William A. Neal, 92, of Indiana, passed away on Thursday, March 28, 2024. He was born in Russell, Kentucky, on December 28, 1931, to the late William A. and Mabel L. (Basenback) Neal.
Bill graduated from George Washington University with his Bachelors and Masters in Secondary Education. He began his coaching career as the Freshman coach at George Washington University, then was hired as Defensive Coordinator at the University of Virginia followed by a stint coaching at the U.S. Naval Academy. In 1966 he became the Defensive Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh for three years. In 1969 he was hired as Assistant Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator at IUP for Chuck Klausing. The following year he became Head Coach which he remained throughout the 1970’s, coaching some of IUP’s most successful teams and numerous players who have been elected to the IUP Hall of Fame. Upon completion of his coaching career, Coach Neal continued as a Physical Education professor and was most proud of the countless student teachers he mentored who went on to stellar educational careers.
You can hear Jack Benedict’s tribute to Coach Neal here:
Coach Neal was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, Indiana, he was an approximately 50-year member of the Indiana Lions Club and a 60-year member of the American Football Coaches Association. One of the things he was most proud of was supervising Lions Club Camp Orenda for physically handicapped individuals with his wife Cass. In his minimal free time, he enjoyed golfing with his many friends (the “recaps”), fishing and hunting.
Surviving Coach Neal is his wife of 52 years, Kathryn A. “Cass” (DeMalta) Neal, daughter Janet L. (Douglas) Cambier, of Salinas, CA; son Steve A. Neal of Conneaut Lake, PA; granddaughter Alissa (Brock) Weber, of Hailey, ID; grandson Justin (Lindsay) Cambier of Hailey, ID; grandson Tim (Crystal) Cambier, of CA; one brother Frank A. (Tonya) Neal, of Bastrop, TX; great grandchildren Cooper, Mason, Hudson and Elle, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Besides his parents, Coach Neal was preceded in death by his son William A. Neal in 2012.
Friends will be received by the family on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at the Bowser Minich Funeral Home, Indiana from 4-7 PM, where a funeral service will be held on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 10:00 AM with Father Bill Geiger as Celebrant. A private burial will be held at the convenience of the family in Oakland Cemetery, Indiana.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor and memory of Coach Neal to the Bill and Cass Neal Football Scholarship Fund or to the Lions Club Camp Orenda.
