Former Cleveland State Basketball Coach Kevin Mackey Dies At 79

Cleveland State legend Kevin Mackey, the first Division I men’s basketball coach to win an NCAA Tournament game with a so-called “Cinderella” team, died Tuesday at age 79 from an apparent heart attack, his son, Brian, told ESPN’s Dwayne Bray.

Kevin Mackey Led Cleveland State To Upset Victory Over Indiana

Mackey became the first men’s basketball coach to win an NCAA Tournament game with a “Cinderella” team when his No. 14 seed Cleveland State Vikings defeated the No. 3 seed Indiana Hoosiers 83-79 on March 14, 1986.

The Hoosiers were coached by Hall of Famer Bob Knight and led by All-American Steve Alford. It came a year before the heavily favored Hoosiers returned to win the 1987 NCAA Tournament.

Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the loss of former head coach Kevin Mackey.

Forever grateful for the impact he made on our program. pic.twitter.com/UKikTBpty9

— Cleveland State Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@csu_basketball) November 13, 2025

Led by guard Ken “Mouse” McFadden and forwards Clinton Smith and Clinton Ransey, the Vikings advanced to defeat Saint Joseph’s in the second round.

Cleveland State came within seconds of reaching the Elite Eight before a last-second basket by David Robinson gave Navy a 71-70 victory. Mackey had always referred to the Vikings’ 1985-86 season as a “magic carpet ride.”

Mackey coached CSU from 1984-90, compiling a record of 142-69 (.673). The 1986 season was his only NCAA Tournament appearance with the Vikings, and his only conference tournament championship.

Drug Incident Ended Mackey’s Coaching Career

Mackey’s coaching career took a tragic turn in the summer of 1990, shortly after he signed a two-year, $350,000-a-year contract to remain coach at Cleveland State.

On July 13, 1990, Mackey spent nine hours in a crack house before someone called the Cleveland police and a local television station. The Massachusetts native had acquired an addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol.

Mackey tried to drive away but was pulled over and arrested. The incident was captured on tape and played repeatedly on local news, ending his college basketball coaching career.

According to Bray, Mackey underwent substance abuse treatment with former NBA player John Lucas and coached minor league basketball before Larry Bird, then president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers, hired him as a scout.

Before coaching at Cleveland State, Mackey had been an assistant under Tom Davis at Boston College, where he recruited future NBA players John Bagley and Jay Murphy.

Mackey had been sober for 35 years at the time of his death.