Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado during its only national football championship in 1990, has died

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) – Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado to its only national football championship in 1990, has died. He was 84 years old.

The charismatic figure known as Coach Mac died Friday evening “after a courageous journey with dementia,” according to a family statement. In 2016, his family announced that he had been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

“Coach Mac touched the lives of countless people with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor and advocate for family, community and faith,” the family said in a statement. “As a pioneer and visionary, his influence was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired.”

McCartney remains the winningest coach in Colorado history, with a record of 93-55-5. In 2013, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

“I am very saddened by the death of Coach Mac,” said Colorado athletic director Rick George, who remained a lifelong friend of McCartney after he hired George as recruiting coordinator in 1987. “Coach Mac was an amazing man who taught me how important it is to have faith, family and being a good husband, father and grandfather. He instilled discipline and responsibility in each 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 defeated Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to win the national title. This season featured a victory in Missouri, where the Buffaloes scored the game-winning touchdown on a “fifth down” as time expired – one of the greatest mistakes in college football history.

The chain crew did not move the marker from second to third position, and the judges did not notice it. On the fourth down – actually the fifth – Charles Johnson scored, keeping Colorado’s national title hopes alive. Asked later if he would consider forfeiting the match, McCartney pointed to the poor pitch conditions and did not think it was a fair test.

McCartney coached in Colorado from 1982 to 1994, taking early retirement to spend more time with his wife Lyndi, who died in 2013. After retiring, he worked full-time with Promise Keepers, a ministry he started in 1990 . after converting from Catholicism and whose aim is to encourage “pious people”.

The organization became a flashpoint in state politics, unsuccessfully advocating for gays to be denied the “protected class” designation, sparking protests on campus. He retired as president of Promise Keepers in 2003 due to his wife’s health, but returned five years later.

As a football coach, McCartney’s influence on the Colorado team was enormous. During a six-year period in the late 1980s and early 1990s, his teams were at the peak of their power. McCartney coached Colorado to three Big Eight titles, 10 consecutive winning seasons in league play and a record of 58-29-4 in conference play, still the best record at the school.

His 1989 squad was 11-1 and lost to Notre Dame 21-6 in the Orange Bowl. This laid the foundation for a national champion team that included quarterbacks Darian Hagan and Charles Johnson, tailback Eric Bujemy and a stalwart defense that included Alfred Williams, Greg BiekertChad Brown and Kanavis McGhee.

“Hall of fame coach, but somehow a better person and human being” – Brown – he wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I love you, Coach!”

In addition Williams in a post on X: “His 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 your love for all of us.”

To think that McCartney almost chose a career as a basketball coach.

Born in Riverview, Michigan, McCartney played center and defense at the University of Missouri, where he met his wife. He later coached high school basketball and football in Dearborn, Michigan. His teams were good, too, and each team won a state title in 1973.

He caught the attention of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, who wanted McCartney to join his staff at Michigan. If that wasn’t enough, Michigan State basketball coach Johnny Orr encouraged him to join his staff.

McCartney couldn’t decide. His wife gave him simple advice – follow your heart.

He entered the world of college football.

McCartney studied under Schembechler for eight seasons until the opportunity arose to lead his own team. When the late Chuck Fairbanks left Colorado to join the New Jersey Generals in the fledgling United States Football League, McCartney asked Schembechler if the Hall of Fame coach would put in a good word for him.

Schembechler’s endorsement carried significant weight, and then-Colorado athletic director Eddie Crowder gave McCartney the position.

It was a rocky start for McCartney – he only managed seven wins in his first three seasons, including a 1-10 mark in 1984. Then things started to change.

His final season with the Buffaloes came in 1994, when his team went 11-1 behind a lineup that featured Kordell Stewart, Michael Westbrook and the late Rashaan Salaam. There was a “Miracle in Michigan” this season where Westbrook caught a 64-yard TD from Stewart on a Hail Mary as time expired in a road victory over the Wolverines. Salaam also rushed for 2,055 yards and won the Heisman Trophy.

McCartney also groomed the next wave of coaches and assistant mentors, including 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 has been able to watch grandson Derek play defensive line for Colorado. Derek’s father, Shannon Clavelle, was a defensive lineman for Colorado from 1992-94 before playing several seasons in the NFL. Derek’s brother, TC McCartney, was a quarterback at LSU and is the son of the late Colorado quarterback Sal Aunese, who played for Bill McCartney in 1987 and 1988 before he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1989 and died six months later at the age of 21.

Growing up, Derek McCartney would walk by his grandfather’s house to listen to his stories. They never got bored of it.

Derek soaked up the stories about Salaam winning the Heisman Trophy and how Colorado defeated Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to cement the national title. His grandfather had a photo of the famous Michigan show and a button you could press to hear the audio broadcast.

When I played for Colorado, not a day went by without someone asking Derek if he was related to the coach in any way.

“I like it when that happens,” Derek said.

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