Wednesday, August 06, 2003

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Greg Gattuso's roots are firmly planted in the soil of Western Pennsylvania, from his childhood days in Beechview to young adulthood in Brookline and now as a father and husband in Mt. Lebanon.

	Top Dogs in I-AA Active NCAA Division I-AA coaches with the highest winning percentages (minimum five years) Name, school Seasons Record Pct. Mike Kelly, Dayton 22 206-41-1 .832 Al Bagnoli, Penn 21 163-51-0 .762 Greg Gattuso, Duquesne 10 82-26-0 .759 Pete Richardson, Southern 15 126-47-1 .727 Roy Kidd, Eastern Kentucky 39 315-123-8 .715 Joe Gardi, Hofstra 13 105-42-2 .711

He and his wife, Colleen, met in grade school and their parents live less than five minutes from them.

"We're not going anywhere," said Gattuso, 41, whose contract as the football coach at Duquesne University has been extended through the 2007 season.

Gattuso, who is in the final year of a four-year contract, has an 82-26 record in 10 seasons at Duquesne.

"Duquesne has been very generous to me. I'm probably doing fine financially compared to other NCAA Division I-AA coaches," said Gattuso, whose Dukes have won five consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships.

Three schools in the MAAC dropped their football programs since the end of last season -- St. John's, Canisius and Fairfield. "This extension is a sign of the commitment Duquesne has to its football program," Gattuso said. "If anybody tries to use instability in the league as a recruiting tool against us, this squashes that idea. This shows the incoming kids the commitment to this program and the way it's running."

Gattuso's contract is believed to be comparable financially with a coordinator position at most Division I-A schools. "I don't want to be a defensive line coach in Missouri or Texas," he said. "We're really entrenched as a family in the Duquesne University community. We know everybody. That's nice. We go to church every Sunday at Duquesne. I know it sounds like a cliche, but Duquesne is such a positive place to be.

"We have a really good life."

Gattuso's daughter, Jackie, is a junior at Mt. Lebanon High School and plans to enroll in Duquesne's school of pharmacy.

"A contract like this gives you added financial security," Gattuso said. "It gives me some comfort, one less thing to worry about."

Gattuso laughed, then added, "Look at our schedule. It's a killer."

The Dukes play Ivy League power Penn, Bucknell, Morehead State, Butler and Robert Morris in addition to league games.

"Winning the MAAC is our first goal," Gattuso said. "We think it's possible to get into the I-AA playoffs. Nobody from I-AA [mid-major] has ever done that. That's the next frontier for the program."

The Dukes were ranked as high as 21st in both national polls before a 24-0 loss at Albany in the ECAC Classic.

"We'd have to go undefeated to have a chance at a bid to the playoffs," he said. "This thing has taken off at Duquesne. We've been wildly successful."

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