John McKay

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

McKay was born in West Virginia in the now-defunct town of Everettville in Monongalia County. He was the third of five children born to Scots-Irish parents John and Gertrude McKay. His father was a coal mine superintendent who died when John was 13. He grew up in Shinnston and graduated from Shinnston High School in 1941. After a year working as an electrician's assistant in a coal mine, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942 and served as a tailgunner aboard B-29s in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. After the war, he attended Purdue University in 1946, then transferred to the University of Oregon in 1947, playing football as a halfback at both schools. At Oregon, he played alongside quarterback Norm Van Brocklin. After graduation in 1950, he became an assistant coach for the Ducks for nine seasons. He moved to USC as an assistant under Don Clark in 1959, and was hired as USC's head coach for the 1960 season. At USC, he won four national championships (1962, 1967, 1972, 1974) and his 1972 squad is regarded as one of the best teams in college football history. He popularized the I formation and emphasized a power running game. He remains the winningest head football coach in school history through 2021. After turning down several NFL offers, he became the first head coach of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976. The Buccaneers lost all 14 games in 1976 and the first 12 games of 1977 before finally winning against the New Orleans Saints. They made the playoffs three times under McKay, including an appearance in the NFC Championship Game in 1979. After the 1982 season, McKay supported quarterback Doug Williams' bid for a better contract, but owner Hugh Culverhouse was unwilling to budge; Williams left for the USFL. Without Williams, the Buccaneers crumbled to a two-win season in 1983, and after a six-win season in 1984, McKay stepped down. His record with the Buccaneers was 44–88–1. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1988. On January 1, 2014, he was named the All-Century Coach of the Rose Bowl Game; his son represented him in the 2014 Rose Parade.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammered the field at Tampa Stadium in the final week of the 1979 season. McKay's Buccaneers needed a win over the Kansas City Chiefs to clinch the NFC Central title. The game was a defensive battle, ending 3–0 in a driving Tampa rainstorm. That victory capped a remarkable turnaround from the 0–26 start just two years prior. The Buccaneers then defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24–17 in a divisional playoff game to advance to the NFC Championship. There, in another defensive battle, they lost to the Los Angeles Rams 9–0. McKay had taken an expansion team that lost its first 26 games to within one game of the Super Bowl in just four seasons.

Reader's Guide

McKay's Buccaneers lost the first 26 games in franchise history: all 14 games in 1976 and the first 12 games of 1977, before finally winning against the New Orleans Saints in 1977.

Did You Know?

• McKay was a tailgunner on B-29s in the Pacific during World War II.
• Two of his USC players, Mike Garrett (1965) and O. J. Simpson (1968), won the Heisman Trophy.
• After a 51–0 loss to Notre Dame in 1966, McKay said, 'They'll never beat us 51–0 again.' He went 6–1–2 vs. Notre Dame after that loss.
• McKay was posthumously inducted into Tampa Bay's 'Ring of Honor' on December 5, 2010.