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ASU Football: Legendary Coach Frank Kush Dies at Age 88

BySam Ficarro|
TEMPE, AZ - NOVEMBER 2: A statue of former Arizona State University Sun Devils Head Coach Frank Kush, who coached the Sun Devils from 1958-1979, stands outside of the ASU Sun Devil Stadium as the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Arizona Cardinals on November 2, 2003 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Bengals 17-14. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - NOVEMBER 2: A statue of former Arizona State University Sun Devils Head Coach Frank Kush, who coached the Sun Devils from 1958-1979, stands outside of the ASU Sun Devil Stadium as the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Arizona Cardinals on November 2, 2003 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Bengals 17-14. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Legendary ASU football coach Frank Kush passed away Thursday at the age of 88 leading the Sun Devils to nine conference titles and two undefeated seasons.

Sad day for Arizona State athletics as former head coach Frank Kush died early Thursday morning at the age of 88.

Kush holds the school record with 175 wins during his 21-year tenure as head coach of Arizona State where he led the team to nine conference titles and two undefeated seasons in 1970 and 1975.

Kush was later inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

In a statement, Arizona State VP for University Athletics Ray Anderson and head coach Todd Graham talked about the passing of Kush.

“Frank Kush is Sun Devil football. Frank was the architect of Sun Devil football and is revered by all Sun Devils everywhere,” Anderson said. “He’s a college football Hall of Famer, he’s in our Hall of Distinction and the field at Sun Devil Stadium is named after him. Today, he and his family are in our hearts.”

“My thoughts and prayers are with the Kush family,” Graham said. “It was a privilege to have known such a coaching legend and man. His legacy will always be the cornerstone of the Arizona State football program. Coach Kush I will miss you my friend.”

Arizona State President Michael Crow has also released a statement.

“Coach Kush built ASU into a national football power,” Crow said. “He taught us how to make football work, and he put ASU on the map long before it was a full-scale university. Throughout his life he maintained his strong connection to ASU, working with coaches and devoting time to the football program. By growing ASU football he helped us build the whole university into what it is today. He will be sorely missed.”

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While making a move from the WAC to the Pac-12 conference, Kush sported a 6-1 bowl record and a 16-5 record in Territorial Cup games versus Arizona.

Arguably Arizona State’s greatest season was in 1975 when they went 12-0 capping off the season with a 24-21 win at No. 12 Arizona and a Fiesta Bowl win over No. 6 Nebraska 17-14.

The Sun Devils finished No. 2 in the final AP Poll that season with Oklahoma finishing the season No. 1 and the national champions.

After Kush was fired from the program in 1979, he went on to coach in professional football coaching a season in the Canadian Football League with Hamilton in 1981 before returning to the United States to spend three seasons as the coach with the Indianapolis Colts from 1982-84 before ending his coaching career with the USFL’s Arizona Outlaws in 1985.

While his presence on the field greatly impacted the football program, his presence was just as great off it helping to expand the school’s student body and make large improvements to Sun Devil Stadium, where the field is named in his honor.

Arizona State unveiled a stature of Kush outside Sun Devil Stadium in 1997.

Here are some of the tributes posted on Twitter. We’ll update this throughout the day as more reaction pours in.

https://twitter.com/CoachRobSale/status/877921866920239105

https://twitter.com/dhagan80/status/877933992867012609

https://twitter.com/13igDuke/status/877932214842826756

https://twitter.com/JamilDouglas_/status/877941199058812928

https://twitter.com/CFAPeachBowl/status/877969786654912512

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