Frasco finds fit at Augustana

Sam Frasco believed the best place for his football future meant taking a pass on his family’s past.

The Prospect senior and Daily Herald all-area quarterback chose Division III Augustana in Rock Island. One of the other schools that recruited him as a quarterback was North Central, where Frasco’s dad Dan played linebacker.

“It should be fun going against them,” Sam Frasco said.

Frasco also had interest from St. Ambrose and Football Championship Subdivision non-scholarship schools Butler, Drake and Dayton. But Frasco said they recruited him as a wide receiver and he wanted to stay at quarterback.

“I love the quarterback position and I thought I could fit well with Augustana,” Frasco said. “The biggest thing for me is they have the right mindset to win and get the program back to where it was before.”

The 5-foot-11, 173-pound Frasco rushed for 1,095 yards and 13 touchdowns and completed 72 of 146 passes for 919 yards with 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.

Frasco also played quarterback as a freshman and sophomore before switching to wide receiver as a junior. He said Augustana has gone to an offense similar to what Michigan runs for the dynamic Denard Robinson.

“When I went back to quarterback, I fell in love with it again and I don’t want to leave this position,” said Frasco, who also played basketball and is competing in track at Prospect. “They were looking for more of a running quarterback who can throw the ball a little bit and I’m still working on that.”

Frasco said he has been working on his throwing and speed with ex-Bears wide receiver Marcus Robinson. He said there will be an opportunity to play immediately because of graduation.

Augustana won four straight NCAA Division III national titles from 1983-86. Frasco hopes to help start a turnaround after a 2-8 finish last year.

And Frasco is confident at his size he can handle the physical demands after talking to former Elk Grove star quarterback Tim Podulka. He threw for 1,962 career yards even though he stands just 5-7.

“I talked to him and he told me about his experience there,” Frasco said of Podulka, who has been an assistant coach at Buffalo Grove. “It helped through the whole process, because I’ve always looked up to him, to see what he’s done.”