Fridays with Mac: "What Will They Remember?"

As your scribe wanders metro Denver and America encouraging municipalities to achieve goals and overcome challenges in lessening the impact of homelessness and increasing the opportunities in education, I’m often asked about Hall of Fame football coach Bill McCartney. The only coach to ever lead the Colorado Buffaloes to a national title has Alzheimer’s. When not traveling, we spend Fridays together. Love it.

“Trust me folks,” is the usual response offered to admirers, there are many, wondering how the 81-year-old is holding up against this dreaded memory-robbing foe, “He’s still coaching.”

Case in point. A recent Friday we had an unexpected guest. Don Griffin has known Coach Mac about the same amount of time as yours truly, since the late 80’s. McCartney and McIntosh got to know each other through my job as a sports guy for KCNC-TV, then, the “Home of the Buffs.” I hosted Mac’s television show, flew on the team plane and was embedded inside McCartney’s program which, from the late 80’s to mid 90’s, was an elite college football power. The Buffs won often and sent many stars, like Kordell Stewart, Chad Brown, Ted Johnson, Christian Fauria, Michael Wesbrook, Greg Biekert, Eric Bieniemy, Daniel Graham, Chris Naeole, Koy Detmer, Lamont Warren, Joel Steed, Ariel Solomon, Deon Figures and others onto successful NFL careers. The hey day of, McCartney’s words, “Golden Buffaloes” football. This lucky fella got paid to document it. Blessed.

Don Griffin first met McCartney at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes conference in San Diego back during this similar time frame. The Buffs were the talk of college football for gridiron success and off-the-field stories surrounding it. Billy Mac from Hackensack was a coveted speaker, especially to men ’s groups in faith-based settings.

As we sat in Mac’s living room, watching golf and visiting, Griffin shared a story that knocked my socks off. It’s an example supporting the earlier, “Trust me, he’s still coaching” statement about one of the great exhorters of men in recent history.

Griffin says, “We’re at this conference in San Diego. I was in charge. We had about 700 folks there to hear coach speak. Right before introducing him, Coach Mac says, ‘Let’s pray about this.’” Johnson is 68 and looks 48. Great shape. Was a college quarterback at LSU before transferring to a smaller school, successful businessman and the founder of a sports camp for young men to learn football skills as quarterbacks and receivers while developing pure hearts and sober minds for the winning side of life. It’s called “Don Griffin’s 1821 Camp.” The Louisiana native looks like he could still play. Griffin continued: “Mac prayed and looked at me and said, ‘We’re gonna be friends forever!’” Now living in California, Griffin closed with, “He taught me something I’ll never forget.”?

I’m leaning in big time to hear the story’s climax. McCartney’s sitting to my immediate left and beaming ear to ear. Griffin bellows, “Coach taught me: Good, better and best, never let it rest till my good is better and my better is my best!”

It slammed your scribe back into the comfy couch. Wow. I write and talk often about A Stronger Cord and its efforts to try and lessen the impact of homelessness in communities. At the end of each gathering, whether a Wednesday evening of exercise, fellowship and learning or weekend community service efforts, ASC knuckleheads always - think basketball team timeout - unite and, shout to the rooftops, ‘GOOD, BETTER AND BEST, NEVER LET IT REST, TILL OUR GOOD IS BETTER AND OUR BEST IN OUR BEST!” Stole the powerful war cry from McCartney and have always attributed my buddy for providing it. It’s a great way to end a meeting. It’s part of ASC’s DNA.

A couple of points. One, for McCartney admirers wondering how coach is doing. Alzheimer’s? Yes, there are challenges but trust me, he’s still coaching.

For all of us, let’s never diminish the impact we have on others. Mac’s, “Good, better, best”?rattled Griffin’s bones long ago and is ASC’s guiding mantra today and forever. What about us and those we influence, what will they remember? #fridayswithmac, #goodbetterbest