Former Colorado football coach Bill McCartney, who led the Buffaloes to their only national championship in 1990, passed away Friday at the age of 84.
Diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s in 2016, McCartney was the winningest coach in school history, with a 93-55-5 record during his tenure from 1982 to 1994.
He also coached the program’s first Heisman Trophy winner, Rashaan Salaam, in 1994 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
McCartney transformed the program after his 1982 hiring, leading to three Big Eight championships from 1989 to 1991. His standout 1990 season culminated in an Orange Bowl victory against Notre Dame and an AP national championship.
Following his coaching career, McCartney co-founded Promise Keepers, a Christian men’s ministry he established in 1990 after converting from Catholicism.
