San Marcos, Texas – Former Texas State defensive coordinator and safeties coach Fred Bleil passed away on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2011 at the M.D. Anderson Medical Center in Houston following a battle with cancer.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 3 at the Union Township Community Center (formerly the Union Consolidated School) in LeMars, Iowa with Reverend Roger Kurtenbach of the Kingsley United Methodist Church officiating. A visitation with the family present will be held Sunday, Oct. 2, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the Kingsley United Methodist Church in Kingsley, Iowa.
Bleil was appointed Texas State's defensive coordinator in 2008 and helped the Bobcats win their first outright Southland Conference championship that season. He came to Texas State after serving a season as linebackers coach at Tulane and as a defensive coordinator at North Texas in 2006. He also was the secondary coach at San Diego State for eight years after leading the North Texas defense in 1997 and 1998. He served as the defensive coordinator at New Mexico from 1992-95 under current Bobcat head coach Dennis Franchione and as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Utah State from 1986-91. He remained a member of Texas State's football staff up until he passed away.
Bleil was a head coach at New Mexico Highlands from 1979-82, where he earned Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1981. He also was named the AFCA College Division Coach of the Year and served as athletic director during his final two years there.
He began his coaching career as the defensive coordinator at Eastern New Mexico in 1973 and remained in that capacity through the 1978 season.
Born Jan. 7, 1949, Bleil played football at Northern Iowa in 1967 and went on to letter two seasons and earn his degree at Westmar College in 1971. Bleil received a master's degree in 1972 from Eastern New Mexico. He was 62, and his wife, Susan, lived in San Marcos. His brother, Bill, is an assistant coach at Iowa State and Cyclone head coach Paul Rhoads served as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Utah State under Bleil.
