Kevin Mackey, the college basketball coach who guided Cleveland State to an upset victory in the 1986 NCAA Tournament, died Tuesday from an apparent heart attack. He was 80.
Mackey’s son, Brian Mackey, confirmed his father’s death to ESPN.
Kevin Mackey was the first Division I men’s basketball coach to win an NCAA Tournament game with a “Cinderella” squad.
On March 14, 1986, Mackey’s 14th-seeded Vikings took down No. 3 Indiana and Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight, winning 83-79 with a “run ‘n’ stun” offense.
Mackey referred to the Vikings’ 1985-86 season as a “magic carpet ride.”
Indiana would return to win the NCAA title the following year, but on this night, Mackey’s squad, from the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, frustrated a team led by Steve Alford.
R.I.P to former Cleveland state head coach Kevin Mackey. I’ll miss our phone calls 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/q3AZl5ZDW7
— Coach Rob Summers (@CoachRobSummers) November 12, 2025
Led by guard Ken “Mouse” McFadden and forwards Clinton Smith and Clinton Ransey, Cleveland State defeated Saint Joseph’s in the second round and was within seconds of advancing to the Elite Eight before falling to Navy. David Robinson’s last-second basketball allowed Navy to escape with a 71-70 victory.
Mackey, nicknamed the “King of Cleveland,” spiraled downward after becoming addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol. He was in a crack house on July 13, 1990, and was pulled over when he left and tried to drive away.
That ended his college coaching career.
Mackey underwent substance abuse treatment with former NBA player John Lucas and coached minor league basketball before he was hired by the Indiana Pacers as a scout.
Mackey had been sober for 35 years at the time of his death and had been living in Walpole, Massachusetts.
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