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He counseled some and cut others, say those who gather to honor the team's first coach.
By ROGER MILLS
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 14, 2001
TAMPA -- When the friends and former players had left Higgins Hall on Wednesday afternoon, a clear picture emerged of the man who about 400 well-wishers came to honor.
Former Bucs and University of Southern California coach John McKay, 77, the gregarious football mind who died Sunday from kidney failure due to complications from diabetes, touched the lives of so many in so many ways.
To some he was the brutal reminder of the hardships of professional football.
To others he was a fatherly figure willing to listen and advise.
To others still, he was a man whose wit and unflappable disposition made tolerable the seemingly unbearable burden of the franchise's early losing seasons.
"There are a lot of guys who couldn't handle that, who wouldn't have been around for those 26 losses," said Val Pinchbeck, a longtime friend of McKay's and a former NFL executive who lives in Tampa. "I thought his sense of humor was able to prevail. I think John had a great career and it's great to be remembered for it."
After the two-hour service, we now know this about McKay, who once cut a player because he commented on the smell of McKay's cigar: He also counseled a player whose son was born premature.
Former punter Dave Green, who said he had his run-ins with McKay and that the late coach never liked kickers, remembered how understanding McKay was when Micha (now 22) was born four months early.
"I've been fortunate enough where there were times when he would sit down with me and just talk about (life)," Green said. "When my son was born he ... weighed a pound and a half and (Coach McKay) sat down and gave me a little fatherly talk. He said that training camp was coming up and not to worry about coming, stay home with the family."
Former linebacker Richard "Batman" Wood, who played for McKay at USC and with the Bucs, described his former coach as having a "fatherly type attitude" to coaching.
"He was very quiet at times, very quiet, but a great father you would want," Wood said. "You could speak to him at any time. He would talk to you unexpectedly. He would discipline you when you needed to be disciplined. He let you be a man. But (he reminded you), 'I'm still the dad, so don't go too far.' "
Among those who came to honor McKay, the team's first coach and the father of Bucs general manager Rich McKay, were former coach Ray Perkins, Joy Culverhouse, the widow of former Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse, and current players John Lynch and Dave Moore.
In the hallway, one television played video of McKay's days at USC, while another showed footage from his time with the Bucs. The McKay family is scheduled to hold a private ceremony today.
Former Pro Bowl tight end Jimmie Giles described McKay as one of the game's "pioneers."
"From my perspective, Coach McKay really gave a lot of minorities an opportunity to play," Giles said. "I think he revolutionized the game of football and I think some of the things that he did are still being held in the NFL today."
But, Giles said McKay had a short fuse. Giles said former defensive end Joe Campbell was cut moments after commenting on the bad smell of McKay's cigar as McKay came off the practice field.
"You really didn't want to feel his wrath," he said. "We couldn't believe it. Coach was coming off (the practice field) smoking and (Campbell) said, 'Hey, that cigar stinks!' About two seconds later, Coach tells (assistant coach) Wayne Fontes, 'Get him out of here!' He didn't make the next practice."