While acknowleding that nearly two months of behind-the-scenes drama forced a decision, longtime Eastchester football coach Fred DiCarlo announced Monday he will be stepping down after 28 seasons and divorcing himself from his alma mater.
The 58-year-old has coached multiple sports at the school over the last four decades.
DiCarlo was informed by athletic director Mike Ramponi that he would not be returning as Eagles boys varsity basketball coach in March. He requested an opportunity to spend one more season on the sideline, his 30th, but was denied. The fallout apparently resulted in an investigation by the school and DiCarlo was placed on administrative leave six weeks ago.
He was emotional during a short conversation Monday and declined to comment on the ongoing dispute, but issued the following statement:
To Eastchester football community:
Today is one of the hardest days of my life. As a proud head coach of the Eastchester Eagles for close to 30 years, I decided it is not in my best interest to continue my coaching career at Eastchester High School. For the players and families that have been part of the Eastchester Football Family, you know that there are values that the program runs by. Respect for your teammates, families and community is a must. Integrity is critical for our core ethical principles, and the health and well-being of our teammates are non-negotiable. I do not feel these values are important to the school district any longer and with that it is time for me to stop coaching at Eastchester. My hope for my career was this would be the only school I ever coached for since it is my alma mater but hopefully, I can continue coaching somewhere because I love the game of football and the life lessons that come with this great game. To the students I wish you nothing but the best moving forward.
Coach Fred DiCarlo
All high school coaches work on a year-to-year basis. There are no contracts. There is no tenure. DiCarlo confirmed he was told by Ramponi the school wanted him back to coach football indefinitely. He was also hired to assist Ramponi with athletic department operations for the spring season before the school opened investigations into separate complaints.
Ramponi declined to comment.
“It’s a personnel issue that has to be addressed by the central office,” Ramponi said.
The school district took issue with a meeting DiCarlo held with the returning sophomores and juniors on the basketball team after he was informed the school was hiring a new coach. A social media post from longtime Eagles football assistant coach Anthony Panio, who also played for DiCarlo, alleges the second complaint, also filed in March, attempts to link DiCarlo with a now dismissed junior varsity coach whose approach was deemed unsuitable.
Peter Telesco, a senior basketball player at Eastchester, started an online petition to reinstate DiCarlo on March 24 and got 433 signatures.
According to the meeting agenda, the board of education is expected to approve the hiring of James Mooney, who played and coached at Iona Prep and Mount St. Vincent, as the school’s new boys varsity basketball coach on Tuesday.
DiCarlo was dismissed from both jobs following the 2022 football season following an investigation by the district that found he was negative and used profanity during the previous basketball season. The backlash from the community was instantaneous. Many singled out a vindictive school board member for the move. Within days, DiCarlo apologized for the use of profanity and was reinstated.
Current superintendent Alison Villanueva took over on July 1, 2025 and Ramponi has been in place since March 17, 2025.
It’s unclear where both of the investigations stand. DiCarlo would like to coach in the immediate future.
Mike Dougherty covers high school football and basketball for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Eastchester football coach Fred DiCarlo is detaching from the program
Reporting by Mike Dougherty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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