Steve Kragthorpe, who is credited by many with turning around the on-field success at The University of Tulsa, died Sunday from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 59.

When Kragthorpe took the reins of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in 2003, the program had suffered 11 straight losing seasons and only had two wins in the previous two years.

In his first season as head coach in 2003, the team went 8-5 – a remarkable improvement from the previous season’s record of 1-11.

Over four seasons as Tulsa’s head coach, Kragthorpe’s teams tallied 20 wins and 12 losses in conference play, appeared in three bowl games and won the 2005 Conference USA championship.

He left Tulsa in 2007 to take the head job at the University of Louisville, but was fired after going 15-21 over three seasons.

Kragthorpe later joined the LSU Tigers as their offensive coordinator in 2011, but had to step back several months later when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He served as quarterbacks coach for two seasons before moving to a non-coaching role with LSU.

Earlier this year, Kragthorpe was inducted into The University of Tulsa's Athletic Hall of Fame.

"I knew Steve as an outstanding and authentic offensive football coach," current TU head football coach Kevin Wilson said. "When he got the head job at Tulsa, he revitalized the program to a championship level. As TU's head coach, when I interact with his former players, they show how much they loved Coach Kragthorpe. He will be missed greatly."

The University of Tulsa will hold a celebration of Kragthorpe's life on Friday afternoon from 4 to 6 in the ONEOK Club on the second floor of H.A. Chapman Stadium.