Former Iowa Football Head Coach Ray Nagel Dies

Funeral services are pending for former Iowa football coach Ray Nagel, who died on Thursday (January 15, 2015). He was 87.

Nagel guided the Hawkeyes for five seasons (1966-70), posting a 16-32-2 record. At the age of 38, he was named Iowa's head football coach on Dec. 11, 1965. The Los Angeles native joined the Iowa program after serving as Utah's head coach for eight seasons.

Before Utah, Nagel earned two degrees from UCLA after playing quarterback for the Bruins from 1947-49. He began his coaching career as a UCLA assistant, and served as playing coach for the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals in 1953. Nagel later was an assistant coach at Oklahoma from 1954-57.

After leaving the Iowa sideline, Nagel made the transition into sports administration. He served as Director of Athletics at both Washington State (1971-76) and Hawaii (1976-83). Nagel served one year as executive vice-president of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in 1983 before returning to private business in Hawaii. From 1999-95, he was executive director of college football's Hula Bowl.

Nagel retired in 1995.