Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado to a national championship in 1990, has died, his family announced Friday night. He was 84. Colorado said McCartney died in Boulder with his family by his side.
The family posted a statement on social media, saying McCartney “left this world peacefully … after a courageous journey with Dementia.”
“Coach Mac 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.
In 2016, McCartney’s family announced 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 coach Bo Schembechler as an assistant for the Wolverines, eventually rising to defensive coordinator.
In 1982, McCartney took over a flailing Colorado program that had only occasional success during its time in a Big Eight Conference dominated by Oklahoma and Nebraska.
A legend of the game. A legacy that will live forever.
Rest in Peace, Coach Mac 🪽https://t.co/sSXySmmlZb pic.twitter.com/RKZqHvIZdl
— Colorado Buffaloes (@CUBuffs) January 11, 2025
Under McCartney, the Buffaloes went to nine bowls in the final 10 years of his 13-season stint in Boulder. The Buffaloes went 11-0 in the 1989 regular season before losing to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl with a chance to win a national title.
The next season, Colorado finished the deal, beating Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl and finishing first in the final 1990 AP poll with an 11-1-1 record. That season included a memorable victory against Missouri when the officials mistakenly awarded Colorado a fifth down to score the winning touchdown.
McCartney went 93-55-5 in 13 seasons with the Buffs, by far the winningest coach in program history.
He abruptly retired after leading the Buffs to an 11-1 season in 1994 and No. 3 final ranking at the age of 54, saying he wanted to devote more time to Promise Keepers, an Evangelical Christian men’s ministry he founded in 1990.
“As a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will remain in the hearts of those he inspired,” the family said in its statement.
McCartney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
A native of Michigan, McCartney was married to the former Lynne Taussig for just more than 50 years until her death in 2013. He is survived by four children, Michael, Thomas, Kristy and Marc, and 10 grandchildren, including T.C. McCartney, who was the quarterbacks coach this season with the New England Patriots.
“Coach Mac was an incredible man who taught me about 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 accountability to all of us who worked and played under his leadership. The mark that he left on CU football and our athletic department will be hard to replicate.”
(Photo: Otto Greule / Allsport / Getty Images)
