Lycoming College’s football stadium on Tuesday afternoon. KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

It was about a month ago when Lycoming College president Kent Trachte invited former football coach Frank Girardi to a lunch on campus. They discussed a myriad of things, from football to life.

Trachte then told Girardi he had some business he had to discuss with him.

Girardi simply sat there, not taking a single bite to eat off his plate, as he was a bit surprised at what Trachte mentioned. Trachte told the Warrior coaching legend that they were going to name the school’s football field after him.

On Sept. 9, 2023, the stadium will officially be called Girardi Stadium. Lycoming held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at the field to announce the dedication with Girardi, Trachte and current coach Mike Clark in attendance to give brief remarks.

“I just stared at him. He said ‘what do you think?’ I said ‘yes! Of course,'” Gerardi said. “It just went from there. Every day, you sort of think about it. I just kept thinking about anytime anyone walks into this stadium, it doesn’t just have my name on it, it has all of our names on it. All of the Girardis.”

“You don’t think of something this huge. When the president mentioned to me what they wanted to do, I was walking on air,” Girardi added. “To me, it’s one of the finest moments. The big thing is to share it with our family and our players and so many people in this town. Williamsport has been great to me.”

Girardi is a name that the area knows. The former Lycoming coach had a career that spanned from 1972-2007 in which he amassed 257 wins, led the Warriors to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, won 13 conference championships and appeared in two NCAA Division III championship games.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016, and his 257 wins rank 16th across all NCAA divisions in win totals. He’s the only inductee from Lycoming College.

While the actual dedication is less than a year away on the Warriors’ Sept. 9 home opener, Girardi is already excited for the day to come.

“I’m really looking forward to it because I know we’re going to have a heck of a crowd of alums. I know the stories are going to fly all over the place. most of them I know, but some I’ll probably find out,” Girardi said with a laugh. “It’ll be a great time.”

For Trachte, he was beyond honored to be able to be the one to tell Girardi of the honor.

“I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to recognize him in this way. As I indicated in my remarks, it’s not only his record, which I’ve read about, but it’s getting to know the man,” Trachte said. “Over the past nine years, we’ve had quite a few conversations and my admiration for him as a leader, as a person who impacts young people’s lives, and as a family man is growing and growing each time we’ve had a chance to talk.”

Trachte noted that recognizing Girardi by naming the stadium after him was something that had been in the works for roughly a month when Trachte approached the Lycoming trustees regarding seeking their approval for it.

“I don’t know really how to explain the timing expect it just seemed like the right time to do it,” Trachte said.