Internationally renowned track and field coach Bob Fraley passes after building Giants' pole-vaulting program

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

Bob Fraley easily could have rode off into the sunset of a well-earned retirement following a decades-long and internationally acclaimed career as a track and field coach.

But Fraley -- who passed away on Dec. 30, 2025, at the age of 88 -- had another coaching challenge in him: establishing a pole vaulting program at College of the Sequoias, where he competed on the track and field team in 1957-1958.

So in 2016, the legendary former Fresno State coach volunteered to join the Giants' staff as an unpaid assistant under then head coach Curtis Allen to train pole vaulters.

The only problem?

Sequoias didn't have the necessary equipment for pole vaulting.

No pole-vaulting pit. No poles.

And no worries, according to Allen, because Fraley provided everything that was needed.

"He just loved doing it and he had a lot to give. He said, 'Curtis, you need to get your pole vault program together and I'll come out there and coach for free,'" Allen said. "I said 'Coach, we don't have pole vaults, we don't have mats, we don't have anything.' He was like 'that's all right, I'll bring my stuff out.' And he brought his pole vault pit and all that stuff out here. All the stuff he did was unbelievable. He wanted to give back to COS."

For the past 10 years, Fraley made the trek from his home in Fresno to Visalia to train pole vaulters and impart the wisdom gleaned from decades of coaching world-class athletes onto Allen, his successor and current Giants head coach Kenny Jackson, and all the track and field competitors at Sequoias.

Doing so without taking a penny for his time, efforts, knowledge or even expenses.

"I used to say, 'Coach at least let me pay for your gas coming back and forth from Fresno to COS," said Allen, who was mentored by Fraley when he ran track at Fresno State. "And he was like, 'no, no, no.' He said 'spend it on something else. Spend it on the kids.' That's the kind of guy Coach Fraley was. That guy. You can't meet a better person than Coach Fraley."

The fruits of Fraley's labor of love at Sequoias paid off on May 17, 2025, when his star protege -- Shane Bagley -- captured the men's pole vault title during the California Community College Athletic Association's State Championships at College of San Mateo.

Bagley -- a product of Lemoore High, where Fraley once coached decades ago -- soared to a top mark of 16 feet, 6 1/2 inches, more than a foot and a half higher than runners-up Dylan Gschmeidler of American River and Quintin Dukes of Mt. San Antonio.

Bagley would be the last in a long line of local, state, national and international champions produced by Fraley, a list that includes his son Doug Fraley, who won three NCAA pole vaulting titles for Fresno State. 

Bagley finished third at the state meet in 2023 for Sequoias before deciding to redshirt in 2024 to work on his academics. Fraley stuck around an extra season to help Bagley get to the top, coaching his final champion at the age of 87. He officially retired from Sequoias following the 2025 season.

"Coach Fraley could have easily stepped away a long time ago," said Jackson, who is about to enter his ninth year as Giants head track and field coach. "But he saw the potential in Shane, and he knew if he stepped away, the coaching aspect of it would potentially impact his performance with getting a new coach. He stuck with him all the way through because he saw the potential in Shane. I believe that had a lot to do with him staying the last couple of years he did. He didn't want to leave a kid that had that much potential hanging. That's the type of man that he was."

Fraley's impact on Sequoias' track and field program stretched well beyond the pole-vaulting pit, according to Jackson.

In addition to being one of the world's leading experts in the pole vault, Fraley was innovative in coaching the sprints, relays, jumps and the decathlon.

Fraley often addressed the entire team with a motivational message about the importance of life skills.

Jackson said Fraley was an invaluable resource to a Giants' team that won the Northern California men's title last season and finished fourth at the state meet.

"We're talking about someone I had the privilege to work with that forgot more about sports than what I know," Jackson said. "Having him around for the years I was able to be around him, I just thank God for it.

"Not too many people get the opportunity to work with someone that is that seasoned. That can really help you in the moment. And mentor and guide you and just help you in different areas. Not just with constructing a program but helping us build a championship program. Because he is not just a part of the reason, but he was one of the main reasons we were able to win a NorCal championship through his tutelage and mentorship with different things I needed to be doing with the program. Coach Fraley, he was like having another head coach. I never looked at him as my assistant. He was like the president of the program. My mentor. And who I went to when I needed guidance. He meant a lot to the program."

Fraley was a 1956 graduate of Laton High, a 1958 graduate of COS, a 1960 graduate of Fresno State and devoted much of his lifetime -- 65 years in all -- to coaching track and field where he grew up in the central San Joaquin Valley.

Fraley got his start at the high school level coaching at Riverdale, Laton and Lemoore before moving on to Fresno State. He served as an assistant to his childhood idol Dutch Warmerdam and later to Red Estes with the men's team and to Tom Pagani with the women's team. Fraley was elevated to the Bulldogs head women's coach from 2000-2008, and the men's head coach from 2001-2008.

During his 28-year career at Fresno State, Fraley mentored 44 All-Americans and four NCAA champions.

Among the many accolades and honors bestowed upon Fraley included being named USA Track and Field's NIKE Coach of the Year, the U.S. Olympic Committee's Developmental Coach of the Year, Region 8 Head Indoor Coach of the Year, president of the NCAA Division I Track and Field Coaches, chairman of U.S. pole vault development, Western Athletic Conference Women's Coach of the Year, and WAC Men's Coach of the Year.

He was inducted into the U.S. Pole Vault Hall of Fame in 2006.

Fraley never missed an opportunity to promote track and field, particularly the pole vault. He was the mastermind behind creating the Run for the Dream indoor track meet, the National Pole Vault Summit and the Clovis Street Vault competition, which all attracted world-class competitors. He also cared about providing opportunities for the next generation of athletes by creating the Bob Fraley Invitational, the largest youth track and field meet in Kings County.

In perhaps Fraley's most selfless act in a lifetime spent making them, he spared the Bulldogs men's track and field team from the chopping block in 2003 by forgoing his coaching salary. Fresno State was eliminating sports at the time to balance its athletic department budget and comply with Title IX requirements.

"There is nobody like Coach Fraley. Period," Allen said. "He's just a great person. A great soul. Unbelievable man. Everybody loved Coach Fraley. He will be deeply, deeply missed."

Fraley was laid to rest on Jan. 9 at Oak Grove Cemetery in Laton.

Fraley is survived by his wife of 67 years, Elaine, their three children (Tammi Fraley Groom, Jill Fraley Palacios and Doug Fraley), five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

"Coach Fraley wasn't just a coach, he was a mentor and a life coach," Jackson said. "He wasn't just about the sports aspect of it. He cared all the way around."