Bill McCartney
Encyclopedia
William Paul McCartney is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player and coach and the founder of the Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers is an international conservative Christian organization for men. While it originated in the United States, it is now world-wide...

 men's ministry. He was the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...

 from 1982 to 1994, where he compiled a record of 93–55–5 and won three consecutive Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...

 titles between 1989 and 1991. McCartney's 1990 team
1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team
The 1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Buffaloes offense scored 338 points while the defense allowed 160 points. Led by head coach Bill McCartney, Colorado competed against Notre Dame in the...

 was crowned as national champions
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...

 by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

, sharing the title with a Georgia Tech
1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Yellow Jackets offense scored 379 points while the defense allowed 186 points. Led by head coach Bobby Ross, the Yellow Jackets participated in the...

 team that topped the final Coaches' Poll rankings.

In September 2008, McCartney came out of five years' retirement from Promise Keepers to become the CEO and chairman of the board of the organization after founding the Road to Jerusalem ministry.

Education and early career

After receiving his BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in education from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...

 in 1962, McCartney was named as an assistant football coach under his older brother, Tom, in the summer of 1965 at Holy Redeemer High School in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

. The younger McCartney was also the head basketball coach at Redeemer from 1965 to 1969, taking the school to the Detroit City Championship during the 1968–1969 season. McCartney then served as the head football and basketball coach at Divine Child High School
Divine Child High School
Divine Child High School is a private Catholic high school in Dearborn, Wayne County, Michigan, United States. The principal is Peggy Knuth and the Assistant Principal is Damian Hermann. The school's pastor is Father Jim Bilot...

 in Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...

 before becoming the only high school coach ever hired by University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 coaching legend Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...

.

Head coach at Colorado

After eight years as an assistant at Michigan, McCartney was hired to replace Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks is a former American football coach, a head coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. The offensive and defensive systems he introduced and helped develop have proven influential in the NFL....

 as head coach at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...

 on June 9, 1982. In his first season in 1982, the Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...

 compiled a record of 2–8–1. After improving to 4–7 in 1983, Colorado sustained a 1–10 campaign in 1984, but McCartney was given a contract extension nonetheless. In his fourth season in 1985, McCartney guided the Buffaloes to a 7–5 record and a berth in the Freedom Bowl
Freedom Bowl
The Freedom Bowl was an annual post-season college football bowl game played at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, from 1984 to 1994. Beginning with the 1995 season, the Freedom Bowl's WAC tie-ins were merged with that of the Holiday Bowl and the game was dissolved...

, where they lost to the Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...

. In the following season, 1986, McCartney's team earned its first victory over Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...

 powerhouse Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...

 since 1967. After modestly successful seasons in 1987 and 1988, McCartney steered his team toward national prominence.

After the 1988 season, the Buffaloes' star quarterback, Sal Aunese
Sal Aunese
Siasau "Sal" Aunese was a college football player who played for the University of Colorado. Aunese was from Oceanside, California in San Diego County and was of Samoan descent...

, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He died in the middle of the 1989 season. Nonetheless, Colorado won all 11 of its regular season games including victories over ranked Washington, Illinois, Nebraska
1989 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1989 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...

, and Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...

 teams. The Buffaloes faced Notre Dame on January 1, 1990 in the Orange Bowl
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...

, where they lost, 21–6.

Colorado opened the 1990 season ranked fourth with a game against Tennessee
1990 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1990 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Volunteers offense scored 465 points while the defense allowed 220 points...

 in the inaugural Disney Pigskin Classic
Pigskin Classic
The Pigskin Classic was a season-opening college football game played at Anaheim Stadium from 1990 until 1994, and continued from 1995-2002 at various stadiums. It was initially created as a west-coast counterpart of the Kickoff Classic and hosted by the National Association of Collegiate Directors...

 played in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...

. The contest ended in a 31–31 tie. A comeback win against Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...

 and a one-point loss to Illinois leveled the Buffaloes' record at 1–1–1. Colorado then won the remainder of their regular season games. Their winning streak, highlighted by wins over ranked Washington
1990 Washington Huskies football team
The 1990 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 1990 college football season. Led by head coach Don James, his top assistants were coordinators Gary Pinkel and Jim Lambright...

, Oklahoma, and Nebraska
1990 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1990 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...

 opponents, was not without controversy. In a game against Missouri
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...

 on October 6, referees mistakenly allowed an extra down on which Colorado scored the winning touchdown as time expired. The game, known as the Fifth Down Game, became one of the most notorious officiating gaffes in college football history. Contentions notwithstanding, Colorado rose to #1 in the rankings and once again faced Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl
1991 Orange Bowl
The 1991 Orange Bowl was a 1990–1991 college football bowl game that was played on January 1, 1991, for the national championship. The 57th edition of the Orange Bowl featured the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Colorado Buffaloes. Colorado came into the game with a 10–1–1 record and #1 AP...

. The Buffaloes won a closely played game, 10–9, aided by a controversial clipping call that negated a late punt return touchdown by Rocket Ismail of Notre Dame, and earned a share of the national title
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...

. Colorado was voted #1 by in AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...

 while Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

 was voted the top ranking in the Coaches' Poll.

The following year, the Buffaloes tied Nebraska
1991 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1991 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...

 for the Big Eight title and lost to Alabama
1991 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 1991 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1991 college football season. The team was led by head coach Gene Stallings who was in his second season at Alabama. The team played their home games at Bryant-Denny Stadium, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and at...

 in the Blockbuster Bowl
1991 Blockbuster Bowl
The 1991 Blockbuster Bowl, part of the 1991 bowl game season, took place on December 28, 1991, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference , and the , representing the Big Eight Conference . Alabama won...

. In 1992, Colorado finished a 9–2–1 campaign with a loss to Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...

 in the Fiesta Bowl
1993 Fiesta Bowl
The 1993 IBM OS/2 Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 1993, was the 22nd edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game featured the and the .-1st half:...

. In 1994, McCartney's final year, he coached the Buffaloes to a 27–26 win at Michigan
1994 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1994 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1994 college football season. Led by Gary Moeller in his last season as head coach, the Wolverines participated in the Holiday Bowl.-Schedule:...

, where McCartney had spent eight years as an assistant. Colorado won the game on a 64-yard Hail Mary pass
The Miracle at Michigan
The Miracle at Michigan refers to the final play that occurred during the American football game played on September 24, 1994 between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game was decided on Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart's 64-yard...

 from Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart, nicknamed "Slash" , is a former American NFL quarterback. Stewart attended the University of Colorado and was drafted 60th in the 1995 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers...

 to Michael Westbrook
Michael Westbrook
Michael Deanailo Westbrook is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. Westbrook spent 7 seasons with the Washington Redskins from 1995 to 2001 and the 2002 season with the Cincinnati Bengals before retiring...

 as time expired. The Buffaloes posted an 11–1 record in 1994, capped by a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl
1995 Fiesta Bowl
The 1995 IBM OS/2 Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 1995, was the 24th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game featured the Colorado Buffaloes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.-1st half:...

. At the end of the 1994 season, McCartney retired from coaching.

McCartney holds records for the most games coached (153), most wins (93), and most conference wins (58) in the history of the Colorado Buffaloes football program.

Outside of coaching

In 1990, while still head football coach at Colorado, McCartney founded a Christian men's group called Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers is an international conservative Christian organization for men. While it originated in the United States, it is now world-wide...

. He later resigned as the head of Promise Keepers and founded an organization called The Road to Jerusalem. In September 2008, McCartney rejoined Promise Keepers as CEO and chairman of the board. He serves on the board of directors of the Equip Foundation, Gospel to the Unreached Millions, and Concerts of Prayer International.

McCartney is the author of five books: From Ashes to Glory (1995), Sold Out (1997), Sold Out Two-Gether (1999), co-authored with his wife, Lyndi McCartney, Blind Spots: What You Don't See May Be Keeping Your Church From Greatness (2003), and Two Minute Warning: Why It's Time to Honor Jewish People Before the Clock Runs Out (2009) with Aaron Fruh.

Honors

McCartney won a number of national coaching awards in 1989 including the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
The Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award is given annually to a college football coach by the Football Writers Association of America. The award honors Eddie Robinson, former coach at Grambling State who holds the second best record for most Division I wins with 408 behind only Joe...

 award, the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award and the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award. Three times, in 1985, 1989, and 1990, he was named the Big Eight Coach of the Year. McCartney was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

McCartney has been honored with a number of additional personal awards including: the Impact America Award from Point Loma College
Point Loma Nazarene University
Point Loma Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college. Its main campus is located on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:...

 in 1995, the Spectrum Award from Sports Spectrum magazine in 1995, ABC News Person of the Week on February 16, 1996, Layperson of the Year from the National Association of Evangelicals in 1996, the Fire-Setters Award from Revival Fires Ministries in 1997, the Evangelist Philip Award from the National Association of United Methodist Evangelists in 1999, and the Humanitarian of the Year from the Syl Morgan Smith Colorado Gospel Music Academy in 1999.

Family

McCartney lives with his wife, Lyndi, in the Denver area. They have four children and ten grandchildren, one of which was fathered by McCartney's former player, Sal Aunese
Sal Aunese
Siasau "Sal" Aunese was a college football player who played for the University of Colorado. Aunese was from Oceanside, California in San Diego County and was of Samoan descent...

, who died of cancer at the age of 21. The McCartneys attend Cornerstone Church in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...

.

Head coaching record

Coaching tree

McCartney played under:
  • Dan Devine
    Dan Devine
    Daniel John Devine was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the University of Notre Dame from 1975 to 1980, compiling a career college football mark of...

    , Missouri
    University of Missouri
    The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...



McCartney coached under
  • Bo Schembechler
    Bo Schembechler
    Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...

    , Michigan
    University of Michigan
    The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...



Assistants to McCartney who became college head coaches:
  • Gary Barnett
    Gary Barnett
    Gary Barnett is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Fort Lewis College , Northwestern University , and the University of Colorado at Boulder , compiling a career college football record of 92–94–2...

    , Northwestern
    Northwestern University
    Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

    , Colorado
    University of Colorado
    The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...

  • Jim Caldwell, Wake Forest
    Wake Forest University
    Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...

    , Indianapolis Colts
    Indianapolis Colts
    The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

     (NFL)
  • Karl Dorrell
    Karl Dorrell
    Karl Dorrell is a football coach, currently an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, the first African American head football coach in the school's history...

    , UCLA
  • Gerry DiNardo
    Gerry DiNardo
    Gerard DiNardo is a former American football player and coach. He played college football as a guard for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish where he was selected as an All-American in 1974...

    , LSU
    Louisiana State University
    Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

    , Indiana
  • Mike Hankwitz
    Mike Hankwitz
    Mike Hankwitz is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He is currently the defensive coordinator at Northwestern University, a position he has held since 2008...

    , Arizona
    University of Arizona
    The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...

  • Steve Logan, East Carolina
  • Les Miles
    Les Miles
    Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...

    , Oklahoma State, LSU
    Louisiana State University
    Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

  • Rick Neuheisel
    Rick Neuheisel
    Richard Gerald "Rick" Neuheisel, Jr. , is an American football coach, former player, and attorney. He was most recently the head football coach at University of California, Los Angeles, a position he held from 2008 to 2011...

    , Colorado
    University of Colorado
    The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...

    , Washington
    University of Washington
    University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

    , UCLA
  • Bob Simmons, Oklahoma State
  • Lou Tepper
    Lou Tepper
    Lou Tepper is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a position he has held since the 2006 season. Previously, tepper served as the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Edinboro University of...

    , Illinois
  • Ron Vanderlinden
    Ron Vanderlinden
    Ron Vanderlinden is an American college football coach. He is currently the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Penn State University. Vanderlinden previously served as the head coach at the University of Maryland from 1997 to 2000....

    , Maryland
    University of Maryland
    When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...

  • Jon Embree
    Jon Embree
    Jon William Embree is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes. An assistant coach for two decades, he was most recently the tight ends coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League...

    , Colorado
    University of Colorado
    The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...


External links

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