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Published May 25, 2018
Former Indiana Football Coach Bill Mallory Has Passed Away
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Stu Jackson  •  TheHoosier
Staff Writer
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@StuJTH
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Former Indiana football head coach Bill Mallory has died, according to a Twitter post from his son Curt. Mallory was 82.

Mallory had been placed in hospice care after a fall Tuesday, Curt said.

"Bill Mallory, beloved husband, father, grandfather, coach and friend, passed away peacefully Friday, May 25, 2018," Curt wrote in the tweet. "He was surrounded by his extended family these last days with love, gratitude and celebration."

Mallory is Indiana's winningest coach in program history, compiling a record of 69-77-3 record in 13 seasons (1984-96). During his tenure, he guided the Hoosiers to six bowl games, including wins in the 1988 Liberty Bowl and 1991 Copper Bowl.

In 1987, Mallory became the first coach to be awarded back-to-back Big Ten coach-of-the-year honors. That same year, the Hoosiers defeated Ohio State and Michigan in the same season, and Mallory remains the only coach in program history to accomplish the feat.

With Indiana's Top 20 finish in 1988, he became just the fifth coach to lead three different programs to such recognition in the national polls. The 1988 season was also arguably Mallory's successful, as the Hoosiers finished No. 20 in the Associate Press poll and defeated South Carolina 34-10 in the Liberty Bowl.

Although Indiana went 0-11 in Mallory's first season in 1984, it improved to 4-7 in Mallory's second season in 1985. From there, he helped turn the program around and led it to winning records in seven of the next nine seasons from 1986-94. The Hoosiers went 5-6 in each of the two years they didn't secure a winning record (1989 and 1992).

During time at IU, Mallory also coached eight All-Americans: linebacker Van Waiters (third team, 1986 and 1987), wide receiver Ernie Jones (first team, 1987), kicker Pete Stoyanovich (second team, 1987), running back Anthony Thompson (first team, 1988 and 1989), defensive back Mike Dumas (second team, 1990), running back Vaughn Dunbar (first team, 1991), offensive guard Andrew Greene (1994, second team) and cornerback Eric Allen (third team, 1996). Thompson earned further national acclaim finishing second in the 1989 Heisman Trophy voting.

Overall, Mallory compiled a 165-121-4 record with stops Miami (Ohio), Colorado, Northern Illinois, and Indiana across a 27-year coaching career.

He was inducted into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.

"I will always appreciate the opportunity given to me to be the head football coach at Indiana University," Mallory said after his induction. "I cherish all of the people with whom I was associated during my 13-year tenure at IU. Those people were my coaching staff, the players, the support staff, the administration, the faculty, and the loyal Hoosier supporters. These people made my experience at IU very enjoyable and rewarding. It has also been very rewarding to watch my former players, after they have graduated from IU, continue succeeding in their future endeavors. This has been even more rewarding than our victories and Bowl Games. I will always be thankful and appreciative to have been a part of the program I dearly love, Indiana University football."

Here's what others in the Indiana football community had to say about Mallory's passing via a release from the program:

"Coach Mal was respected like none other. Revered, in fact. The kind of respect and reverence that is earned through love and leadership. Not because of a title or being in a position of power. Rater it's because he led with every fiber of his being along with his booming voice, his locked jaw and his whole heart."-- Anthony Thompson, Indiana and College Football Hall of Fame Inductee

"Coach Mallory is not the greatest coach in the history of IU Football because of all the games the he won. It is because of the kind of man that he was and the kind of person that he was in the hearts of his players. He did a tremendous job molding them into men. In my mind, he is and will always be what Indiana University Football is all about."-- Tom Allen, Indiana Head Football Coach

"The entire Indiana University family is deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Mallory. Bill was not only a Hall of Fame football coach, but also an extraordinary man who has had an immeasurable impact on countless individuals throughout the course of his career and life. Bill's passion for the sport of football was matched only by his love of his players, his coaches, and most of all, his family. I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to know him and his wonderful family. IU Athletics extends our heartfelt condolences to Ellie, Curt, Doug, Mike, Barbara and the entire Mallory family. Bill will be missed by many, but never forgotten."-- Fred Glass, Indiana University Vice President and Director of Athletics

"Indiana University is deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Mallory, IU's winningest football coach and a true legend in the annals of Hoosier athletics. During his 13 years as coach, Bill helped elevate IU football to national prominence, guiding the team to seven winning seasons and six bowl game appearances, and he was the first coach to be awarded back-to-back Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. Bill was equally dedicated to the strong performance of IU's student-athletes in the classroom and helping them achieve success past their playing days. And, as our fans are well aware, he remained heavily invested in the Hoosiers' success well after his coaching tenure, routinely attending practices and exuding the same level of energy, excitement and passion for the team from the stands that he demonstrated while coaching on the sidelines. For many Hoosier fans, the name Bill Mallory will always be synonymous with IU football. He will be greatly missed, and our hearts go out to Coach Mallory's family, friends, former players and all of those whose lives he touched."-- Michael A. McRobbie, Indiana University President

"It is never easy when loved ones leave us. Rest in peace, coach Mal. Words can't express what you've meant to so many. Bill Mallory is the most humble person I have ever met, a true servant leader! Thank you Mallory Family for sharing Coach - he was simply the best! God bless."-- Mark Hagen, Indiana Assistant Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach

"What made Coach Mallory great was he found a way to be a great coach, and at the same time, a great dad. Working with his youngest child Curt made that very clear to me. He was loved by his children and his players. That made him a perfect coach."-- Gerry DiNardo, former Indiana Head Football Coach

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