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Muhammad Ali's Olympic coach dies at 90

ESPN.com staff
April 19, 2013
Cassius Clay was victorious at the 1960 Olympic Games © Getty Images
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Julius Menendez, who coached Muhammad Ali to the gold medal at the 1960 Olympics, has died. He was 90.

San Jose State University says Menendez died on April 14 in Gilroy, California, two days before his 91st birthday.

Menendez was the head boxing coach for the United States in the 1960 Olympics in Rome when Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, won the light-heavyweight division. Eddie Crook Jr and Wilbert McClure also won gold medals for the US that year.

Menendez also coached the US men's soccer team in the 1976 Olympics and was the assistant for the 1972 soccer team.

Menendez won three NCAA boxing championships as coach at San Jose State and won 295 games in 36 seasons as the Spartans' soccer coach.

This article originally appeared on ESPN.com

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