Former players donate bronze statue of late Colorado coach Bill McCartney, located on practice field
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BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The gaze of Bill McCartney will now be watching over Colorado practices after former players donated a bronze statue of the late Colorado football coach.
Located in the northeast corner of the practice field — and in the shadow of Folsom Field — the 8 1/2-foot statue commemorates his accomplishments on the field. He’s the winningest coach in Colorado football history (93-55-5) and led the Buffaloes to their only national title in 1990.
McCartney died on January 10. He was 84.
The statue was unveiled in a private ceremony Friday night that included McCartney’s family and former players along with coach Deion Sanders and the current team. It was on display Saturday as fans arrived before the Buffaloes played Arizona State in their home finale — a 42-17 loss.
“He had a vision. He could lift you to the heights that you couldn’t lift yourself,” said Barry Remington, an inside linebacker who played for McCartney and was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame on Thursday. “He didn’t care if you were a walk-on, starter, four-star, one-star, he just wanted your best effort. He got the most out of everyone that he coached.”
The creation of the statue, which has been a while in the making, was led by former players such as linebacker Don DeLuzio. The base is made out of granite and includes a quote from McCartney: “Big Dreams Create the Magic That Stir Men’s Souls to Greatness.”
Sanders appreciated the sentiment.
“Statue is un-darn-believable,” Sanders said after the game. “I wish it was right in the center of the darn campus, I really do. But unbelievable moment with former players that were up under his coaching. This is just a wonderful, wonderful moment.”
McCartney guided Colorado to its best season in 1990, when the team finished 11-1-1 and beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to clinch a national title the Buffaloes would split with Georgia Tech.
McCartney, a charismatic figure known as “Coach Mac,” directed Colorado from 1982-94, retiring early to spend more time with his wife, Lyndi, who died in 2013. Following his retirement, McCartney worked full time at Promise Keepers, a ministry he started in 1990 after converting from Catholicism and whose aim is to encourage “godly men.”
The organization became a flash point in state politics, advocating unsuccessfully that gays be denied the designation of “protected class,” a position by the group that drew campus protests. He left as Promise Keepers’ president in 2003.
McCartney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
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