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Fred McCain, key figure in UNT athletics, dies at 90

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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

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