Jim Dostal Death: A Former Longtime Cedar Rapids Football Coach Died at 59

Jim Dostal led Cedar Rapids to Class 4A Playoff Semifinals in 1992 and was assistant at Cedar Rapid Jefferson, Prairie High School, and Coe College, where he was an All-American Linebacker.

Jim Dostal, a longtime football coach and educator, passed away on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at age 59. He was a Cedar Rapid Jefferson High School graduate and all-state football player in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He also taught at the school for 26 years and was an assistant or head coach in the high school ranks in Iowa for nearly 40 years.

What happened to Jim Dostal?

According to the reports, Jim Dostal passed away due to an apparent suicide. His body was found on the campus of Cedar Rapids Community School on the morning of January 3, 2024.

Law enforcement authorities were called to the scene, where he was pronounced dead by the EMS officers. After the initial investigation, it was confirmed his death was a result of a suicide. According to the source, he had been struggling with his mental health and showed signs of depression. He was also terminally ill, which may have caused him to take extreme measures.

However, his family and close friends have not released a statement regarding the cause of his death. The specific details surrounding his tragic passing have not been made public.

Who was Jim Dostal?

Jim Dostal was an all-state football player at Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School in the late 1070s and the early 1980s. He was an All-American linebacker at Coe College and played a significant part in the school’s first NCAA Division III playoff team in 1986. He was a renowned assistant or head coach in the high school and college ranks for nearly 40 years.

Dostal was head coach at Cedar Rapids Jefferson for six seasons and led the J-Hawks to the Class 4A playoff semifinals in 1992. He was a longtime instructor at Jefferson and was still teaching. He was voted the most influential teacher by the student body in 1992 and 1993. His tenure at Jefferson as head coach was the second-most successful season in school history. He continued to teach social studies at the school. He was inducted to the Jefferson’s Hall of Fame in 1987.

He was also an assistant coach at Coe College and was inducted into the Coe Athletics Hall of Fame for his contributions to the school’s athletic achievements. He then joined his best friend and colleague Mark Bliss at Prairie High School as an assistant football coach.

“Jim was my best friend,” Bliss said. Bliss, who had known Jim for 29 years, called working with him at Prairie for eight years “the greatest time together.” He remembers his best friend as “the most high-character, integrity-driven, compassionate and hardest-working man I have ever known”.

“The thousands of lives as a teacher and coach he impacted will be part of his lasting legacy,” said Bliss.

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