Bill McCartney, legendary coach and founder of Promise Keepers, dies at 84
Bill McCartney, the former University of Colorado football coach who became a prominent religious figure in the 1990s after founding the Promise Keepers movement, died Friday at the age of 84.
“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,” his family said in a statement.
“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.
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"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."
McCartney’s career was marked by his dual impact on sports and faith. After leading the Colorado Buffaloes to a national championship in 1990, he turned his focus to Promise Keepers, a Christian men’s organization he founded the same year.
“Promise Keepers envisions a world in which every man — regardless of denomination, generation, race, or culture — has the opportunity to receive new life, know God’s Word, and follow Christ in Kingdom changemaking. We hope that all men have the chance to experience a life that matters by coming together in community with brothers in Christ to transform our families, neighborhoods, cities, nation and world,” notes the organization’s website.
The idea for the movement was born during a car ride with a friend, Dave Wardell, to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet in Pueblo, Colorado. McCartney expressed concern about the spiritual state of American men and the effects on families.
Within a year, he organized a gathering of 4,000 men at the University of Colorado’s basketball arena. By 1997, Promise Keepers had drawn more than half a million men to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The movement sparked national debates about faith, masculinity and societal roles. McCartney promoted a blend of complementarianism and a gentler masculinity, encouraging men to embrace vulnerability, kindness and devotion to their families and faith.
“A real man, a man’s man, is a Godly man,” McCartney said during a 1995 press conference before a major Promise Keepers event in the nation's capital, The Washington Post reported. “A real man is a man of substance, a man that’s vulnerable, a man who loves his wife, a man that has a passion for God, and is willing to lay down his life for [H]im.”
The group also addressed contentious issues, including racism and LGBT indoctrination, which often led to criticism from both secular and Christian communities. “Racism is an insidious monster,” McCartney said at a 1996 clergy rally in Atlanta. “You can’t say you love God and not love your brother.”
Despite its influence, Promise Keepers faced financial struggles in the late 1990s after shifting from large stadium events to smaller gatherings, and by 1998, the organization laid off most of its staff. Promise Keepers was relaunched in 2016 after years of stagnation.
In 2021, USA Today published an article calling for AT&T Stadium in Texas to cancel a Promise Keepers event over CEO Ken Harrison’s opposition to trans-identified men competing in women's sports.
McCartney’s legacy also includes his impact on the football field.
Born on Aug. 22, 1940, in Riverview, Michigan, he excelled in multiple sports before earning a football scholarship at the University of Missouri. His coaching career included successful stints at the high school and collegiate levels, culminating in his tenure as Colorado’s head coach from 1982 to 1994. Under his leadership, the Buffaloes achieved 10 consecutive winning seasons and a national title.
On social media, former players also praised McCartney’s influence. Alfred Williams, a star for the Buffaloes and two-time Super Bowl champion, said McCartney’s “unwavering faith and deep love for his family were the foundation of his life.”
“I want to extend my deepest condolences to the McCartney family. Coach Bill McCartney was an extraordinary role model for a young man like me,” he wrote on X.
“He was a God-loving family man and a Hall of Fame coach whose impact reached far beyond the football field. His unwavering faith and deep love for his family were the foundation of his life — values that always mattered more to him than the game itself. Coach Mac will be forever missed and deeply loved by all who had the privilege of knowing him. His legacy is firmly built on love, character, integrity, hope and faith. I will always thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to have him in my life.”
McCartney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. He is survived by four children, 10 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. His wife, Lynne, to whom he was married for 50 years, died in 2013.
