Coach steps down after 2 terms and 25 seasons
Tyrone football coach John Franco, who led the Golden Eagles to a state championship in 1999 and guided the Golden Eagles through two of the most successful periods in program history, has decided to retire.
The long-time Tyrone coach informed the underclassmen in his program at a meeting Saturday morning.
Speaking about the upcoming meeting on Friday, Franco said only that he was officially retired and that time time was right for the move. He also said he would be willing to assist a new staff in the transition if the situation was right.
Officials from the Tyrone Area School District said they would release a statement commenting on the issue after they receive Franco’s official retirement letter.
Franco committed to speaking to Orange and Black in the coming days for a more complete story.
The move ends career in Tyrone that stretches more than three decades over two terms. Franco took over an emerging program in 1994 that had struggled greatly in the five years before he was hired. By then, Tyrone hadn’t had a winning season since 1988. His first team finished 5-5, but by 1995 the Golden Eagles had won a District 6 championship and advanced to the PIAA 2A semifinals. Tyrone played in the title game in 1996 and by 1997 had won three consecutive District 6 crowns.
The Golden Eagles won the PIAA title in 1999, one of three appearances in the state championship game for Tyrone under Franco. The other came in 2011, his final season in the borough during his first tenure.
When he was unable to be hired as a full-time teacher at the high school, Franco departed to coach at Altoona in 2012. He later made appearances at St. Joseph’s prep in State College and Penn Cambria before returning to coach at Tyrone in 2019, after a five-year stint by Jason Wilson ended with a 4-6 season in 2018.
During the 7 years Franco coached in his second go-round, the Golden Eagles played in the District 6 championship game twice. They went 40-34 in that time.
Franco’s career record at Tyrone stands at 230-70. He is the program’s all-time winningest coach by a wide margin (Steve Jacobs finished his career in 1952 with 100) and also holds the record as the program’s longest tenured coach. He finishes his career just shy of 300 wins with 291.
Franco’s teams won 8 District titles and 3 PIAA Western Regional championships. Under his tutelage the Eagles also claimed 5 Big 8 titles, 6 Mountain Athletic Conference championships, 8 Western Conference championships, 3 Central Counties championships, and 1 Mountain League crown.
Franco’s most recent appearances in District championship games came in 2020, when Tyrone lost on a last-second field goal to Central, and 2024, when the Eagles lost to Penn Cambria despite holding a halftime lead.
The 2025 season ended with a blowout loss to Huntingdon in the District 6 semifinals after having beaten the ‘Cats by Mercy Rule earlier in the year. The team went 6-5.
In 25 seasons, Franco’s team had just one sub-.500 season in 2019, his first season back in the borough.
Franco’s career record, counting his time at Altoona and Penn Cambria, is 291-152-2.
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