Former College Football Coach and NFL Player Ray Nagel Dies at Age 87

Ray Nagel, who served as the head football coach at Iowa and Utah in addition to athletic director stints at Washington State and Hawaii, died last Thursday. He was 87.

His daughter, Nancy, confirmed Nagel's death to The Associated Press. Dave Reardon of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser spoke with a family friend who confirmed Nagal's health had been deteriorating since 2013 and his death was of natural causes.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Nagel was a local star before spending his collegiate days at UCLA playing halfback and quarterback. He also spent one year coaching and playing with the Chicago Cardinals of the early NFL before moving full time into coaching in 1954.

An assistant at Oklahoma and UCLA, Nagel took the head coaching position at Utah in 1958, lasting a solid eight seasons. He led the Utes to a 1964 Liberty Bowl victory and finished his tenure with a 42-39-1 record before taking the Iowa job.

At Iowa, Nagel lasted five largely unsuccessful seasons. He went 16-32-2 before being let go, never finishing better than 5-5.

After leaving the Hawkeyes, Nagel spent the remainder of his professional career in administration. He was the athletic director for Washington State from 1971-76 and then took over Hawaii's programs from 1976-1983. He also spent time with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL and was the executive director of the Hula Bowl from 1990-95.

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