Jim Sweeney ( coach ) Jim Sweeney ( September 1 , 1929 – February 8 , 2013 ) was an American football coach . He served as the head coach at Montana State University ( 1963 – 67 ) , Washington State University ( 1968 – 75 ) , and California State University , Fresno ( 1976 – 77 , 1980 – 96 ) . Sweeney ' s 144 wins as the head coach at Fresno State are the most in the history of the program . He compiled a career college football record of 201 – 153 – 4 . Early years . Sweeney was born in Butte , Montana , and played college football at the University of Portland , and graduated in 1951 . After his junior year , the school dropped football as an intercollegiate sport , and Sweeney spent his senior season of 1950 as a high school coach at Columbia High School in Portland . Coaching career . Following graduation he returned to Montana and was a high school assistant at Butte Central for a season , then head coach from 1952 to 1955 , and at Flathead High School in Kalispell from 1956 to 1959 . Sweeney moved up to the college ranks in 1960 as an assistant coach at Montana State in Bozeman , and was promoted to head coach in 1963 . He compiled a 31 – 20 ( . 608 ) record and three Big Sky conference championships in his five seasons with the Bobcats , where one of his starting quarterback s was Dennis Erickson . At Montana State , Sweeney is credited with convincing Jan Stenerud , a Norwegian on a skiing scholarship , to go out for the football team as a kicker . Stenerud went on to become the only " pure " kicker inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . After his success in Bozeman , he moved up to the Pac - 8 Conference in 1968 at Washington State in Pullman , where he compiled a 26 – 59 – 1 ( . 308 ) record in eight seasons . His team ' s most noteworthy accomplishment was the defeat of Rose Bowl - bound Stanford in 1971 to garner him NCAA District 8 Coach of the Year honors . After a disappointing conclusion to the 1975 season ( winless in conference ) , Sweeney resigned at WSU a week after the season ended and was promptly hired at Fresno State , where he coached for two seasons before becoming an NFL assistant for two years . He spent the 1978 season with the Oakland Raiders in John Madden ' s final season , and the 1979 season with the St . Louis Cardinals under Bud Wilkinson , who was fired before the season ' s end . Sweeney returned to Fresno State as head coach in 1980 for 17 seasons and he compiled a 144 – 74 – 3 ( . 658 ) record and eight conference championships ( PCAA / Big West and WAC ) in 19 seasons . Sweeney retired from coaching following the 1996 season with 201 wins in 32 seasons . Personal . Sweeney is the father of 9 children : Jim Sweeney , Peggy Sweeney , Sheila Sweeney , Carol Sweeney , Mary Lou Dion Sweeney , Daniel Sweeney , Colline Sweeney , Patty Negrete Sweeney and Kevin Sweeney , whom he coached while at Fresno State . His wife and mother of all his children , Lucille Sweeney , died in the 1980s . He has since married June Sweeney and they reside in Fresno , CA . Two of Jim ' s grandsons play for PAC10 football teams . Nate Fellner is at University of Washington , and Kyle Negrete USC . Grandson Beau Sweeney played at CAL before transferring in 2011 . On February 8 , 2013 , Fresno State Athletics confirmed that the beloved football coach passed away shortly before 8pm PT . Coach Sweeney and his wife had recently moved to a senior living home due to his failing health , which included a stay at St . Agnes Medical Center . Jim Sweeney was 83 .