RSSBot
News Junkie
Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
McCartney was 84.
Bill McCartney, the greatest football coach in Colorado Buffaloes history, has died.
McCartney was diagnosed with dementia in 2016 and fought bravely for over eight years before succumbing to the illness. He was 84 years old.
The legendary coach’s resume speaks for itself. Three-time Big 8 Coach of the Year and 1989 National Coach of the Year. 11 consensus All-Americans and one Heisman winner. 93 wins in 13 years, including 66 wins in his last seven seasons. 1990 National Champion. College Football Hall of Fame.
McCartney rebuilt Colorado football from the ground up. The program was reduced to ashes when he got there, thanks to Chuck Fairbank’s disastrous tenure. It took him awhile as he won just six games in his first three seasons at the helm. But once he started winning, he never stopped.
McCartney build his success on the wishbone offense, first helmed to perfection by the charismatic Sal Aunese. Sadly, however, Aunese was diagnosed with stomach cancer and died from his illness during the 1989 season. The Buffs were inspired by his battle and played every game like their last, winning 11 straight before ultimately falling to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.
Colorado entered the 1990 season on a mission. Darian Hagan and Eric Bieniemy were electric behind a dominant offensive line, while the defense was stacked with future pros like Alfred Williams and Kanavis McGhee. The Buffs survived their schedule, not without a scratch here or there, and ultimately clipped the Irish to claim their share of the 1990 National Championship.
That remains Colorado only title in school history, yet McCartney came close in 1994. Powered by Kordell Stewart, Michael Westbrook and Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam, the Buffs had everything, even luck, as they upset Michigan on a miraculous last-second heave. But as good as the Buffs were — probably the best CU team ever — they couldn’t get past Nebraska, a heated rivalry McCartney willed into existence.
That was McCartney’s final season. He retired at age 54 to focus on the Promise Keepers, an Evangelical non-profit he founded in 1990. He remained in Boulder for the next 30 years, staying active through his church and contributing to a football program that was never the same after he left.
by Sam Metivier
Continue reading...