Longtime Weber State Basketball Head Coach Neil McCarthy Passes Away

OGDEN, Utah – Weber State basketball announced that longtime head coach Neil McCarthy passed away at the age of 81 at his home in Salt Lake City.

Neil McCarthy passed away on Saturday, September 18. He was the head coach of Weber State from 1975-85 and was successful at the helm in the Big Sky.

McCarthy led the Wildcats to four Big Sky Championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances and one trip to the NIT. He was a three-time Big Sky Coach of the Year, earning the award in 1978, 1980 and 1983. McCarthy started his career at Weber State in 1974 as the freshman coach but took over as the head coach in January of 1975.

During his time at Weber State, McCarthy posted a record of 205-105, including a 99-52 mark in conference play. It’s the most wins in Weber State basketball history.

Weber State mourns the passing of former longtime men's basketball head coach Neil McCarthy.

McCarthy was head coach at Weber State from 1975-85 and won 205 games, four #BigSkyMBB titles and made four trips to the NCAA Tournament. https://t.co/2MjvdwgiXu#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/rcfGdInlc3

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) September 20, 2021

McCarthy helped usher the program into the Dee Events Center when it first opened ahead of the 1977-78 season. They won the Big Sky tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament.

After his time at Weber State, McCarthy spent 12 seasons as the head coach at New Mexico State, leading the Aggies to three conference titles and five appearances in the NCAA Tournament. In 1992, NMSU reached the Sweet 16.

McCarthy was inducted into the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.