Frank Stams enjoyed people.
Mr. Stams enjoyed talking to them, listening to them and laughing with them.
Playing and coaching sports in Akron became a passion for Mr. Stams.
Through the games over the years, he made many friends and loved to share stories with people he met.
Mr. Stams died Friday at the age of 79. His family put together a colorful and entertaining obituary published in Monday’s Akron Beacon Journal.
“That obit tells you all about him,” said John Cistone, 80, one of Mr. Stams’ best friends. “That hits him to a T. He was an outstanding athlete in all three sports and he was an outstanding basketball coach at Hower Vocational High School.”
Mr. Stams and Cistone played youth sports in the CYO organization and then became friends as freshmen at St. Vincent High School in 1946. The two played football, basketball and baseball together and graduated from St. V in 1950.
“He was always witty,” Cistone said. “He always had things to say. He was just a lot of fun to be around. He was always loyal to you as a friend, too.”
Mr. Stams attended the University of Akron and Kent State University. He graduated with a B.S. in Education from UA in 1955 after lettering for the Zips in basketball in 1952 and in football from 1951-1953. He earned an M.E. in Education from KSU in the early 1960s.
Mr. Stams started teaching in 1957 in the Akron Public Schools system after serving in the military. From 1957-1990, he taught at the elementary, middle school and high school levels and served as counselor, unit principal and assistant principal at various schools.
He was an administrative specialist in the APS from 1990-1997.
Mr. Stams coached boys’ basketball at Hower from 1962-1970 and posted a 75-64 record. His teams were 51-22 during his final four seasons before the schools merged to form Central-Hower High. Joe Siegferth became the coach of the merged schools.
An Irish family
Cistone coached Mr. Stams’ sons Steve and Frank at St. Vincent-St. Mary. Cistone served as the football coach at St. V from 1965-1971 and then coached St. V-M from 1972-1996 after St. Vincent and St. Mary merged.
“His two boys played for me, Steve and Frank,” Cistone said. “They were both outstanding. He was proud of both of them.”
Steve played at UA, and Frank played at Notre Dame and then in the NFL.
Cistone said he and Mr. Stams both played for Eddie Wentz, who coached at St. V from 1924-1964.
St. V-M football coach Dan Boarman, a 1970 St. Vincent graduate, said he always enjoyed talking with Mr. Stams and coached Steve and young Frank in football and baseball.
“Frank was a just a laugh to be around,” Boarman said. “He was just a great all-around guy and always supportive of our teams. A lot of people don’t realize that he was a pretty darn good basketball coach, too.”
Mr. Stams is survived by his wife, Georgia; daughter Kathryn; sons Steve and Frank (Mari) and grandchildren Rhiannon, Mason and Mikol.
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/. Also follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ. Follow ABJ sports on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
