Colorado football mourns legendary coach Bill McCartney's death with perfect tribute ft. Deion Sanders

The Colorado Buffaloes posthumously paid tribute to the legendary former head coach Bill McCartney. McCartney passed away on January 10 at the age of 84 after a long battle with dementia. During his 13-season stint from 1982 to 1994, he had helped the Buffs make a name for themselves in the college football scene.

To honor Bill McCartney's legacy and his contribution to the program, the Buffs family got together to celebrate his life. The ceremony took place on Wednesday at the CU Events Center which was attended by McCartney's entire family, the current Buffs roster and coaching staff, Deion Sanders, and even 100-year-old superfan Peggy Coppom.

Everyone got together to share stories related to Bill McCartney's life and his time as the head coach of the Buffs. Colorado AD Rick George paid his tribute by talking about his contribution to the program's success in the past and the impact he's created.

"I think it's a really special day to be able to celebrate his life and the impact he had on our student-athletes during his tenure, being the best coach in our history, and the accomplishments that he made," Rick George said. "To see some of the old coaches and administrators and student-athletes, it's a blessing and a joy."

The celebration of McCartney's life also brought together several ex-Buffs stars including Eric Bieniemy, Darian Hagan, Michael Westbrook, Alfred Williams, JJ Flannigan, and others. Most of these players had the opportunity to play under Bill McCartney and reminisced about the time they spent under him in the program.

"Even in life and death, look what he did," JJ Flannigan said who played RB under McCartney from 1986-89. "He still brought us back together...There's nothing more special than a man that can bring all this together, and so we're gonna celebrate his life. I told everybody I talked to, I don't have the time to be sad. I'm not. I already did that, when I first found out. Now we're gonna celebrate his life and enjoy all the people that he brought back together."

---

Bill McCartney led the Colorado Buffaloes to its sole national championship

During his 13-season stint with the Buffs, Bill McCartney put up a 93-55-5 overall record. He helped the program three-peat the Big Eight championship between 1989 and 1991.

Besides this, McCartney also helped the Colorado Buffaloes win the national championship during the 1990 season. That was the only natty victory in the program's history. He is also the winningest head coach of the Buffs with nine bowl appearances under his belt.

Bill McCartney retired from the world of coaching at the age of 54 in 1994. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a part of the class of 2013.