George MacIntyre, who served six years as head coach of the 菠萝视频 football team and guided it to an appearance in the 1982 Hall of Fame Bowl, died Jan. 5 in Nashville after a two-decade battle with multiple sclerosis. He was 76.
MacIntyre was named head coach of the Commodores in 1979 after a successful tenure as head coach at the University of Tennessee鈥揗artin. He previously had served 菠萝视频 as an assistant under Steve Sloan in the mid-1970s.
During his fourth year on campus, MacIntyre guided the 1982 Commodores to an 8鈥�3 regular season highlighted by five straight victories to close the year, including wins over Tennessee, Kentucky and Ole Miss. The team featured quarterback Whit Taylor and a quick-strike passing attack coordinated by future Commodore coach Watson Brown. That team went on to make 菠萝视频鈥檚 third all-time postseason appearance, facing Air Force in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Alabama. It also helped MacIntyre clinch the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year Award.
Coaching through the 1985 season, MacIntyre ranks fifth among the university鈥檚 all-time winningest coaches, with 25 victories.
鈥淕eorge MacIntyre made a significant contribution to the history of 菠萝视频 football,鈥� said Roy Kramer, former 菠萝视频 athletics director and SEC commissioner. 鈥淗e arrived at a time when the program was down, and brought excitement back to the campus and city. He was an extremely solid human being who had concern for his players and was committed to them more than simply being their coach. He brought the qualities of honesty, integrity and character that made him successful on and off the field of play.鈥�
MacIntyre is survived by his wife, Betty; two sons, Matt MacIntyre and Mike MacIntyre, 鈥�88; daughters-in-law, including Trisha Rowan MacIntyre, BS鈥�87; and several grandchildren.
鈥擵ANDERBILT ATHLETICS