Former Lawrence High football coach Bill Freeman, who turns 85 on Jan. 27, has seen his health deteriorate recently, Freeman’s daughter, Jennifer Freeman Nauertc, informed the Journal-World Tuesday night.

Freeman — he has been involved in a long battle with Alzheimer’s while residing at the Life Care Center of Burlington — spent a couple days in St. Francis Health Center of Topeka over Thanksgiving weekend.

“Dad has really declined in the past two weeks coming back from the hospital. He is now on hospice care,” Freeman Nauertc stated. “On Saturday at the nursing home, he was non-communicative, didn’t want to eat and I don’t think he knew us.

“The reason for hospice,” she added, “is because he was aspirating a lot and wasn’t or couldn’t swallow. The past two days he has been in bed, hasn’t eaten and has been sleeping. It is breaking my heart as the man means the world to me.”

Currently the family asks that no guests visit the center. Any inquiries about Freeman and whether he’s fit to see visitors can be sent to Jennifer at jennybob01@yahoo.com.

Freeman Nauertc is currently asking Bill Freeman’s former players and friends to support her efforts to get a bill passed to allow Kansans to purchase license plates supporting the battle against Alzheimer’s.

Her state representative is writing a bill to allow such license plates.

Freeman Nauertc will speak before both houses in January or February in support of the bill.

“It has been suggested I get as many letters of support from former players, coaches and friends of my dad that I can,” Jennifer said. “I not only want to get this bill passed to honor my dad, but also bring more awareness to this horrible disease,” she said.

Letters in support of Alzheimer’s license plates can be sent to Jennifer at the e-mail address jennybob01@yahoo.com.

Bill Freeman led LHS to five state football championships and also directed the Lions to two state track crowns. Freeman, who also directed Osawatomie High to two state football crowns and LeRoy to one state title, went 242-81-3 in a 36-year football coaching career that also included stops at Baxter Springs, Parker Rural and Nickerson.

Freeman, who was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 and is a 2012 recipient of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame’s Pride of Kansas Award, has been inducted into the Emporia State Hall of Honor and the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame.

During his career, he coached five future NFL players, including KSHOF Hall of Fame inductee Lynn Dickey.

In a 16-year stint at LHS, his Lions went 134-38. LHS The Lions played in 10 consecutive Class 6A championship games from 1986-95, the first four with Freeman as head coach. Freeman’s LHS football squads won titles in 1979, ’84, ’86, ’87 and ’89. His track teams won state in 1989 and 1990.

“Hopefully he’ll rally,” Jennifer said. “We’re praying he rallies. We don’t know if he’s going to rally. My dad has done so much, overcome so much (including prostate cancer and quadruple bypass surgery). I just hate this disease.”