In Memory: ASU's Dick Mansperger

John Richard "Dick" Mansperger, a former football player and assistant coach at Arizona State University, passed away Wednesday, June 12, at his home in Ramah, N.M.

Mansperger was a player on the 1956 and 1957 Sun Devil teams and later served as an assistant coach in both 1958 and 1962 for Head Coach Frank Kush. His coaching specialty was the interior line.

Dick, as he is called by his fellow coaches, returned to ASU in January of 1962, replacing Chuck Fairbanks who joined the staff at the University of Houston.

Mansperger played college football at Palo Verde Junior College in Blythe, Calif. (two years) and at ASU (two years). As a Sun Devil he played tackle on the Sun Devil teams of 1956 and 1957, years that saw the Maroon and Gold win 19 of 20 games.

From 1953-1956 Mansperger served in the Army with an airborne division, starting as a private and advancing through the ranks to lieutenant. After that, it was two years of football at ASU and a degree in radio and television speech in 1958. He served as a graduate assistant and helped coach the freshmen team at ASU in 1958.

He then became head football coach at Palo Verde Junior College for two years, compiling a sterling 14-3-2 record.  In 1961, he was an assistant coach at West Texas State.

Mansperger later served as an assistant football coach at UCLA (1964) and later as Director of Player Personnel with both the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys.