Steve Kragthorpe, who led the moribund Tulsa football program to a trio of bowl games in four seasons at the helm and who also served as head coach three seasons at Louisville, passed away Sunday night from a years-long battle with Parkinson's disease.
Tributes rolled in across social media following the news of Kragthorpe's passing at just 59 years old.
A Missoula, Montana, native who played quarterback at both Eastern New Mexico and West Texas, Kragthorpe embarked on a coaching career that spanned more than three decades with his first position at Northern Arizona.
He coached at Boston College before a break-through opportunity under R.C. Slocum at Texas A&M, where Kragthorpe eventually rose to the role of offensive coordinator and helped the Aggies win the 1998 Big 12 Championship in an upset-win against Kansas State.
RIP to Steve Kragthorpe pic.twitter.com/odG6l8ppux
— Corey Price (@coreyp08) August 5, 2024
Kragthorpe also spent time in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, which paved the way for his opportunity to revive the Tulsa program.
In four seasons at Tulsa, Kragthorpe posted eight or more wins three times; the success helped him land the top job at Louisville, where he was 15-21 in three years.
Most recently Kragthorpe had an enduring run at LSU, serving as the Tigers's offensive coordinator before the Parkinson's diagnosis robbed him of the ability to be a full-time, on-field assistant coach.
However, the beloved Kragthorpe remained with the LSU program for several more years in off-the-field roles.
He was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Kragthorpe is survived by his wife and three sons.