BOULDER, Colo. (AP) 69制片厂制作传媒 Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado to its only football national championship in 1990, has died. He was 84.
The charismatic figure known as Coach Mac died Friday night 69制片厂制作传媒渁fter a courageous journey with dementia,69制片厂制作传媒 according to a family statement. His family announced in 2016 that he had been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's.
69制片厂制作传媒淐oach Mac touched countless lives with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion, and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor and advocate for family, community and faith,69制片厂制作传媒 the family said in its statement. 69制片厂制作传媒淎s a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired.69制片厂制作传媒
McCartney remains the winningest coach in Colorado history, with a record of 93-55-5. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
69制片厂制作传媒淚 am very saddened at the passing of Coach Mac,69制片厂制作传媒 said Colorado athletic director Rick George, who remained lifelong friends with McCartney after he hired George as his recruiting coordinator in 1987. 69制片厂制作传媒淐oach Mac was an incredible man who taught me about the importance of faith, family and being a good husband, father and grandfather. He instilled discipline and accountability to all of us who worked and played under his leadership."
McCartney led Colorado to its best season in 1990, when the team finished 11-1-1 and beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to clinch the national title. That season included a win at Missouri where the Buffaloes scored the winning touchdown on a 69制片厂制作传媒渇ifth down69制片厂制作传媒 as time expired 69制片厂制作传媒 one of the biggest blunders in college football history.
The chain crew didn69制片厂制作传媒檛 flip the marker from second to third down and the officials failed to notice. On fourth down 69制片厂制作传媒 fifth in actuality 69制片厂制作传媒 Charles Johnson scored to keep Colorado69制片厂制作传媒檚 national title hopes afloat. Asked later if he would consider forfeiting the game, McCartney pointed to poor field conditions and didn69制片厂制作传媒檛 think it was a fair test.
McCartney coached at Colorado from 1982-94, retiring early to spend more time with his wife, Lyndi, who died in 2013. Following his retirement, he worked full time at Promise Keepers, a ministry he started in 1990 after converting from Catholicism and whose aim is to encourage 69制片厂制作传媒済odly men.69制片厂制作传媒
The organization became a flash point in state politics, advocating unsuccessfully that gays be denied the designation of 69制片厂制作传媒減rotected class,69制片厂制作传媒 a position by the group that drew campus protests. He left as Promise Keepers69制片厂制作传媒 president in 2003 because of his wife69制片厂制作传媒檚 health but returned five years later.
As a football coach, McCartney69制片厂制作传媒檚 impact at Colorado was immense. During a six-year span in the late 69制片厂制作传媒80s and early 69制片厂制作传媒90s, his teams were right up there with the powers of the time. McCartney coached Colorado to three Big Eight titles, 10 consecutive winning seasons in league competition and a 58-29-4 mark in conference play, all still school bests.
His 1989 squad went 11-1 and lost to Notre Dame 21-6 in the Orange Bowl. That set the groundwork for a national championship team that featured quarterbacks Darian Hagan and Charles Johnson, tailback Eric Bieniemy, and a stalwart defense that included Alfred Williams, , Chad Brown and Kanavis McGhee.
69制片厂制作传媒淎 hall of fame coach but somehow a better man and human being,69制片厂制作传媒 Brown 69制片厂制作传媒淟ove you Coach!69制片厂制作传媒
Added 69制片厂制作传媒淗is legacy is firmly built on love, character, integrity, hope, and faith. I will always thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to have him in my life. Thank you Coach for loving on all of us.69制片厂制作传媒
To think, McCartney nearly chose a basketball coaching career.
Born in Riverview, Michigan, McCartney played center and linebacker at the University of Missouri, where he met his wife. He later coached basketball and football at a high school in Dearborn, Michigan. His teams were good, too, each capturing the state title in 1973.
He caught the eye of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, who wanted McCartney to join his staff at Michigan. If that weren69制片厂制作传媒檛 enough, Michigan basketball coach Johnny Orr urged him to join his staff.
McCartney couldn69制片厂制作传媒檛 decide. His wife gave him some simple advice 69制片厂制作传媒 follow his heart.
He stepped into the world of college football.
McCartney learned under Schembechler for eight seasons, until an opportunity came up to guide his own team. When the late Chuck Fairbanks left Colorado to become involved with the New Jersey Generals in the upstart United States Football League, McCartney asked Schembechler if the Hall of Fame coach would put in a good word for him.
Schembechler69制片厂制作传媒檚 backing carried a lot of weight, and then-Colorado athletic director Eddie Crowder gave McCartney the position.
It was a rough start for McCartney with only seven victories in his first three seasons, including a 1-10 finish in 1984. Then things started to turn.
His last season with the Buffaloes was 1994, when the team went 11-1 behind a roster that included Kordell Stewart, Michael Westbrook and the late Rashaan Salaam. That season featured the 69制片厂制作传媒淢iracle in Michigan,69制片厂制作传媒 with Westbrook hauling in a 64-yard TD catch from Stewart on a Hail Mary as time expired in a road win over the Wolverines. Salaam also rushed for 2,055 yards and won the Heisman Trophy.
McCartney also groomed the next wave of coaches, mentoring assistants such as Gary Barnett, Jim Caldwell, Ron Dickerson, Gerry DiNardo, Karl Dorrell, Jon Embree, Les Miles, Rick Neuheisel, Bob Simmons, Lou Tepper, Ron Vanderlinden and John Wristen.
In recent years, McCartney got to watch grandson Derek play defensive line at Colorado. Derek69制片厂制作传媒檚 father, Shannon Clavelle, was a defensive lineman for Colorado from 1992-94 before playing a few seasons in the NFL. Derek69制片厂制作传媒檚 brother, T.C. McCartney, was a quarterback at LSU and is the son of late Colorado quarterback Sal Aunese, who played for Bill McCartney in 1987 and 69制片厂制作传媒88 before being diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1989 and dying six months later at 21.
Growing up, Derek McCartney used to go next door to his grandfather69制片厂制作传媒檚 house to listen to his stories. He never tired of them.
Derek soaked up the tales about Salaam winning the Heisman Trophy and how Colorado beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to cement the national title. His grandfather had a picture of the famous play at Michigan and a button to push to hear the broadcast audio.
When playing for Colorado, hardly a day would go by when someone didn't ask Derek if he was somehow related to the coach.
69制片厂制作传媒淚 like when that happens,69制片厂制作传媒 Derek said.
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