Bill McCartney, the founder of the Christian men's ministry Promise Keepers, is receiving heavenly rewards for leading a ministry that blessed millions of families with a biblical representation of Godly manhood through stadium events across the country and in the nation's capital.
"Our beloved founder, Coach Mac, has gone to glory," Promise Keepers posted to its social media account, along with a news report of McCartney's death on Jan. 10.
McCartney coached the University of Colorado football team for 12 years and tallied the most wins in the school's history, leading the Buffaloes to their only national championship in 1990 during a period when a Vineyard pastor, James Ryle, was CU chaplain for the squad.
CU also announced the winning coach's passing, sharing the following heartwarming message from the McCartney family with the Daily Camera newspaper, which covered the school's football team:
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Bill McCartney, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, who left this world peacefully at the age of 84 after a courageous journey with dementia.
"Our father surrendered his life to Jesus at 33 years old setting a trajectory for our family and many others. We share his faith in Jesus and truly believe our dad has been reunited in heaven with his beloved bride and our mother, Lynne Marie.
"Coach Mac touched countless lives with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion, and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor, and advocate for family, community, and faith. As a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired.
"While we mourn his loss, we also celebrate the extraordinary life he lived and the love he shared with everyone around him. We are grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support during this time and ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult moment.
"Details about memorial services will be shared in the coming days. Coach Mac deeply believed that investing in the local church was the most impactful way to transform a community. In honor of his legacy, and in lieu of flowers, we invite you to consider making a donation - beyond your regular tithes and offerings - to a local church in (Coach Mac's) name.
"With love and gratitude, the McCartney Family."
McCartney retired from coaching football to lead Promise Keepers (PK), which held its first big gathering in 1991 at a CU arena, where 4,200 men showed up for Jesus – not basketball.
McCartney challenged the men to each bring 12 guys the following year, when 50,000 bodies filled Folsom Field where football – not Jesus – regularly dominated under the coach's leadership until PK brought a taste of heaven to CU's stadium.
From Boulder, PK hosted over 50 stadium events with Christian men, spanning a six-year period. Then, in 1997, McCartney called for a solemn assembly of Godly husbands, fathers and single men in Washington, D.C.
PK leader Shane Winnings produced a video tribute to the legacy of McCartney on and off the gridiron, and as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Coach McCartney said that coaching is taking a player where he can't get to by himself. Didn't he do that through Promise Keepers? He coached, taught and preached to millions of men, equipping them to live up to God's calling," Winnings said. Hear Winning's remembrance remarks here:
To honor the memory of McCartney's legacy, Winnings invited people to share with PK their testimonies of ways the ministry and its Christ-honoring leader encouraged them to live for the Kingdom of God.
The ministry is filming a documentary in 2025 that will include testimonies from people who were blessed by McCartney's Godly leadership and PK's Christ-honoring history.
"We want to highlight the testimonies of what God has done through McCartney's legacy and this ministry," said Winnings, who expressed gratitude to Coach Mac's family for its sacrifices.
"Remembering the legacy of McCartney, PK will continue to reach all generations with God's call to live worthy of the blood of Jesus Christ... While Coach McCartney has gone on to glory, there are still many men who need to know the love of Jesus Christ, and that is what we aim to do at Promise Keepers," said Winnings, who encouraged personal testimonies be sent to info@pknet.org
In what was a massive display of Christian love among brothers, PK hosted its first event in the nation's capital with men and their sons from many ethnic groups, church denominations, and different socioeconomic status. Over 40 speakers and McCartney as the closer filled out the day, replete with biblical exhortations, prayer, praise and worship.
From the Lincoln Memorial to the steps of the U.S. Capitol building, men filled the mall for what PK called Stand in the Gap. It amounted to the largest prayer and worship gathering in the nation's history.
With prayers of repentance and declarations of faithfulness to God and their families, men's bold voices filled the heavens.
In the aftermath of hundreds of thousands of men converging for worship, the National Park Service noted the mall was cleaner after PK than before.
In 2022, PK produced a documentary to mark the 25-year anniversary of Stand in the Gap on October 4, 1997.
"It was as if the Spirit of God came down in that place. I'm telling you it was dynamic," McCartney said of the day.
The Holy Spirit-saturated event appeared on the cover of Time magazine with the headline The Promise Keepers. "A new U.S. movement is filling stadiums with men asserting their manhood. This week they rally in Washington. Should they be cheered – or feared?" the magazine asked.
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