Emil “Moe” DeCantis

Category
1999
About This Inductee

Emil “Moe” DeCantis was a versatile athlete at West Scranton High School, participating in football, basketball and track and field, before graduating in 1955. He received All-State All-Scholastic honors as quarterback in football, winning the Nick Helring Award (most valuable player in Lackawanna County). He played for the city in the 1954 Dream Game and later was city head coach 3 times. After considering 37 football scholarships, Emil decided upon the University of North Carolina, where he made a successful transition from high school quarterback to college running back. Emil was slated to play in the Blue-Gray Game in Alabama after concluding his college career. He had tryouts with the Chicago Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers professional football teams before returning home. DeCantis was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Radio, Television and Motion Pictures in 1959 by North Carolina, and later earned a teaching certificate in history. He spent one year as a graduate assistant football coach with the “Tar Heels” freshman team and then accepted a teaching position in the Scranton School District in 1960. He launched his football coaching career at South Catholic High, spending 2 years with the Dons and 3 years at West Scranton as an assistant before taking over as head football coach at Central in 1965. He won an Eastern Conference Championship with sons Richard and Doug in 1981, each playing a key role. He won a Big Eleven Conference title in 1979. Emil also coached track and field for 12 years and boys’ junior high basketball for two. His teams won several Jordan Relay Championships, and the Lackawanna League Southern Division AAA title in 1987. He was Conference president for 6 years. Emil was honored in 1979 by Binghamton, N.Y. coaches football clinic as Pa.’s football “Coach of the Year.” Emil spent 33 years as an educator and 22 years as Scranton Central’s head football coach, compiling a 123-105-15 record. Following his retirement from coaching in 1993, he became athletic director at Scranton High for 3 years and at West Scranton for 2 years. Emil and his wife, the former Peggy Kelley, reside in Orlando and Scranton. In addition to their two sons, Richard and Douglas, they have two grandchildren, Genevieve and Nicholas.