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LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- Former Utah State track coach Ralph Maughan, who also served as assistant coach for the school's football and basketball programs, has died after a 10-year battle with Parkinson's disease.
Maughan died Monday. He was 83.
His death was confirmed Wednesday by the university's athletic department.
"He has really had a tough go of it lately," said Byrnece Maughan, his wife of nearly 62 years. "He had a really good life."
Maughan's association with USU athletics lasted for nearly five decades, beginning in 1941 when he played on the football team and lettered for four years. The 6-foot-2 athlete also lettered in track for four years and in basketball for three seasons.
During that time, Maughan took a break to enlist in the Reserve Corps and was later sent to France and Belgium during World War II. Maughan was a bazooka man during the Battle of the Bulge. He received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
He returned to USU, where he was a member of the school's first two football teams to earn bowl berths in 1946 and 1947.
He played one year for the Detroit Lions in 1949.
Maughan left professional football for Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, to coach football, basketball, and track for three years. He was also the head of the physical education department and the dean of men.
He returned to USU to serve as assistant coach for the Aggie's football and basketball teams. In 1951, he was promoted to head coach for the track team and held the position until 1988. During that time, he coached several national champions, including four Olympians.
"He was a great all-around athlete and extremely loyal to Utah State," said Dave Kragthorpe, a former Aggie player, coach and athletic director. "He was a wonderful man, a great person. He was a true Aggie. All the cliches fit him perfectly."
Maughan is survived by son, Ralph Jr., and daughter, Susan. His funeral is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Providence Stake Center. ------ Information from: The Herald Journal, http://www.hjnews.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-07-05-06 1248MDT
