McCartney Praises '30 For 30,' Endorses MacIntyre

BOULDER — Former Colorado football coach Bill McCartney delivered a strong endorsement Saturday morning of the recently released "30 for 30" documentary “The Gospel According to Mac” — and equally strong support of current CU coach Mike MacIntyre.

McCartney met with the media before Saturday morning's CU-Stanford kickoff. McCartney covered a variety of topics, including the recent 30 for 30, which documented the ultra-successful and sometimes turbulent era of his tenure at CU, when he led the Buffs to a national championship in 1990.

“I was thrilled with the way it turned out,” McCartney said. “I thought they did a good job in balancing faith and football.”

McCartney said he had no idea what producers of the show would ask him when they began the interview process, nor did he know what material they would use once the interviews were completed.

“I didn't have any preparation,” McCartney said. “When it was over, I was relieved.”

McCartney transformed Colorado into a national power by slowly but surely building a strong recruiting base, something he said was build on the beauty of Boulder and Colorado.

“The best-kept secret all across college football is Boulder, Colorado” McCartney said. “This is as good as it gets.”

The release of the film gave McCartney an opportunity to reconnect with many of his former players. “I didn't know what was in their hearts,” McCartney said. “When they came to my house, I didn't know what to expect. To hear they way they looked back at this thing was amazing.”

As for the current state of CU football, McCartney said MacIntyre is enduring many of the same issues that he encountered when he first arrived.

“What Coach Mac is going through is what I went through,” McCartney said. “We won seven games my first three years here.”

McCartney also said the program needs to develop stability and resist the urge to continue changing coaches.

“I think we've got the right guy,” McCartney said. “Stick with him and believe in him. I'm ready to take our time and let this thing get built the right way.”

The Buffs this week decided to forego their original uniform plan of silver and black and instead were the traditional CU black and gold in honor of the legacy McCartney left at Colorado.

“That really encourage me,” McCartney said.

And, he expressed a belief that the Buffs can still qualify for a bowl appearance.

“This game is big,” McCartney said. “It's the biggest game of the season.”