George Dickerson, 88; UCLA Coach and Hall of Fame Athlete

George W. Dickerson, 88, who played and coached football at UCLA, died at his home Jan. 22 of natural causes, the university announced Wednesday.

Dickerson attended Fairfax High School before earning three football letters as a tackle at UCLA.

He was captain of the 1936 Bruin team.

He also was a four-year letterman in rugby and a boxer.

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Dickerson was an assistant football coach at UCLA from 1946 to 1957.

Following the death of Henry “Red” Sanders, Dickerson was head coach for the first three games of 1958.

After his coaching career, Dickerson worked for a construction company in Alhambra.

He retired as a senior vice president at the age of 71.

He was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.