors in 2004 and Tom Costello `92 was the recipient in 1989.

An explosive offense guided by that running attack has been a staple of Tavani-led football programs. McCourt finished his career in 2004 as the all-time school and Patriot League-leader with 50 rushing touchdowns and is second in Lafayette annals with 4,474 yards on the ground. Marko Glavic and John Weyrauch concluded their careers in 2003 after rewriting the Lafayette record book. Glavic owns nearly every school passing record as well as Patriot League records for passing yards (9,819) and total offense (10,064 yards) while Weyrauch is Lafayette's all-time leader in both receptions (162) and receiving yards (2,406).

While Lafayette won when outside expectations were low in 2004 and defended its championship with an experienced senior class last season, the difficulties of an anticipated "three-peat" may have made the Leopards' 2006 performance Tavani's best coaching job. The Leopards broke into the top 25 early in the season, only to drop the next four against an extremely challenging Ivy League slate, and the losing streak was extended to five by Holy Cross. Lafayette went to Colgate on Oct. 28 facing a 10-game losing streak to the Raiders, a perennial conference contender, but a convincing 27-10 victory in Hamilton, N.Y. resurrected the Leopards' season and provided the impetus for the stretch run.

After wins over Fordham and Georgetown, Lafayette entered the 142nd game with Lehigh in a familiar situation - win and you're in. Tavani went back to the black jerseys that the Leopards wore for the 2004 game, which resulted in a 24-10 win over the Mountain Hawks. While the sartorial switch wasn't the reason for Lafayette's 49-27 triumph this time around, it allowed Tavani and the Leopards to claim their third straight championship in style.

The Leopards' postseason performances have been just as impressive against a trio of teams that have competed for the national championship. In 2006, Lafayette trailed No. 3 seed Massachusetts 21-14 late in the third quarter before the Minutemen shook the Leopards with a pair of late scores for a 35-14 victory. UMass went on to play Appalachian State in the national championship game.

In 2005, Lafayette traveled to Appalachian State, the No. 2 seed in the field. The Leopards led 17-10 at the half and entered the fourth quarter tied at 20-all before the Mountaineers emerged with a 34-23 victory, and went on to win the first of three straight national titles. The previous season, Tavani took his team to defending national champion Delaware and gave the Blue Hens all they could handle. A long touchdown drive capped by a one-yard run by McCourt gave the Leopards a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, before an 87-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the final three minutes turned the tide for Delaware in a 28-14 victory.

Tavani resurrected the program with the second-best turnaround in I-AA football during the 2002 season. Lafayette improved upon a 2-8 season in 2001 with a 7-5 overall record and 5-2 league mark, which included a 14-7 win vs. Lehigh for the first victory over the Mountain Hawks in seven seasons. Although the Leopards finished 5-6 in 2003, the still proved the turnaround was no fluke. Four of those losses were by a touchdown or less, including two against Top 25 opponents.

Tavani's student-athletes are also getting the job done in the classroom, with 23 CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees in his eight seasons as head coach, and a total of 38 players have earned the distinction since 1995. Lafayette has also claimed four of the last seven Patriot League Football Scholar-Athletes of the Year and three straight (Brad Maurer - 2006, Maurice Bennett - 2005, Stephen Bono - 2004, Stewart Kupfer - 2001). The Leopards also boasted 21 student-athletes qualify for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in 2007, the most the team has had since the 2001 season.

Tavani's impact has extended beyond the playing field and the classroom. He worked with college officials and major donors on the $23 million transformation of Fisher Stadium. The project included new spectator seating, a FieldTurf playing surface, a new press box, 19'-by-35' video matrix board and the construction of the 24,000 square foot home of Lafayette Football at the Bourger Varsity Football House.

The year before coming to Lafayette, Tavani served as the defensive coordinator at Lebanon Valley College, his alma mater. During that time, he was also Lebanon Valley's director of alumni services and parents' programs, activating 15 alumni chapters. From 1976-85, Tavani was the offensive coordinator at Franklin and Marshall College, helping guide the Diplomats to a 10-year record of 67-23-1.

As an undergraduate at Lebanon Valley, Tavani was an outstanding running back, earning the team's Most Valuable Player honors twice in his career. As a senior, he became the school's first player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season. An Associated Press All-American as a senior, he was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall of 1988. Tavani was inducted into the Lebanon Catholic High School Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in March 2004 and joined the Central Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in November 2006.

Tavani earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Lebanon Valley in 1975, and has completed postgraduate work in Counselor Education.

Tavani and his wife, Agnes, reside on College Hill with their dog Rocky, and are the parents of four children. Liam and Meghan are graduates of Lafayette, earning their degrees in 2003 and 2006, respectively. Daniel graduated from Wofford College in 2007 where he was a four-year letterwinner for the football team. Bridget is a high school senior at Notre Dame Green Pond.