It happened to be Alter, Place said. That’s where his Hall of Fame coaching career began in 1969 on the staff of Bill Rankin.
“(McVay) was just that kind of guy,” said Place, who coached Chaminade Julienne to a state championship in 2002. “He was more than a coach. He took care of his players.”
Place is now paying back McVay, who died in November at 91, by helping organize a Celebration of Life banquet that will be held at the Presidential Banquet Center in Dayton on Monday night.
Among the expected guests is Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who owned the San Francisco 49ers during the years McVay was the general manager. DeBartolo graduated from Notre Dame but also attended UD. According to a report by The Athletic in November, DeBartolo took class at UD while he was in Dayton supervising a project for his dad, a developer.
McVay coached the Flyers from 1965-72. DeBartolo hired him as director of player personnel for the 49ers in February of 1979.
Place said DeBartolo roomed with a Dayton football player named Greg Bringard, who played from 1965-68. Place played at UD in the same years and was a captain in 1968.
“Eddie hung around with us,” Place said. “He was the leader of pranks. We all have fond memories of Eddie.”
McVay’s sons — John, Jim and Tim — will also attend the banquet. Former UD football coaches Mike Kelly and Rick Chamberlin are on the guest list as is Dayton’s winningest basketball coach, Don Donoher. Ninety five of McVay’s former players are expected to attend.
McVay’s grandson, Sean, the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, sent a video tribute that will be played at the event.
McVay was 34 when he got the head coaching job at Dayton in January of 1965. His first team finished 1-8-1, but his second team improved to 8-2 in 1966. He coached the program through the 1972 season.
“There’s two kinds of football,” Place said. “There’s finesse football, and there’s physical football, and we were a physical football team, no doubt about it.”
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