Fred Whittingham, 62; Coached 2 College Football Teams

Fred Whittingham, 62, a former National Football League player and coach who also coached in the college ranks at Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, died Monday from a pulmonary embolism after a blood clot formed in his leg following recent back surgery.

Whittingham coached for nearly 30 years at the high school, college and professional levels. He worked for the Los Angeles Rams under Ray Malavasi and John Robinson and for the Oakland Raiders under Mike White. He coached for the Raiders in the mid-1990s, serving as linebacker coach and later defensive coordinator. He also served as an assistant coach at Brigham Young and Utah.

Whittingham played college football briefly at BYU before finishing his college career at Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo. At Cal Poly, he played tight end on offense and defensive end, earning Little All American honors in 1961. He played offensive guard the next year, earning All-Coast honors. He also competed in track and field in the discus and the shot put. He earned his bachelor’s degree and later a master’s degree at the school.

After college, he played in the NFL as a linebacker for nine seasons with the Rams, Cowboys, Eagles and Saints.