Bill McGovern, a longtime football coach whose career spanned multiple NFL and collegiate teams, has died after a battle with cancer, UCLA announced Tuesday. He was 60.
McGovern had been with UCLA since 2022 as a defensive coordinator but missed most of the second half of the season due to health issues. He remained with the school as the director of football administration in 2023. UCLA said McGovern’s family informed the school of his death.
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Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith gets coaching from Bill McGovern during Chicago’s training camp on July 29, 2021, at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Early this morning we said goodbye to our beloved father and husband Bill after his long and difficult battle with cancer came to an end and today, we would like to thank the entire UCLA community for all of the love and support you gave to Bill and our entire family during this very difficult struggle,” the family’s statement read. “In particular, the McGovern family would like to thank UCLA head football coach Chip Kelly and his wife Jill as well as all of the players, coaches, trainers, and support staff of the UCLA football program and their families.
“It was the honor of Bill’s coaching career to be the defensive coordinator for the UCLA Bruins and this past season was one of the highlights of Bill’s coaching career. We are so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of such a historic athletic tradition and, more importantly, we could not have made it through this past year without the love and prayers of our UCLA family. The McGovern family is so grateful and thankful to all of you for your help during this difficult time and we will be indebted to you all forever. Thank you so much and we will cherish the wonderful memories we have of UCLA and our UCLA football family for the rest of our lives.”
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Philadelphia Eagles outside linebackers coach Bill McGovern during the Jaguars game at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, on Aug. 24, 2013. (Phil Sears-USA Today Sports)
McGovern, a New Jersey native, played collegiate football at Holy Cross before he turned to coaching. At Holy Cross, he set an NCAA Division I-AA record with 11 interceptions in 1984. He also is tied for most interceptions in a Division I-AA career with 24.
He started as Penn’s freshman coach before getting two separate stints with the Crusaders and at UMass. He then served as Boston College’s defensive backs coach, linebackers coach and defensive coordinator with a stint at Pittsburgh in between.
He was an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Chicago Bears in the NFL. He was also a coach at Nebraska.
New York Giants linebackers coach Bill McGovern before the game against the Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver on Oct. 15, 2017. (Isaiah J. Downing-USA Today Sports)
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McGovern is currently on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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