Longtime Fresno State coach who sacrificed his salary to save track program dies

Longtime Fresno State track and field coach Bob Fraley — whose acts of selflessness helped define a man who also coached with genuine care — recently passed away.

Mr. Fraley had trouble breathing one morning and was rushed to the hospital, but eventually died of heart failure on Dec. 30. He was 88 years old.

“The Track and Field world lost a great coaching legend,” Mt. SAC Relays posted on social media.

Always one to think of others first, Fraley demonstrated in 2003 perhaps his greatest moment of selflessness.

With Fresno State eliminating sports to balance its athletic department budget and meet NCAA Title IX requirements , the Bulldogs men’s track and field program suddenly was on the chopping block.

But Fraley stepped up in a way that seemed so noble then, and remains practically unfathomable today.

The track and field coach — whose passion for the sport, along with connecting with people, took a back seat only to his faith and family — struck a deal at Fresno State to sacrifice his coaching salary and work for free to save the program.

“Just speaks to man that he was,” said Scott Barnes, the Oregon State athletic director who with his wife Jody (Marsical) Barnes set up an endowment at their alma mater Fresno State three years ago in the name of both Bob Fraley and his wife Elaine.

“I’ve never heard of anyone else doing something like that in college athletics. Him giving back to keep men’s track and field in the fold and working for free ... it just shows he was about impacting others and changing lives.”

Achievements on track, beyond

Fraley’s career spanned 65 years, coaching at the high school, junior college and collegiate Division I levels. He spent 28 years at Fresno State, including eight years as head coach.

He also coached at Riverdale High, his alma mater Laton, and Lemoore, as well as at Clovis West and College of the Sequoias in his post-retirement .

Son Doug Fraley, who is the University of Montana track and field head coach, added that his dad had many opportunities to coach elsewhere at “higher profile places.” But he never entertained such offers.

“He woke up at every morning without an alarm, just excited to help people, and loved and cherished the opportunity to coach central California athletes of all skill levels,” Doug Fraley said. “That’s what made him tick.”

Along the way, Fraley mentored 44 All-Americans, four NCAA champions, which included his son Doug in pole vaulting, and established himself as a renowned pole vault expert.

Mr. Fraley was USA Track & Field’s National Coach of the Year and U.S. Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year in 2003. He served a term as president of the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association. In addition, Fraley went on to be inducted into the Pole Vault Hall of Fame.

He also created the national Pole Vault Summit, the “Run for the Dream” indoor meet at Fresno State that featured pros, college and high school athletes, and the popular Clovis Street Vault competition in his post-retirement years.

“Coach Fraley wasn’t just a good pole vault coach — he was an expert,” said Melissa (Price) Western, who became the first NCAA women’s pole vaulting champion in 1998 and was a three-time All-American.

“He studied how to get better, how to jump higher. He helped us understand those details.”

Fraley’s love for pole vault stemmed from his desire to be like his childhood idol and legendary Fresno State star pole vaulter Dutch Warmerdam.

“All of us kids wanted to be like Dutch,” Fraley said according to his bio in the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. “Dutch was a great teacher and motivator. I learned so much from him about the dynamics of the pole vault, but I loved his philosophies.

“He’d say, ‘Compete and give your best, be a cheerleader for your teammates, go to church on Sunday, and we’ll work on it on Monday.’”

Coaching and connecting

While Fraley’s knowledge helped him climb the ranks of track and field and aided his athletes, it was his sincere way of coaching and communicating that endeared him to so many.

“He just always did the right thing,” said Jody (Marsical) Barnes, who was a high jumper at Fresno State from 1984-1988. “He was a coach, he was a mentor, he was a father to a lot of us.

“He was just so impactful for so many people on so many levels. He spoke life into a lot of people. It’s hard losing someone like Coach Fraley.”

Former Bulldogs basketball player Brandon Bakke met the track and field coach through the student organization Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Fraley and Elaine often hosted FCA meetings at their home.

“Most coaches are so self-absorbed with their own program that they don’t have the space or time to reach out to others,” said Bakke, who played at Fresno State from 1991-96. “Coach Fraley was all about all of the athletes at Fresno State. He was the type to initiate conversations and relationships.

“He really taught me how I was representing something bigger than myself. And that you were more than just a basketball player. He really cared about other parts of our lives.”

Western added that the skills and mindset developed while training as a pole vaulter, in part through Fraley, helped paved her way in becoming a professor at Brigham Young University.

“As I’ve grown up, I’ve better understood the hard work he put in, and sacrifices he and his wife Elaine made, so us kids could have a great college experience,” Western said. “I hope I have honored him with how I live my life.”

A caring man

Fraley’s care for others extended beyond Fresno State.

Fraley authored articles regarding obesity and diabetes in youth, and how track and field could help address such problems.

“One of the reasons Coach Fraley fought hard for track and field was, it’s one of those sports that caters to people of all sizes,” Jody Barnes said.

And he had a keen interest in recruiting athletes from small, rural communities.

After all, Fraley was the son of a farmer and from the tiny Fresno County town of Laton.

“You can’t help but respect him and want him to lead you,” said former Bulldog vaulter and Coalinga native Roy Phelps in 2008. “He’s a genuine person, the kind of person I’d love to see myself being when I get older.

“He always told me: ‘It’s not where you came from, but what you make of it. Anyone is capable of anything.’”

Mr. Fraley is survived by his wife of 67 years, Elaine, their three children (Tammi Fraley Groom, Jill Fraley Palacios and Doug Fraley), five grandchildren, as well as four great grandchildren.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 9, at Oak Grove Cemetery in Laton.

“In a time when college athletics is so transactional, we need more Bob Fraleys in the world,” Scott Barnes said. “A coach who can connect and build trust with his athletes, thinks about them beyond the competition setting.

“Someone parents know their kid is getting taken care of under someone like coach Fraley. I pray for more coaches like Coach Fraley.”

This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 10:06 AM with the headline "Longtime Fresno State coach who sacrificed his salary to save track program dies."