Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach announced its new Head Football Coach on Monday and it's a name familiar to many football fans around the country.
Taking over the Cox Falcons will be former NFL offensive guard Alan Faneca, who spent 13 seasons as one of the premier linemen in the sport and will be enshrined in Canton as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame come August.
"We are incredibly excited and honored to bring Coach Faneca in as the Head Coach at Cox High School," Cox School Activities Coordinator Jessica B. Horning told VirginiaPreps.com. "We are looking forward to our student-athletes having the opportunity to learn from a former NFL-er and Hall of Famer. I can’t wait to see what the next few seasons bring us."
Following a decorated collegiate career at LSU, where he earned consensus All-American honors, Faneca was chosen 26th overall in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. One of the highlight moments came when he sprung free running back Willie Parker on the 75-yard touchdown run that remains the longest in Super Bowl history. The Steelers won Super Bowl XL (40), 21-10 over the Seattle Seahawks, in 2006 in Detroit.
Besides the Steelers, Faneca played with the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. Among the numerous accolades, he was named First Team All-Pro on six occasions, 2nd Team All-Pro twice and earned nine Pro Bowl selections.
At Cox, Faneca replaces Bill Stachelski, who posted a record of 88-47 in 13 seasons at the helm with 11 playoff appearances, including a 5-1 mark in the abbreviated campaign that recently concluded. Stachelski decided last month to step aside and become the school's Head Golf Coach (read more here).
In 2019, Faneca joined the Cox coaching staff as an assistant after spending two years at The Potomac School, helping with their varsity and junior varsity offensive and defensive lines.
"I never really thought about it," Faneca replied when asked if he envisioned getting into coaching one day. "But I never thought against it as far as coaching."
