Don Horkey | Special to The Michigan Catholic
Bloomfield Hills — In a span of six months, Brother Rice has lost the services of two legendary coaches.
It took about two weeks to find a successor to lacrosse coach Rob Ambrose, who in 17 years had built the Warriors program into national prominence.
Finding a replacement for football coach Al Fracassa might take a little longer. Fracassa’s record is not that of a mere mortal: 57 years total, 53 as head coach — eight years at Royal Oak Shrine (1960-68, 44-19-5) and 45 years at Brother Rice (1969-2013, 386-98-2).
At 430 wins, he’s the winningest football coach in Michigan history and seventh winningest in the United States. Fracassa directed the Warriors to 21 Catholic League championships and 10 state titles, including the last three years in a row.
The task of finding the coach to follow in those footsteps is the responsibility of a five-person selection committee representing Brother Rice’s athletic department, current and former coaches, current and past parents, school alumni, board members, the faculty and former players.
While not a formal member of the selection committee, Fracassa will be consulted during the process.
Athletic director Regis Cavender said applications are being accepted through the school’s website, www.brrice.edu. “We will collect all applications for review from now until Dec. 20. At that point we’ll bring in selected candidates for interviews,” he said.
The committee will make its recommendations to school principal Bro. Michael Segvich, CFC, and school president John Birney by the middle of January. Following another round of interviews, Segvich and Birney will make a decision by the end of January.
“We need to make sure that we find someone of high character who will develop the souls, minds and bodies of our students,” Bro. Segvich said. “We want someone who will honor our tradition, respect Coach Fracassa’s legacy and continue the excellence of the program that he has built.”
Whereas Fracassa let it be known publicly before the season that this would be his last, Ambrose resigned in July in an early morning surprise phone call to Cavender, citing personal business interests that meant he would be moving out of state.
The Warriors’ record under Ambrose is stunning: 11 Catholic League titles in a row, nine consecutive state Division 1 titles and a national championship in 2008. Since 2005, Rice is 125-0 against schools from Michigan and 55-17 against teams from Canada and surrounding states.
Ambrose’s successor came from his own staff, Ajay Chawla, a 1993 Rice graduate and varsity B coach and assistant coach for 11 years.
In 2012, Chawla, 38, was recently named one of Oakland County’s Elite 40 Under 40. He is involved in numerous charities devoted to raising funds and awareness for pediatric research and other initiatives that support and improve the health of children across the state.
