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Fred McCain, who contributed to the development of the University of North Texas athletic department in just about every conceivable capacity, died Tuesday morning. He was 90. McCain was a star quarterback for UNT in the 1940s, an assistant football coach from 1950-71, ran the UNT Coliseum from 1973-82 and served as the school’s athletic director from 1982-87. He was inducted into the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. “He was a mainstay of North Texas athletics,” said former UNT men’s basketball coach Jimmy Gales, who worked for McCain during his time as athletic director. “All the guys who worked and played for him genuinely liked him. “That says a lot about him.” Two of those players were Abner Haynes and Leon King, who in 1956 became the first black players to integrate a college athletic program in Texas. King and Ken Bahnsen, an assistant coach at UNT at the time, credited McCain for playing a large role in the successful transition the pair made. “Coach McCain was very instrumental in our coming here,” King said Tuesday. “Abner and I came up and talked to coach McCain and [uNT head football coach Odus] Mitchell. They welcomed us with open arms.” Haynes and King played for Bahnsen on the freshman team before moving up to the varsity team, where McCain was the offensive coordinator. Bahnsen credited McCain for making the arrangements for Haynes and King when UNT went on the road. McCain had to make sure Haynes and King had a place to stay and places to eat before integration spread throughout the South. “He had all that responsibility,” Bahnsen said. “He had to get with Abner’s dad, who was a preacher, so that he could find a place for Abner and Leon to stay when we went to Memphis. He had to make sure that they had a pregame and postgame meal on the road and that we had a bus we could use.” Some of the best seasons in the history of UNT’s football program came when McCain was an assistant coach. - See more at: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130226-fred-mccain-key-figure-in-unt-athletics-dies-at-90.ece#sthash.oxYCvL1y.dpuf Fred McCain, who contributed to the development of the University of North Texas athletic department in just about every conceivable capacity, died Tuesday morning. He was 90. McCain was a star quarterback for UNT in the 1940s, an assistant football coach from 1950-71, ran the UNT Coliseum from 1973-82 and served as the school’s athletic director from 1982-87. He was inducted into the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. “He was a mainstay of North Texas athletics,” said former UNT men’s basketball coach Jimmy Gales, who worked for McCain during his time as athletic director. “All the guys who worked and played for him genuinely liked him. “That says a lot about him.” Two of those players were Abner Haynes and Leon King, who in 1956 became the first black players to integrate a college athletic program in Texas. King and Ken Bahnsen, an assistant coach at UNT at the time, credited McCain for playing a large role in the successful transition the pair made. “Coach McCain was very instrumental in our coming here,” King said Tuesday. “Abner and I came up and talked to coach McCain and [uNT head football coach Odus] Mitchell. They welcomed us with open arms.” Haynes and King played for Bahnsen on the freshman team before moving up to the varsity team, where McCain was the offensive coordinator. Bahnsen credited McCain for making the arrangements for Haynes and King when UNT went on the road. McCain had to make sure Haynes and King had a place to stay and places to eat before integration spread throughout the South. “He had all that responsibility,” Bahnsen said. “He had to get with Abner’s dad, who was a preacher, so that he could find a place for Abner and Leon to stay when we went to Memphis. He had to make sure that they had a pregame and postgame meal on the road and that we had a bus we could use.” Some of the best seasons in the history of UNT’s football program came when McCain was an assistant coach. - See more at: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130226-fred-mccain-key-figure-in-unt-athletics-dies-at-90.ece#sthash.oxYCvL1y.dpuf Fred McCain, who contributed to the development of the University of North Texas athletic department in just about every conceivable capacity, died Tuesday morning. He was 90. McCain was a star quarterback for UNT in the 1940s, an assistant football coach from 1950-71, ran the UNT Coliseum from 1973-82 and served as the school’s athletic director from 1982-87. He was inducted into the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. “He was a mainstay of North Texas athletics,” said former UNT men’s basketball coach Jimmy Gales, who worked for McCain during his time as athletic director. “All the guys who worked and played for him genuinely liked him. “That says a lot about him.” Two of those players were Abner Haynes and Leon King, who in 1956 became the first black players to integrate a college athletic program in Texas. King and Ken Bahnsen, an assistant coach at UNT at the time, credited McCain for playing a large role in the successful transition the pair made. “Coach McCain was very instrumental in our coming here,” King said Tuesday. “Abner and I came up and talked to coach McCain and [uNT head football coach Odus] Mitchell. They welcomed us with open arms.” Haynes and King played for Bahnsen on the freshman team before moving up to the varsity team, where McCain was the offensive coordinator. Bahnsen credited McCain for making the arrangements for Haynes and King when UNT went on the road. McCain had to make sure Haynes and King had a place to stay and places to eat before integration spread throughout the South. - See more at: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130226-fred-mccain-key-figure-in-unt-athletics-dies-at-90.ece#sthash.oxYCvL1y.dpuf Fred McCain, who contributed to the development of the University of North Texas athletic department in just about every conceivable capacity, died Tuesday morning. He was 90. McCain was a star quarterback for UNT in the 1940s, an assistant football coach from 1950-71, ran the UNT Coliseum from 1973-82 and served as the school’s athletic director from 1982-87. He was inducted into the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. “He was a mainstay of North Texas athletics,” said former UNT men’s basketball coach Jimmy Gales, who worked for McCain during his time as athletic director. “All the guys who worked and played for him genuinely liked him. “That says a lot about him.” Two of those players were Abner Haynes and Leon King, who in 1956 became the first black players to integrate a college athletic program in Texas. King and Ken Bahnsen, an assistant coach at UNT at the time, credited McCain for playing a large role in the successful transition the pair made. “Coach McCain was very instrumental in our coming here,” King said Tuesday. “Abner and I came up and talked to coach McCain and [uNT head football coach Odus] Mitchell. They welcomed us with open arms.” Haynes and King played for Bahnsen on the freshman team before moving up to the varsity team, where McCain was the offensive coordinator. read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130226-fred-mccain-key-figure-in-unt-athletics-dies-at-90.ece