Bill McCartney came to Boulder in 1982 with a goal of turning around a struggling football program at the University of Colorado.

He did that and so much more, impacting the lives of hundreds of student-athletes and those he touched in more than 40 years in Boulder.

On Friday night, Buff Nation lost a legend when Coach Mac, who led CU to the national championship in 1990, passed away at the age of 84 after a long illness, with members of his family by his side.

CU announced McCartney’s passing and included the following statement from the McCartney family:

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Bill McCartney, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, who left this world peacefully at the age of 84 after a courageous journey with Dementia.“Our father surrendered his life to Jesus at 33 years old setting a trajectory for our family and many others. We share his faith in Jesus and truly believe our Dad has been reunited in Heaven with his beloved bride and our Mother, Lynne Marie.

“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. As a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired.

“While we mourn his loss, we also celebrate the extraordinary life he lived and the love he shared with everyone around him. We are grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support during this time and ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult moment.

“Details about memorial services will be shared in the coming days. Coach Mac deeply believed that investing in the local church was the most impactful way to transform a community. In honor of his legacy, and in lieu of flowers, we invite you to consider making a donation—beyond your regular tithes and offerings—to a local church in Bill’s name.

“With love and gratitude, The McCartney Family.”

The greatest coach and one of the most inspirational leaders in CU history, McCartney guided the Buffaloes to the only national title in program history, in 1990. He led the Buffs from 1982-94, posting a record of 93-55-5, with nine bowl appearances.

Inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Colorado Football Hall of Fame in 2013, McCartney coached in the most games and had the most wins of any head coach in Buffs history. He was national coach of the year in 1989 and led CU to three Big Eight Conference titles during his tenure.

“I am very saddened at the passing of Coach Mac,” Buffs athletic director Rick George said in a news release from CU. “I was fortunate to be able to say goodbye to coach in person last week. Coach Mac was an incredible man who taught me about the importance of faith, family and being a good husband, father and grandfather. He instilled discipline and accountability to all of us who worked and played under his leadership. The mark that he left on CU football and our athletic department will be hard to replicate. My thoughts and prayers go out to Mike, Tom, Kristy, Marc and their families. I have many fond memories of Coach Mac and will hold those close to my heart. God bless Coach Mac.”

Four of McCartney’s players at CU have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, including 1994 Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam. During his 13 seasons as head coach, 15 different players earned first-team All-American honors and 25 others received at least honorable mention.

Most importantly, McCartney made a difference in the lives of his players.

“Coach Mac is a special man, and he always will be,” former CU star running back Eric Bieniemy told BuffZone in 2016. “He did a great job not only recruiting, but also he did a great job of helping young kids mature into men in every phase of their lives. That’s all you can ask for in a head coach at that level.

“That’s the love and respect that I know I will always have for him. He gave me an opportunity. That opportunity paved the way to help me achieve the goals that I’ve accomplished today in life. I’m sure every player that has played for Coach Mac has a similar, successful story.”

Hired in June of 1982 after head coach Chuck Fairbanks had bolted Boulder for the NFL, McCartney had never been a college head coach. He had spent the previous eight seasons as an assistant coach at Michigan.

CU athletic director Eddie Crowder had targeted Drake head coach Chuck Shelton for the job. BYU head coach LaVell Edwards had interviewed for the job, as well. McCartney, however, impressed CU’s administration with his interview and was hired.

The Buffs went 7-26 in three seasons under Fairbanks. Turning that around wouldn’t be easy, but McCartney was even further behind when he took the job in the summer, rather than earlier in the offseason when most new coaches are hired.

Three seasons in, McCartney’s record was only slightly better than Fairbanks’ mark, at 7-25-1. Administration stuck with Coach Mac, however, and in his fourth season, 1985, the Buffs went 7-5. McCartney never had another losing season.

McCartney instilled hope in a struggling program, including publicly declaring that Big Eight Conference heavyweight Nebraska was the team he targeted. From 1968-85, CU lost 18 consecutive games to the Cornhuskers, but McCartney kept circling that game.

In 1986, the Buffs, just 2-4 at the time, stunned the third-ranked Huskers 20-10 at Folsom Field. It was a monumental, program-changing victory made possible by the inspiration of Coach Mac.

“When coach McCartney identified it as a red letter game, we followed our head coach and believed in what he believed in and wanted to fulfill his promise for us,” said Lance Carl, who was a junior receiver in 1986 and caught a pivotal touchdown pass in that win against Nebraska. “Coach Mac realized that if you were able to challenge Nebraska, you would be able to challenge nationally.

“I believe that really changed our program. It gave us an identity that we could compete with the top programs in the country.”

After a 0-4 start that year, CU went 6-2 the rest of the way. Just three years later, the Buffs went 11-0 during the regular season and McCartney was national coach of the year. In 1990, they went 11-1-1 and won the Associated Press national title.

From 1989-1994, McCartney’s teams went 58-11-4, won three Big Eight titles and finished with a top-20 ranking six years in a row. His final season in 1994 was capped by a No. 3 ranking and Salaam winning the program’s first — and, until Travis Hunter this past year, the only — Heisman Trophy.

McCartney stunned Buff Nation and the college football world when he announced his retirement after the regular season finale in 1994.

“It’s the right thing for us to do as a family,” he said at the time.

Led by players McCartney recruited to Boulder, Rick Neuheisel kept the success going in 1995 and 1996, as the Buffs went 20-4 and finished in the top eight of the rankings both years.

A dozen of McCartney’s assistants would go on to become head coaches, including four who followed him as head coaches at CU: Neuheisel, Gary Barnett, Jon Embree and Karl Dorrell.

Many of McCartney’s players went on to become successful on and off the field. More than 60 players he recruited to CU or coached at CU wound up being NFL draft picks, including nine first-rounders.

Current CU head coach Deion Sanders played against many of McCartney’s players, including Kordell Stewart and Michael Westbrook, who Sanders considers friends to this day.

On social media Saturday, Sanders wrote: “Coach Mac was an absolute legend on and off the field. He took CU to the top of college football and he is fully ingrained in every fiber of the history of this program. I first knew of his impact becoming close with several former Buffs throughout my NFL career.

“He produced great football players but better men. I was honored to have the opportunity to meet Coach Mac after I became the head coach, and his passion for CU was evident. The thing I admire most about Coach Mac is that he was unapologetically himself. Many of the characteristics he valued are what we are using to get this program back to the level he attained.”

In addition to football success, McCartney had players excel as coaches, broadcasters and other vocations.

“Coach Mac gave me an opportunity to go to school, earn a degree, and he gave me an opportunity to pursue my dreams of playing football,” Bieniemy, who has coached for more than two decades in the NFL or college football, said in 2016. “That, more than anything, stands out. Obviously, he’s helped shape and mold my life from the time that I first encountered him.”

During his coaching career and in retirement, McCartney remained dedicated to his faith.

Voted the Fellowship of Christian Athletes “Man-of-the-Year” in Colorado for 1986, McCartney was also a co-founder of Promise Keepers, one of the nation’s fastest-growing Christian organizations in the late 1990s. He represented Promise Keepers for almost a decade after his retirement from CU.

Through his coaching and his faith, McCartney made an impact on many people, including George, who joined McCartney’s staff as a young recruiting coordinator in 1987.

“He was my hero, mentor and my best advocate!” George wrote on social media on Friday night.