Regis Scafe, the longest tenured head coach in the history of the John Carroll University football program, recently completed his 14th campaign as the head coach of John Carroll football in 2012, posting a record of 88-56.
Including his five years as the head coach of Case Western Reserve University prior to taking over the head job at John Carroll, Scafe has amassed a record of 104-90 during his 19 seasons in the collegiate ranks.
This past year, Scafe led the Blue Streaks to a 40-3 win over St. Norbert College in a regular season game played in Dublin , Ireland, and earned his 100th career win with a 39-10 victory at Capital on September 29.
Appointed to the position in December of 1998, Scafe has presided over 13 seasons in which the Blue Streaks finished at or better than .500 as John Carroll’s football director. Since he began his tenure at John Carroll, Scafe has had over 20 players earn All-American accolades, and over 75 have been named to the All-Ohio Athletic Conference teams, including eight (Tom Rini, Matt Payne, Jeff Lerner, Chris Cubero, Victor DeBoer, Doug Phillips, Carlo Melaragno, Michael Nettling and Devin O’Brien) who have been named the OAC Player of the Year at their respective positions.
Scafe left an indelible mark on John Carroll, with his benchmark season coming in 2002. That year, the John Carroll football team reached the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III playoffs - the first time any Blue Streaks team had ever reached a national final four in any sport. Along the way, JCU won a school-record 12 games and captured the East Regional with victories over Hobart, Muhlenberg, and Brockport State. For his efforts, Scafe was named Ohio Athletic Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2002.
Scafe began his coaching career at St. Peter Chanel High School in Bedford, Ohio, where he joined the Chanel staff as assistant football and wrestling coach. Scafe became Chanel’s head football coach, where he stayed for nine years. His most memorable season came in 1982, when the team went 8-2, earning him Co-Coach of the Year accolades in the North Coast Conference.
In 1987, Scafe joined the collegiate ranks when he took the position as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator on the John Carroll staff under Tony DeCarlo. In his seven years with the Blue Streaks, his defense was ranked in the top 20 nationally in total yards and/or points allowed four times. During that stretch of time, Scafe coached four All-Americans and 16 first team All-Ohio Athletic Conference defensive players.
He also was part of an Ohio Athletic Conference championship and NCAA Division III playoff appearance in 1989.
His last coaching assignment prior to leaving JCU for a few years was in Berlin, Germany at the American Bowl on May 28, 1994. John Carroll defeated the Berlin Bears (a semi-professional team), 27-6, in a game played in what was formerly East Berlin. That 1994 JCU team would go on to win a share of the Ohio Athletic Conference title, the last captured by the Blue Streaks.
In 1994, Scafe took a head coaching position at Case Western Reserve University. Before his arrival, the football team had only won four games in two seasons. Scafe turned the Spartans into a .500 club in two of his final three years. His 1996 squad was a tri-champion of the University Athletic Association. For their efforts, Scafe and his staff were named UAA Coaching Staff of the Year in 1996.
Scafe graduated in 1971 with a B.S. degree in health and physical education from Case Western Reserve University, and in 1983, earned a Master’s degree in physical education from Cleveland State. In addition, he garnered first team All-Presidents Athletic Conference honors as a defensive back for the Spartans as a senior in 1970.
In addition to his duties as head football coach at John Carroll, Scafe has served as an advisor to the JCU chapter of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Scafe has also served on national committees, including tenures as an officer with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
He also has been selected to be a part of the United States coaching staff that has guided a team of NCAA Division III all-stars in in each of the last three years for the Tazón de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars), which pits the American squad against a Mexican all-star football team in a game played in December in Mexico.
On April 23, 2012, Scafe was honored for his commitment to the Greater Cleveland Football Coaches Association as the 2012 recipient of the Golden Deeds Award. The GCFCA’s highest honor salutes people who make outstanding contributions to high school football in Greater Cleveland.
