If you’re a Cleveland State fan of a certain age, you’ve probably imagined a timeline that took place if the events of July 13, 1990 had never happened. But for Kevin Mackey, those events probably saved his life, even if his job as CSU’s head coach wasn’t.
While it seems like his college head coaching career was brief, Mackey’s outstripped influence at the helm of the Cleveland State can still be felt today. Years after his ouster, and his subsequent sobriety, he remained inextricably linked to CSU and stayed in touch with future Viking coaches, including Gary Waters, Dennis Gates, Daniyal Robinson and currently, Rob Summers.
Mackey passed away at the age of 79.
The Vikings of the 1980s were the stuff of legend, as Mackey, the Boston College assistant hired to replace Ray Deiringer in 1983, provided CSU with the spark to make a run at any program in the country. And, of course, that was on full display during the 1985-86 season, starting with the Vikings shocking Indiana, then besting St. Joseph’s before ultimately being nipped in the Sweet Sixteen by future Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson and Navy.
Mackey’s record, even as the NCAA dropped an excessive hammer on Cleveland State because of violations stemming from the recruitment of Manute Bol (who never played at CSU) was unmatched in Viking history, with two NIT appearances to go along with the NCAA run. His .673 winning percentage remains the highest of any Cleveland State coach. Clinton Smith’s selection in the 1986 NBA Draft would be the last Viking picked until Norris Cole became a first-rounder in 2011. And a pair of Mackey’s players, Ken “Mouse” McFadden and Clinton Ransey, have their numbers retired.
It should be lost on anyone that Mackey’s success and emergence from NCAA probation is likely what spurred CSU to move forward with construction of the Wolstein Center. And prior to July 13, 1990, Cleveland State officials probably had a gleam in their eyes thinking of what Mackey and his Vikings squad would bring to the newly-minted arena.
But that wasn’t meant to be. And for Mackey, even as he broke his addictions, couldn’t break back into college basketball again. In the years after, he stayed active in coaching elsewhere, though, taking his talents to the minor leagues. And he excelled at the lower levels, leading the Atlantic City Seagulls to three straight USBL championships and the Mansfield Hawks to an IBA title.
There had always been hope among some CSU fans that Mackey could re-emerge on the Viking bench, as CSU was in the market for a head coach in 1996, 2003 and 2006. Ultimately, though, Cleveland State always went in another direction, probably wary that there might be a repeat of his tenure. But given his interactions with the coaches that followed him, he maintained his link to the institution that made him, for a time, a beloved part of CSU hoops, warts and all.
And he always stayed in the game, in some shape or form. Mackey transitioned from coach to scout, taking on that role for the Indiana Pacers in 2003 and stayed there until his ultimate retirement in 2021.
It’s easy to paper over the circumstances that led to Mackey’s dismissal, but in the years afterwards, as the sting of it all has long subsided, anyone in town around in the 1980s will remember what he accomplished and, for a time, have bestowed upon him a title that would later be made far more famous by LeBron James:
The King of Cleveland.
Subscribe to our emails, and get our latest posts in your inbox, plus a weekly digest of everything we've published!
