Following his collegiate career at Notre
Dame, Don Bucci began his coaching experience as a member of the "Fighting
Irish" staff as an assistant to Terry Brennan. He moved on to
Mt. Carmel High School in Auburn, New York in 1955. After six seasons
as head mentor at the Upstate New York school, he returned to Youngstown
to join the Business Department and to serve as Athletic Director
and assistant to Denny Barrett at Mooney. He became head coach in
1966 when Barrett stepped down from the post. Don and his wife, the
former Rosemarie Sainato, have five children: Gina, Donald, David,
Dennis and Doug, and eleven grandchildren.
Don's list of accomplishments includes four state titles, nine
trips to the state semi-finals, one state runner-up and 18 Steel
Valley titles in twenty-five years of S.V.C. competition. Bucci
coached teams posted two City Series titles before joining the Steel
Valley Conference. His teams posted 306 wins and 5 ties in 400 games.
Don is director of District 8 of the Ohio High School Football
coaches Association. He was elected Ohio Coach of the Year in 1973
by both wire services in recognition of the Card's State Championship
victory before a full house at the Akron Rubber Bowl. His success
has earned him enshrinement in five Hall of Fames. In 1986 he was
honored by "The Curbstone Coaches" and seven years later
East High School Enshrined him. In 1998, Coach Bucci was inducted
into the National High School Coaches "Hall of Fame."
and in 2000, Ohio's High School Football Coaches honored him. Most
recently he was enshrined in Cardinal Mooney's Athletic Hall of
Fame.
Coach Bucci has served on the clinic staff at Ohio State for 17
years, Penn State for nine years, Michigan state and also at the
Ohio All-Star game camp held in conjunction with the Ohio High School
Football Coaches Association All-Star game.
He has the unique honor of both having played and coached in the
Ohio "All-Star Classic." As an all-state quarterback for
East in 1950, he was picked to lead the North unit and in 1973 Don
coached the North Squad to a 21-0 win.
Forty-three of his athletes have garnered all-state honors and
six have been selected as high school All-Americans.
On February 24, 2000 Don Bucci announced his retirement as Head
Football Coach. He will continue in the position of Athletic Director.
