A giant in the history of Millersville athletics,
John A. Pucillo served the University with distinction as a coach, athletic director, and administrator for 32 years, from 1925 to 1957.
Pucillo's greatest coaching success was in basketball where, over and 18-season period spanning 23 years, his teams won 148 games against 98 defeats. He posted 10 winning seasons on the hardwood, and from 1937 to 1940, Millersville's aggregate record was an impressive 52-12. Eight Pucillo-guided teams amassed 10 or more victories.
He skippered eight Marauder cage squads to mythical Pennsylvania State Teacher's College championships between 1928 and 1940, including four straight titles from '37 to '40.
A Newark, N.J. native, Pucillo coached the Millersville football varsity for nine years (1925-29 and 1933-36) and compiled a 22-33-5 record. In addition, he was head coach of the 'Ville baseball squad for 15 seasons (between 1926 and 1946) and was mentor of the men's tennis program for eight years.
During his Millersville tenure, Pucillo, who was chairman of the Department of Health and Physical Education in addition to his role as athletic director, expanded the varsity sports roster by adding tennis (1930), women's field hockey (1945), wrestling (1946), and men's track and field (1957).
Pucillo was instrumental in the formation of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in 1951.
In addition to his athletic administration duties, Pucillo served eight years as dean of men (1930-38) and was the director of safety and traffic for two years (1956-57).
After his retirement from Millersville, Pucillo served two years as the borough's acting postmaster. He was a charter member and honorary lifetime member of the Millersville Century Club.
In 1969, he was awarded the title of assistant professor of health and physical education, emeritus, by the Millersville State College Board of Trustees.
On October 16, 1971, he earned distinction when the John A. Pucillo Gymnasium was dedicated in his honor. During the dedication ceremonies, former Millersville president, Dr. D. Luke Biemesderfer praised Pucillo as "a teacher of uncompromising, straightforward manhood. John Pucillo maintained that there was only one way to play and that was by the rules of the game-to take no mean or underhanded advantage of an adversary-that to sacrifice decency and a clear conscious was to high a price to pay for tarnished victory. He held that it was nothing short of dishonorable to fail to give the very best you could muster or your resources of knowledge, skill, and spirit; and, that having done so, victory would be sweet and defeat no disgrace."
He graduated from Springfield College with a bachelor's of science in physical education in 1922 and earned a master's of arts degree in psychology and education in 1923.
Pucillo died November 13, 1979 at the age of 82.
