FRANK PARISI
HEAD WOMEN’S BOWLING COACH
13th Season
Bio Last Updated: 1/18/2008 2:54:50 PM
Over the last seven seasons, Frank Parisi, the two-time National Coach of the Year has turned ‘David’ into ‘Goliath’ as he has transformed a small, Division III program into a national power and among the most consistently elite at any level of NCAA collegiate bowling.
In 2005-06 he was selected as the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Division II/III National Coach of the Year by his peers and repeated in 2006-07 when he was tabbed the Division III National Coach of the Year.
The adjectives that can be used to describe a man who has accomplished these feats without the aid of athletic scholarships—which can only be offered in Divisions I and II—are dedicated, passionate, motivated, organized, detail-oriented, intelligent, and groundbreaking.
Despite the non-scholarship obstacle, he has guided the Gothic Knights to third, fifth, fourth and seventh place finishes in the NCAA Championship in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively. NJCU is one of only five programs in the country that has qualified for the NCAA Championship in every year since its inception.
Now in his eighth season as the only head coach in the history of the nationally-ranked women's bowling program, Parisi is the mentor of one of only three such varsity collegiate programs in the state and five in all of Division III. When the decision was made to launch women’s bowling as an intercollegiate athletic program at NJCU for the 2000-2001 academic year, it was Parisi, then the assistant coach of the NJCU softball team that acted as the catalyst.
In September 2006, Parisi was named to a four-year term on the NCAA Women’s Bowling National Committee—one of six coaches and athletic administrators nationwide to serve in such a prestigious role.
He has a career record of 280-118-3 (.702) since NCAA match play began in 2004, including a mark of 69-23-1 (.747) in 2007. The Knights have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation at all levels during his tenure and have never been lower than sixth nationally in voting by the NTCA.
A founding member of the NTCA, he currently votes on the national poll and is one of 14 coaches to sit on the NTCA’s All-American clearinghouse committee. He is also a member of the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA) and a former treasurer of the North East Women’s Collegiate Bowling Conference (NEWCBC), formerly known as the Eastern Intercollegiate Bowling Conference (EIBC).
NJCU will always be remembered for the remarkable run it made at the inaugural NCAA Women’s Bowling National Collegiate Championships, as the Gothic Knights advanced to the first-ever Final Four, and as a Division III program finished third in the nation among Division I, II, and III institutions. NJCU stole the show on ESPN2 when it took eventual national champion Nebraska to the final ball of the final frame of the seventh game of the best four-out-of-seven series in the national semifinal.
The third place national finish was the best of any team, men’s or women’s, in the history of the University. Under Parisi’s guidance, Jennifer Viens, who became the first woman to bowl a perfect 300 game in NCAA history, also became a First-Team All-American by the NTCA.
Overall, 10 members of the NJCU program have earned All-America honors a total of 15 times under his leadership. In 2006-07, then junior Vicki Spratford was named the NTCA Division III National Player of the Year and received more votes for First-Team All-America honors that any player in the country at any level. Spratford earned First-Team All-America honors in 2004-05 as well, while Viens was a First-Team All-America selection in 2003-04 and 2004-05.
Second-Team All-America recipients have included Eryn Cully (2003-04), Michele Kielawa (2004-05), Spratford (2005-06), Kathleen Weissman (2003-04, 2004-05) and Christine Zsilavetz (2003-04, 2004-05). Honorable Mention All-America honorees have been Lauren Banz (2006-07), Tracey Evans (2004-05), Kristina Figueiredo (2006-07), and Lisa Melchior (2003-04). Jenn Marmo was selected as the NTCA Division III National co-Rookie of the Year in 2006-07.
An accomplished bowler himself, Parisi has been involved in the sport since 1972. A three-year boys bowling varsity letter-winner at Carteret High School, more recently he won the gold medal at the 1999 Garden State Games and silver medal in 2000. He has been an American Bowling Congress member since 1983.
Parisi has been coaching women’s athletics on various levels since 1984. He came to NJCU in 1999 as an assistant coach on Dave Salvatore’s coaching staff. He spent three years (1999-2001) working with a program that went 67-41, and, statistically, featured two of the most talented players in Division III history. In 2001, he worked with the New Jersey Breakers 19 and over Fast pitch Softball team, and served as head coach of the Breakers again during the 2003 season. Bridgette Quimpo, NJCU’s head softball coach, was the catcher on that team.
In his native Carteret, NJ in Middlesex County, Parisi coached summer softball from 1991-1999, fall softball from 1993-1996, and rec softball from 1985-1997. He coached the high school’s fall league in 1997, 1998, and 2001. He also has experience as the St. Joseph’s Elementary boys basketball coach in Carteret from 1983-1986 and 1993-1998.
A 1980 graduate of Carteret High School, he played soccer for the Ramblers from 1976-1979.
A lifelong resident of Carteret, Parisi completed a three-year term on the Carteret Borough Council in December 2004, including two as Finance Chair. The Democratic candidate was one of six vying for the position, with only two seats available, yet was victorious on November 6, 2001. He chose not to run for re-election, and instead invested his energies into building a national bowling champion at NJCU. Prior to entering the council race, Parisi served two terms on the Board of Education, from 1994-2000. Parisi was President of the BOE for three years, and Vice President for another year.
When not coaching or governing, Parisi can be found announcing. He is in his eighth year as the head public address announcer at NJCU’s home men’s and women’s basketball games.
A successful businessman, Parisi recently sold his company, Snacks Plus. He currently works full-time for Atlantic Financial Services in Carteret. Parisi was born in Staten Island, NY.
