Remembering Coach McKay's winning ways

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TAMPA - As the story goes, John McKay, already an icon as football coach at the University of Southern California, was dining with his buddy, Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant. They were at Chasen's, then the ultimate see-and-be-seen spot in Beverly Hills.

The waiter approached.

"Coach McKay," he said, "Mr. Sinatra has a table in back and wants you to stop by."

McKay, unflinching: "You tell him to come up and see us."

A few minutes later, there was Frank Sinatra, paying homage.

Yes, John McKay absolutely did it his way. At USC, where his steady stream of one-liners played well with the Hollywood set, he won four national championships. McKay was the king.

Then he gave it all away to join an NFL expansion franchise. Fans in Los Angeles thought he was crazy. McKay probably agreed when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their first 26 games.

But McKay's plan worked. The Bucs went from worst to first, coming within 10 points of a Super Bowl appearance in 1979, just two years after the 0-and-26 nightmare. In turn, McKay added to his legacy, showing a level of determination that wasn't required when overseeing a college-football dynasty.

McKay will be posthumously inducted into the Bucs' Ring of Honor (joining his former defensive end, Lee Roy Selmon, the Pro Football Hall of Famer) at halftime in today's game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium.

 

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