BATON ROUGE – Steve Kragthorpe, who served as LSU’s offensive coordinator and then quarterbacks coach, passed away on Sunday evening after battling Parkinson’s Disease for over a decade.
Kragthorpe, 59, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in the summer of 2011, less than seven months after being hired as LSU’s offensive coordinator. Kragthorpe remained on the LSU staff as quarterbacks coach in 2011 and 2012. He transitioned to an analyst role following the 2012 season and remained with the Tigers through 2018.
During his time at LSU, the Tigers won the 2011 SEC Championship and appeared in eight bowl games, including the 2012 BCS National Championship Game and the 2019 Fiesta Bowl.
Prior to joining LSU, Kragthorpe served as head coach at Tulsa (2003-06) and Louisville (2007-09).
In fours years at Tulsa, Kragthorpe turned around the Golden Hurricane program, leading TU to an 8-5 mark and a bowl appearance. It was the first winning season for Tulsa in 11 years and its first bowl appearance since 1991.
He was named WAC Coach of the Year in 2003, a season that saw Tulsa post the biggest turnaround in college football, going from 1-11 in 2002 to 8-5 in 2003. Kragthorpe was also a finalist for the Bear Bryant and Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Awards in 2003.
Two years later in 2005, Kragthorpe led Tulsa to the Conference USA title with a 9-4 record and a 44-27 win over Central Florida in the C-USA Championship Game. Tulsa capped the 2005 season with a 31-24 victory over Fresno State in the Liberty Bowl, the first bowl victory for the Golden Hurricane since a 28-17 win over San Diego State in the 1991 Freedom Bowl.
In his fourth and final season at Tulsa in 2006, the Golden Hurricane went 8-5 and earned a berth in the Armed Forces Bowl. In four years at Tulsa, Kragthorpe went 29-22 and became only the second coach in school history to lead the Golden Hurricane to three bowl games.
Kragthorpe was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2024.
Kragthorpe took over as head coach at Louisville in 2007, coaching the Cardinals for three years, going 15-21. In seven years as a collegiate head coach, Kragthorpe has a 44-43 overall mark.
A celebration of Steve Kragthorpe’s life is planned for Friday, August 9 from 4 to 6 p.m. in ONEOK Club on the second floor of H.A. Chapman Stadium Suites and Press Box on the Tulsa University campus.