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Former Oklahoma head coach, Nebraska defensive line coach dies at 59
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Former Oklahoma head coach and Nebraska defensive line coach John Blake has died, according to a report from Dean Blevins of OKC-KWTV. He was 59 years old.
According to the report, Blake died after suffering a heart attack while on a walk.
“Sad news, John Blake has died. Coach Switzer tells me it was a heart attack while out walking,” Blevins said in a tweet. “Says he’d lost a lot of weight and was doing well. Prayers w the former #Sooners HC and devastated family. RIP.”
Sad news. John Blake has died. Coach Switzer tells me it was a heart attack while out walking. Says he’d lost a lot of weight and was doing well. Prayers w the former #Sooners HC and devastated family. RIP. @news9 @OU_Football
— Dean Blevins (@DeanBlevins) July 23, 2020
Blake played college football at Oklahoma from 1979-82 and jumped into coaching shortly after his playing career. Most of his early career was at Oklahoma, joining the Sooners staff in 1989 as the defensive line coach after a two-year run at Tulsa. He then coached linebackers at OU from 1990-92 before coaching the defensive line with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys for three seasons.
In 1996, Blake was named the head coach at Oklahoma. He led the Sooners to a 12-22 record in three seasons.
Blake later had a stop at Nebraska, where he served as the defensive line coach for three seasons (2004-06). He also coached at Mississippi State (2003), North Carolina (2007-10) and with the Buffalo Bills (2016).
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB