The Bill McCartney Connection Still Runs Deep for the University of Colorado Buffaloes

Getting out to watch the CU Buffs fall football camp was made even more exciting on Monday when I noticed that one of the men moving along the sidelines of the practice fields was none other than retired Colorado coaching legend Bill McCartney. Even now, almost 18 years since he roamed the hallowed grounds of Folsom Field, his presence is still commanding.

Bill still has the great smile and his deep voice remains capable of stirring the soul and rousing passion for life and football. Having him there was a great thing for new coach Mike MacIntyre. After all, McCartney is the man who led Colorado to two National Championship games (and barely missed out on a third) and one title. He also earned national Coach of the Year honors once as well as Big 8 Coach of the Year 3 times. Earlier this year he was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame

All these years later, when Bill McCartney talks, coaches and players alike are well advised to listen. That being the case, one of the great things that the CU football team has going for it is the fact that the team has TWO grandsons of McCartney involved in the program.

Graduate assistant T.C. McCartney is the son of former CU starting quarterback Sal Aunese, who died on Sept. 23, 1989, from stomach cancer. That CU team rallied around Aunese and, led by Darian Hagan, ran the table during the season to go undefeated and was ranked number one in the country going into the Orange Bowl in Miami. The Buffs lost the national title after playing their worst game of the season to Notre Dame. After a poor start the following year, the Buffs rallied from a 1-1-1 record to begin the season to winning the national championship following a rematch victory over Notre Dame.

Sal Aunese was recruited to Colorado by current LSU coach Les Miles. Media reports have said that Miles made a promise that he would make sure that Sal's infant son would have a scholarship waiting when he graduated high school. Miles kept that promise, and T.C. was a member of the LSU National Championship team in 2007.

Following his graduation from LSU, T.C. worked with Les Miles as a graduate assistant and helped get his team to the BCS title game. Following that year, he moved back to Boulder to become a graduate assistant at CU.

On the field itself for Buffs is another McCartney grandson. Derek McCartney is a redshirt freshman defensive lineman who father Shannon Clavelle played for the Buffs in the 1990s before moving on to the NFL Green Bay Packers in 1995. Clavelle also played for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Both T.C. and Derek attended high school in Colorado. T.C. played for his uncle Tom McCartney at 4A Fairview High School in Boulder before attending LSU. Derek played his high school ball at 2A Faith Christian High School in Westminster.

It was a great thrill to see Bill on the practice field with the Buffs, and it gives hope for the future that two of his grandsons are with the program. They have had their whole lives to learn from their grandfather, and the lessons they have learned can only help their teammates.