Associated Press Published

Former Marshall Player, Coach Passes Away

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Former Marshall University football standout and assistant coach Phil Ratliff passed away on Sunday.

The Charlotte 49ers, where Ratliff has been coaching the past three years, made the announcement Sunday afternoon.

WCHS-TV reports Ratliff was hospitalized on August 3 after suffering from a cardiac event.

Ratliff was a native of Louisa, Ky. At Marshall he was a two time NCAA Division 1-AA All-American in 1991 and 1992. In his senior season he helped lead the Thundering Herd to its first national championship.

He is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame.

Ratliff served as the head coach at Spring Valley High School from 2001 to 2005 before becoming a college assistant at James Madison University in Virginia.

He returned to Marshall as an assistant in 2006 and was in Huntington until 2011.

He has been with the new Charlotte 49er football program since 2012, serving as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.

Memorial services will be announced at a later date. He is survived by his wife, Jenni, and a daughter Haley, and son, Dylan.

Ratliff was just 44-years-old.