Canon-McMillan girls soccer coach David Derrico resigns after 2 decades

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, June 26, 2020 | 9:39 AM

Canon-McMillan girls soccer coach David Derrico, who won a state title with the Big Macs, resigned this week after two decades with the team.

Athletic director Frank Vulcano announced Derrico’s departure Friday. The school board officially accepted his resignation Thursday night.

“Dave was a state champion coach that will be missed by the players and school district,” Vulcano said. “He gave a lot of his time to make our program one of the top girls soccer programs in the state.”

Derrico became head coach in 2002. His best season was 2016, when Canon-McMillan went 22-1-1, finished second in the WPIAL and won the PIAA Class 4A title with a 1-0 overtime victory against Central Bucks West.

The Big Macs were WPIAL and PIAA runners-up in 2014.

“After a great deal of soul searching and some heartache, I feel that I cannot serve with the same high level of devotion and personal commitment that I have demonstrated in the past and the level of commitment that the Canon-McMillan players deserve,” Derrico wrote in his resignation letter.

He cited “recent events and changes.”

Canon-McMillan went 12-7 overall last season and reached the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.

“This is not an easy letter to write,” Derrico said. “I have had the honor and privilege to coach the Canon-McMillan girls soccer team as both an assistant coach and the head coach for more than 20 years. … It has been difficult, complicated, sometimes frustrating and always exhaustive. However, it has also been exciting, energizing and very rewarding.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Canon-McMillan