Charley North, former OU football assistant coach and OCA Hall of Famer, dies at 82

Legendary football coach Charley North died Aug. 25. He was 82.

A longtime coach at the collegiate and high school level, North was best known for his work on Barry Switzer 's staff at OU . He also coached at Arkansas, Alabama, Texas A&M and TCU.

He also coached at Wagoner — his alma mater — along with Tecumseh and Dibble. He finished his coaching career volunteering as an assistant at Norman High School, where he coached his grandson.

North spent more than four decades coaching football. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013 .

North was an all-state football and baseball selection at Wagoner High school.

After playing football at Panhandle State, North returned to Wagoner in 1967 to begin his coaching career. His first head coach job was at Tecumseh in 1972 and then McAlester in 1976. He joined OU in 1979, working under Switzer and Gary Gibbs.

He bookended his coaching career taking over Dibble High School and then coaching his grandson.

Funeral services have been set for 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at the NPS Center for Arts and Learning in Norman.

Jacob Unruh is the deputy sports editor for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jacob? He can be reached at junruh@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support Jacob's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .