Bill McCartney, who led Colorado to a national championship in 1990, has died, his family announced Friday night. He passed away at the age of 84. The state of Colorado announced that McCartney died in Boulder surrounded by his family.
McCartney “passed away peacefully after a courageous journey with dementia,” his family said in a statement on social media.
“Coach Mack touched countless lives with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion, and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor, and advocate for family, community, and faith,” the statement said. Ta.
In 2016, McCartney’s family announced that he had been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
McCartney was coaching high school football in Detroit in the early 1970s when he was hired by Michigan State coach Bo Schembechler as an assistant with the Wolverines and eventually rose to defensive coordinator.
In 1982, McCartney took over a shaky Colorado program that had only experienced occasional success during the Big Eight Conference era, dominated by Oklahoma State and Nebraska.
Legend of the game. A legacy that will live on forever.
Rest in peace Coach Mac 🪽 https://t.co/sSXySmmlZb pic.twitter.com/RKZqHvIZdl
— Colorado Buffaloes (@CUBuffs) January 11, 2025
Under McCartney, the Buffaloes advanced to nine bowls in the final 10 years of his 13-season tenure in Boulder. The Buffaloes went 11-0 in the 1989 regular season, but lost to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, where they had a chance to win the national title.
The following season, Colorado completed the deal, defeating Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl and finishing No. 1 in the final AP poll of 1990 with an 11-1-1 record. This season included a memorable win against Missouri State, when officials mistakenly gave up a fifth down to give Colorado the winning touchdown.
McCartney compiled a 93-55-5 record in 13 seasons with the Buffs, making him the winningest coach in program history.
He led the Buffs to an 11-1 season in 1994 and a final No. 3 ranking before abruptly retiring at the age of 54 and joining the Promise Keepers, an evangelical Christian men’s service organization he founded in 1990. He said he would like to devote a lot of his time to it.
“As a pioneer and visionary, his influence will be felt on and off the field, and his spirit will remain in the hearts of those he inspired,” his family said in a statement.
McCartney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
McCartney, a Michigan native, was married to the former Lynne Taussig for just over 50 years until her death in 2013. He has four children, Michael, Thomas, Christy and Mark, and ten grandchildren, including TC McCartney. This season, he will be the quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots.
“Coach Mack was a great man who taught us the importance of faith, family, and being a good husband, father, and grandfather,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said in a statement. “He instilled discipline and responsibility in all of us who worked and played under his leadership. The mark he left on CU football and our athletic department will be difficult to replicate. ”
(Photo: Otto Grule/Allsport/Getty Images)
