‘He was Golden’: Local icon Marv Kay dies at age 84

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Marv Kay, a staple of the Golden and Colorado School of Mines communities for decades, died April 19 at age 84.

e former Golden mayor and Mines football coach was preceded in death by his wife, Diane, who died March 15. e two were married for 55 years.

Kay’s survived by his two children, Chandra Polk and Kendra Sund, both of Golden; three grandchildren; a great-grandson; and four siblings.

e Kay family is holding a private memorial at this time. O cials con rmed there will be a public memorial for him at a later date.

“Marv Kay was Golden,” the city stated on its Facebook page. “ ... He helped build our great community into the vibrant place it is today. He will be missed, and his legacy lives on.”

David Hansburg, Mines’ director of athletics, described how Kay was the “greatest Oredigger of all time,” and similarly felt that his legacy will live on at the Mines campus, in Golden and beyond.

“Rarely do we see people like Coach Kay who have committed their entire life to one school and the surrounding community,” Hansburg stated.

Kay was heavily involved with the Mines football program as a player, coach, athletic director and fan. His last interview with e Transcript was in December, as the Mines football team was traveling to the NCAA Division II National Championship game, when he expressed how he was proud of the Orediggers’ accomplishments.

“Marv Kay was everything at Mines — a student-athlete, coach, administrator, fundraiser, mentor, leader, and friend,” the Mines football team and Athletics Department stated on Facebook. “He is an irreplaceable icon, and we will forever miss him.”

‘The greatest Oredigger’ e family later moved to the Western Slope, where Kay grew

Marv Kay was born in 1939 in Golden, where his father was a junior at Mines.