By David Plati | CUBuffs.com
Bill McCartney, one of the most visible and successful head coaches in all sports in the University of Colorado’s 135-year athletic history, passed away peacefully here after a long illness shortly after 9 p.m. Friday evening with family members by his side. He was 84.
When “Mac” first set foot on the CU campus in Boulder in June 1982, little did he – or anyone – know at the time that just over a dozen years later he would retire as the winningest coach in CU football history. He orchestrated a turnaround with a program that had won just 14 games over the previous six seasons to one that claimed three Big Eight Conference titles and the 1990 consensus national championship.
He is one of 11 with CU ties in the College Football Hall of Fame, as he was inducted in 2013, the first (and only) Colorado coach to be recognized. He coached four players in the college hall: outside linebacker Alfred Williams (inducted in 2010), wide receiver Michael Westbrook (2020), the late running back Rashaan Salaam (2022) and cornerback Deon Figures (2024). Eighteen of his players are in CU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.