Former Williston athlete, NDSU fullback Tyler Jangula dies

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) - Funeral arrangements are in the works for former North Dakota State football player Tyler Jangula, who died Sunday at age 28 in his Williston home.

"Heartbreaking," said NDSU offensive coordinator Tim Polasek, who received a phone call from Jangula's sister, Rheanda, a former NDSU track athlete, Sunday afternoon.

"The Bison family feels for his family," Polasek said. "He's a passionate guy who had a humungous heart."

A brief obituary posted on the website of the Everson-Coughlin Funeral Home website does not cite a cause of death, saying only that Jangula "passed away peacefully" at his home.

Jangula was a standout athlete in multiple sports at Williston High School and a fullback for the Bison from 2005 to 2008.

Steve Walker, who played quarterback at NDSU from 2003 to 2007, remembers Jangula being a genuine person who would do anything to help a friend.

"He was one of the toughest guys on the football field," said Walker, who now lives in Plymouth, Minnesota. "He had the size and strength and the speed and the toughness. . It's sad that we lost such a good person way too young."

At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, Jangula was physical and athletic. Polasek said Jangula set the mold for fullbacks that followed at NDSU.

"Still to this day on my teaching film, there are clips of Tyler Jangula," said Polasek, who coached running backs and fullbacks for a couple years while Jangula was in the program. "He was a very physical, prideful kid and a North Dakota kid. That pretty much sums him up."