Tulsa Mourns Loss of Former Tulsa Football Defensive Coordinator Bill Young

TULSA, Okla. –– Bill Young, who spent two coaching stints on the football staff at The University of Tulsa, died on Wednesday night at the age of 74. In a coaching career that spanned 50 years, Young retired from coaching as Tulsa's defensive coordinator on December 20, 2018.

Coach Montgomery Reflects on Coach Young, CLICK HERE.

Young first coached at Tulsa under John Cooper from 1980-84 and returned on coach Philip Montgomery's staff as defensive coordinator and line coach in 2015. In all, Young spent nine seasons coaching at Tulsa.

Young's coaching career included stops as the defensive coordinator at Arizona State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Kansas, Miami (Fla.) and his alma mater Oklahoma State. He coached in 22 bowl games, including the Rose, Orange, Cotton and Fiesta bowls.

"We extend our sincere condolences to Lawana and the Young family," said Montgomery. "Bill made an impact on so many young men throughout his career. He was a great man, friend and respected coach. He will always be a member of our TU family and we will miss him deeply."

In 2018, Young's final year directing the Tulsa defense, the Hurricane ended the season as the nation's 7^th best pass defense, while allowing opponents 120+ yards less in total offense than a year earlier. He helped lead Tulsa to two bowl games, including the 2015 Camping World Independence Bowl and the 2016 Miami Beach Bowl, capping a 10-3 season.

"Coaching has been good to me, a great experience," said Young upon his retirement from the game of football. "I can't imagine doing anything else and having enjoyed it as much. I started off as a high school coach, then worked my way into college. It's been fantastic. I've had the opportunity to work with some unbelievably good coaches and people. I think a little bit of all of them rubbed off on me, and hopefully helped me become a better coach."

Before beginning his coaching career, Young was a three-year starter at defensive end/outside linebacker at Oklahoma State (1965-67), earning his degree in Education in 1968. After coaching six years on the prep level in Oklahoma, Young returned to his alma mater as a part-time coach at OSU under Jim Stanley.

After one season at Iowa State, Young joined Cooper's staff as Tulsa's defensive tackles coach in 1980 before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 1983. Young moved with Cooper to Arizona State (1985-87) and Ohio State (1988-95). He joined the coaching staff at Oklahoma for the 1996-97 seasons and was at Southern Cal for three years (1998-2000).

Young spent the 2001 season as an NFL assistant, coaching the defensive line for the Detroit Lions. A year later, he returned to the college ranks with the Kansas Jayhawks, where he was the defensive coordinator for eight years (2002-07). Young then spent one year at the University of Miami (Fla.) before landing back at his alma mater, Oklahoma State, in 2009, as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator for four seasons.

After that, Young had stops at Wyoming (2013) and as head coach at Yukon (Okla.) High School in 2014 before returning to Tulsa.

"In any profession, the longevity of 50 years is incredible, but with the peaks and valleys in sports to coach that long is just an unbelievable achievement. The vision, passion and integrity that Bill had was just remarkable. He did things the right way on and off the field. He was one of the most humble and loyal people you'd ever meet," added Montgomery.

Young was born in Hereford, Texas, but spent most of his childhood in Oklahoma. He attended Grant High School in Oklahoma City.

Tulsa Mourns Loss of Former Tulsa Football Defensive Coordinator Bill Young

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