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They said it

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 11, 2001

• Main story • Photo gallery • Hubert Mizell: Here is a well-earned hug, Coach • Gary Shelton: Giving thanks to coach • A coach's life • Memorable quips • They said it

"He endured some criticism, especially in the early years. I really respected him and admired him during those times because he stuck to what he believed in. Over the course of time not only did it work for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but I also saw several other teams adopting some of the philosophies ... many critics said would not work.

"Over a short period of time I got to know him as an individual, as a person and as a friend. I really admired the type of person Coach McKay was." -- Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon, the first player selected by McKay and the Bucs in 1976

"John McKay never bit his tongue. He said exactly what he thought all the time.

"As a coach you never let people know that you have favorites. But I think Coach McKay sometimes couldn't hide the fact that I was one of his favorites. ... Somebody came up to me one day and said, 'If he puts the letters "ie" at the back of your name, he likes you.' From the day I got there, he always called me 'Dougie'. It didn't matter how bad things were, how bad we were losing or anything else. When I got to the sideline, he'd always say, 'Don't worry about it, Dougie. It's going to be fine, Dougie.'

"He was a father figure to me. On the field he wore that white cap, so you never ever really knew what he was thinking, but he was a terrific man, a terrific coach and an outstanding person." -- Doug Williams, Grambling coach and former Bucs quarterback who McKay selected in the first round of 1978 draft

"I'm forever indebted to him for what he instilled in me. To this day my whole thinking process involves some of the things I learned from him. He lives with me daily. I shall always remember him." -- Mike Garrett, USC athletic director and McKay's first Heisman Trophy winner in 1965

"I think he was the best evaluator of talent that I've ever seen. He would have some high school kid who was an All-America linebacker and the first day he'd watch him practice say, 'You're a tight end.' Two years later, that kid was an All-America tight end.

"He was my best friend's father 12 months a year and a football coach of mine for three months a year. And so I had a very good relationship with him.

"When Fresno State or someone like that knocked on the door, he wasn't home. But he always knew when Notre Dame was coming by, or Stanford, or Nebraska, or Alabama. For schools like that, he always answered the door." -- Pat Haden, former USC quarterback and best friend of McKay's son, J.K. Haden lived with the McKays during his senior year in high school.

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