Bill McCartney, a football coach who founded Promise Keepers to inspire Christian men, died peacefully on Friday (Jan. 10) at age 84. Coach Mac, as he was known, is being remembered not only for his athletic successes but also for how he mentored people and championed Christian husbands and fathers.
In 2016, McCartney’s family shared that he had been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. In a statement announcing his death, his family wrote, “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.”
McCartney, a father of four, coached the University of Colorado (CU) football team from 1982 to 1994. He built up a struggling program, leading the Buffaloes to their first and only national championship title in 1990. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, McCartney remains the winningest coach in CU football history.
Bill McCartney Left Coaching To Launch Promise Keepers
At age 54, Bill McCartney retired from coaching to begin the men’s ministry organization Promise Keepers. McCartney, who became a “born again” as an adult after growing up Catholic, served as the group’s president until 2003, when he stepped down to care for his ailing wife, Lynne.
During its heyday in the late ’90s, Promise Keepers held men’s conferences that filled stadiums across America. Speakers encouraged men of all ages to follow the “Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper,” also the title of one book to which McCartney contributed.
Promise Keepers generated some protests and controversy, especially regarding its views about homosexuality and manhood. In 1997, an estimated 700,000 men attended a Promise Keepers rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Soon afterward, the organization began struggling financially.
Promise Keepers relaunched during the pandemic in 2020, and after the death of George Floyd that summer, the organization joined the movement for racial justice.
Following McCartney’s death, Promise Keepers posted a video tribute to its founder. CEO Shane Winnings expressed gratitude for what Coach Mac accomplished “on and off the football field, the millions of men that have been impacted through his life, specifically at Promise Keepers.”
To honor that legacy, Winnings said, Promise Keepers is collecting testimonies for a documentary that will honor McCartney. “While Coach McCartney has gone on to glory,” Winnings said, “there are still many men who need to know about the love of Jesus Christ, and that is what we aim to do here at Promise Keepers.”
Coach Mac’s Legacy Lives On
Tributes for Coach Mac poured in from his players, including many who went on to success in the NFL. Chad Brown wrote, “A hall of fame coach but somehow a better man and human being.” Alfred Williams wrote, “His legacy is firmly built on love, character, integrity, hope, and faith.”