Tribute To Bill McKee

I had to take some time to gather my thoughts after I found out about the passing of Augsburg Head Coach Bill McKee after a courageous battle with kidney cancer.  Having lost my mother to leukemia and an older brother to brain cancer, I can certainly relate to the grief and sorrow that the McKee family bears at this time.  But I wanted to focus on how I knew him and what a great person and coach that he was.

Sadly, I don't think I knew Bill as well as I should have and certainly wanted to.  Still, there was something about Bill that I couldn't help but notice.  He was a remarkable professional both on and off the court but, even more than that, what caught my eye about Bill early on was his demeanor on the bench.  You simply didn't see Bill get that upset on the floor during a game simply because that wasn't his way.  I can only recall one occasion where I saw Bill upset with a call and all you got was a sour look and a wave of hands. 

When Bill took over a struggling Augsburg program back in 2011, I knew it would only be a matter of time before he righted the ship and had the Auggies going in the right direction in an incredibly competitive MIAC.  After falling just short of the playoffs the last few seasons, Augsburg broke through this last season and snared the sixth spot in the MIAC playoffs and pulled off the shocker of the season when they defeated a very good Concordia squad up in Moorhead before falling to eventual MIAC playoff champion UST (which, oh, by the way, made another great run in the NCAA Tournament this last March). 

My heart goes out to all the current and former players who were lucky enough to not only have him as a coach but a mentor as well.  Women's basketball and the MIAC have lost a great coach and an even better person.  I was lucky enough to be able to talk to Bill a few times during the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League when the Augsburg teams were competing and he was keeping a sharp eye on his squads.  I also had the pleasure of talking to him after games whether his team won or lost.  He genuinely cared about his players not only on the court but off the court as well.  He will be dearly missed.