SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco family is saddened to acknowledge the recent passing of Rev. Joseph F. Eagan, S.J., who taught at the university for two decades and was an instrumental figure in the building of Negoesco Stadium.
 
Eagan, who taught theology at USF, died peacefully at age 100 on Dec. 20 at the St. Camillus Jesuit Community in Wauwatosa, WI.

His time at USF included two round-the-world sabbatical years to study the world religions and the global Catholic Church and biennial meetings of Jesuit ecumenists in Europe, Africa and Asia. He also served as associate pastor at two San Francisco parishes.

Fr. Eagan entered the Society of Jesus in September 1940 and was ordained in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1953. He worked for several years in Chicago's neighborhoods where he advocated for integration and justice. He marched with Rev. Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Fr. Eagan also founded the Catholic Committee on Urban Ministry at the University of Notre Dame, and served as director of campus ministry at Creighton University.

During his time at USF, Fr. Eagan was an avid fan of USF athletics. He wrote Dynasty, the Story of USF Soccer, 1931-1997, and oversaw the Negoesco Stadium project, whose concept was born from a discussion between Eagan and Negoesco on a plane ride home from the 1978 NCAA Championships. Negoesco Stadium opened in 1978 before a crown of 3,000 supporters.  He was inducted into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.

Fr. Eagan's funeral will be held at St. Camillus Jesuit Community at a January date to be determined.

Memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with St. Camillus Jesuit Community in care of Fr. George Winzenburg, S.J.

For updates and more information on the USF men's soccer program, be sure to follow @USFDonsMSoccer on Twitter, @USFDonsMenssoccer on Instagram and @USFDonsMSoccer on Facebook.