Colorado University Athletics
The Gospel According To Mac 30 For 30 Debuts Tuesday Night
November 03, 2015 | Football
BOULDER – The wait is over. Ever since ESPN's award-winning series 30 for 30 debuted in October 2009, many CU fans thought the same thing: “When are they going to do one on the Buffs?”
The answer is now. “The Gospel According To Mac,” the third film in the third volume of the series, debuts Tuesday night on ESPN.
The film is best summarized by those who made it. From ESPN:
“Football is a religion to many people. But few know the depths of both faiths as well as Bill McCartney, the former football coach at Colorado and the founder of Promise Keepers, a Christian men's ministry. "The Gospel According to Mac" tells the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story of Coach Mac's controversial national championship run, and the two seasons that followed with multiple arrests and strife between his mostly African-American players and the Boulder police. McCartney's own daughter became pregnant by the team's quarterback before seeing that same quarterback struck by cancer. The saga culminated in consecutive Orange Bowl matchups against Notre Dame. Bill McCartney's passionate and often polarizing beliefs have made him many enemies and many admirers, but it's difficult to deny that he embodies the essential issues facing football in America to this day.”
With the focus both on football and McCartney's faith, director Jim Podhoretz pulls no punches when talking about either topic. The bulk of the movie is focused on the 1987-90 era, and former players Darian Hagan, Eric Bieniemy, Chad Brown, Deon Figures, Mike Pritchard and Charles Johnson are featured throughout.
While the film dives into many things that happened on the field, including the fifth down at Missouri and both Orange Bowl games against Notre Dame, it also explores in detail McCartney's faith and how that guided his coaching career.
The film will air twice Tuesday night on ESPN and ESPN2 and then not again until December 20. The initial airing will be on ESPN at 7 p.m. and it will air on ESPN2 again at 11:30 p.m. Then on December 20, it will air on ESPN both at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (all times mountain).
