Weber State basketball mourns the loss of longtime Wildcat coach Neil McCarthy who passed away Saturday, September 18, at his home in Salt Lake City at the age of 81.
McCarthy was the head coach at Weber State from 1975-85 and was one of the most successful coaches in school and Big Sky history.
During his career, he led Weber State to four Big Sky Championships, four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and one trip to the NIT.
He was a three-time Big Sky Coach of the Year, earning the honor in 1978, 1980 and 1983.
After beginning his Weber State career as the Wildcat freshman coach in 1974, he took over as head coach in January 1975 and coached the Wildcats until 1985.
He posted a career record of 205-105 (.661) in his 10 seasons at Weber State and was 99-52 (.656) in Big Sky play. The 205 wins is the second-most victories in Weber State history.
During the 1977-78 season, Weber State moved into the brand new Dee Events Center. That year, the Wildcats won the Big Sky postseason tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Weber State won the regular season and postseason title in 1979 and defeated New Mexico State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The 1979-80 Weber State team had one of the best seasons in school history. The Wildcats posted a 26-3 overall record and won the Big Sky title with a 13-1 record. Weber State won 18-straight games at one point during the season and lost to Lamar in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Ogden.
That team was led by seniors Bruce Collins, David Johnson, Mark Mattos and Richard Smith, known as McCarthy's Kids, known as McCarthy's Kids. Collins was Weber State's all-time leading scorer until 2017. All four players are in the Weber State Hall of Fame.
McCarthy's team also won the Big Sky title in 1983 and again advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats also won the regular season title in 1984.
He was inducted into the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.
Following his career at Weber State, he spent 12 seasons as head coach at New Mexico State where he led the Aggies to three conference titles and five trips to the NCAA Tournament, including the Sweet 16 in 1992.