Fridays with Mac: "Persuasive"

Recruiting. The life blood of any successful football program, business, school or whatever.

Bill McCartney knows something about it. It’s a major reason Bo Schembechler deviated from his norm and hired a high school coaching sensation to his Michigan staff in the late 70’s. McCartney was the first prep coach Schembechler ever hired. William Paul McCartney, his words, “Could be persuasive.”

A while back, we spent a Friday talking about recruiting strategy, the only coach to ever lead the Colorado Buffaloes to a national football title, would use when building a national power in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s. As the “Buff Guy” for CBSDenver, your scribe had a front row seat, flew on the team plane and loved every minute of it. A freak injury cost this ol’ jock a chance to play football at Mizzou and being embedded inside the CU football program allowed, vicariously, this knucklehead to live that experience through the Golden Buffaloes. Grateful.

The 81-year-old was on the edge of a comfy chair with fire in his eyes when revealing the secret sauce that inspired many talented athletes to join the Buffs family. “Every home I’d walk into? The first thing I’d do was figure out where momma was, acknowledge her, greet others and then head for the kitchen to grab a chair.” When the head coach walks into a prospective player’s home, it’s a big deal. It’s a proud moment for the family and the kid. Mac continued, “I’d grab a chair in the kitchen, return to the living room and place that chair right in front of momma. I wanted her undivided attention. I wanted her to know we were going to graduate her son. They cared more about that than wins and losses.”

The strategy worked. I couldn’t help but ask. “In all your years at Michigan and then CU, who do you consider your greatest recruiting achievement?” I was surprised how quickly the Detroit native, a Michigan assistant for eight seasons before coming to Boulder prior to the 1982 season, responded to the question. “Anthony Carter. Everybody in the nation wanted him. I spent a lot of time in Florida.”?

McCartney and Michigan won that recruiting battle. The Riviera Beach, Florida was a star at Michigan. The electric wide receiver/kick returner is a member of college football’s Hall of Fame and played 13 professional seasons in the NFL and USFL. Back in 2014 the Big 10 Network, in an online fan voting poll, included Carter on “The Mount Rushmore of Michigan Football” along with Wolverine greats Charles Woodson, Tom Harmon and Desmond Howard.?

Ironically, as McCartney took me on a trip down memory lane on recruiting time spent in Florida, as usual, the television was bringing us second-round action from the PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational from just outside Orlando. We had the Sunshine State on our minds.

So, McCartney’s greatest recruit at Michigan was Anthony Carter. The curious journalist within couldn’t resist, “Mac, what about CU? Who was your greatest recruit?” As soon as the question left thy lips, I wanted to pull it back. How could he possibly answer that? The man who charmed momma’s was thinking about it but declined to answer. I don’t blame him. How to pick from all the standout players who landed in Boulder chasing a dream and vision planted in their minds, and most often, their momma’s craniums by an exhorter with few rivals? “You were around all those years,” McCartney shot back at me. “Who do you think?” I could not answer. Too hard.

I called long-time CU media relations guy Dave Plati. “Wow, that’s a tough one. I’d say Eric McCarty from that first class or, perhaps, Rashaan Salaam. Everybody wanted each.” Buff fans, let the debate begin. Best CU recruit ever? Your thoughts welcome.

Focus was turning more to golf than recruiting when McCartney, grinning widely, offers, “Hey, I amend my statements about recruiting. My best recruit ever?” I leaned in for the answer. “My wife. Lyndi Marie. Pretty as can be. She was gorgeous and I was goofy!”

Persuasive. That’d be Billy Mac from Hackensack. Then. Now. Forever more.