Bill McCartney, the Hall of Fame football coach who led the CU Buffs to their lone national title, died Friday night after a lengthy battle with dementia, the university announced. He was 84. The family released a statement through the school late Friday mourning McCartney’s passing. “Our father surrendered his life to Jesus at 33 years old, setting a trajectory for our family and many others. We share his faith in Jesus and truly believe our Dad has been reunited in Heaven with his beloved bride and our Mother, Lynn Marie,” the statement read. “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. As 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.” McCartney’s passion for football and people defined his time at CU, where he morphed from a little known former Michigan assistant under Bo Schembechler into the winningest coach in school history. He arrived on the Boulder campus in 1982, tasked with reviving a program that had reached rock bottom. He struggled in his few seasons and there was some thought he would be fired after posting a 1-10 record in his third year. Instead, he received a contract extension, setting in motion the best decade CU has ever experienced on the gridiron. He turned the corner with talented recruits not only from Colorado, but from across the country, most notably California. McCartney guided the Buffs to their first and only national championship to date in 1990. He led the school to nine bowl games and won three Big Eight titles and posted 10 consecutive winning seasons. But it was his investment in players and his strong religious faith that resonated most. His former players talk about the brotherhood he built in the program, which led to so much success and interest that he was featured in an ESPN 30 for 30 program, “The Gospel According to Mac.” “Obviously he is a great football coach. But the ability to unite people may have been his greatest gift. The football, the Xs and Os, were great. It was the way he was a uniting force. Mac was able to get us all going in the same direction, kids who had come from different parts of the country with different backgrounds,” said former CU All-American linebacker Chad Brown. “He was able to create hope and a vision for us. Teammates became brothers. And he built that. Everything he told me on my recruiting trip came true. He said we would win a national championship, win conference championships, and that I would fall in love with the state of Colorado and marry a girl I met on campus. And he batted 1,000.” McCartney was a defensive coach, but employed option football until he adopted a pro style offense for quarterbacks Kordell Stewart and Koy Detmer. The Buffaloes excelled with stars like quarterback Sal Aunese, Darian Hagan and running back J.J. Flannigan, the running game a ballet of speed and power. Later, running back Rashaan Salaam won the school’s first Heisman Trophy in Mac’s final season in 1994. CU became a pipeline to the NFL for stars like receiver Michael Westbrook, outside linebacker Alfred Williams, cornerback Deion Figures, linebacker Greg Biekert and Brown. Related Articles College Sports | Renck vs. Keeler: Will Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter land in Tennessee or Cleveland? Will Deion play role behind scenes? College Sports | Football recruiting: CU Buffs add experienced transfers at linebacker, O-line College Sports | CU Buffs’ Coach Prime reflects on memorable journey coaching sons College Sports | Keeler: Can Deion Sanders, CU Buffs afford to stand pat on OC Pat Shurmur in 2025? College Sports | Keeler: CU Buffs, Deion Sanders humbled by BYU Cougars in blowout Alamo Bowl loss As McCartney excelled on the field, he became a polarizing figure off of it. He received criticism for his views on homosexuality and later left coaching to lead Promise Keepers, an evangelical Christian men’s organization that he founded in 1990. His conviction is something players cited in their memories of him on Friday night. They saw him not just as a coach, but a father figure. “I am in my mid-50s. And I think about my life. My journey from Detroit to Colorado. My two kids, all the fortune I had in my life. The reality is I don’t know what my life would be without the very unique experience of being coached and being led by that man,” said former CU quarterback Charles Johnson, a member of the 1990 National Championship team. “I couldn’t imagine any of it without him.” Johnson visited McCartney last week, the first time he had seen him in person in eight months. His health had declined, and two of McCartney’s sons warned him of his deteriorating condition. But Johnson was able to speak with his former coach. When he walked into the room, Johnson said, “Motown. Coach Mac. Motown.” That was McCartney’s nickname for C.J., having recruited him from Country Day High School in Detroit. They shared a cherished moment under difficult circumstances. “When I saw him, he was lying there and resting. His chest was bumping and his eyes were closed. When he heard Motown, he opened his eyes,” Johnson recalled. “And he began to whisper words to me. I stayed for about 20 minutes and kissed him on the forehead when I left. I will never, ever forget what he did for me. He was an amazing man.” It has been said that you could not be in McCartney’s orbit without him affecting you in some way. He had that skill of connecting with others, of making them feel important. He struck up a strong friendship with former CBS4 sports reporter Mark McIntosh, who covered the team during its glory days in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As McIntosh experienced health problems as he grew older, eventually needing a life-saving kidney transplant last year, his bond with McCartney grew as he hung out with him during “Fridays with Mac” life sessions. “After I went through my trials and tribulations with health, marriage or career shifts, nobody was a better mentor to me than Coach Mac,” McIntosh said. “He coached me and others until his final days. I will will miss him greatly.” Details about his memorial service will be shared in the coming days. 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