Frank McGuire
Encyclopedia
Frank Joseph McGuire was an American athletic coach who gained his greatest renown in collegiate basketball
.
Born in New York City as the youngest of thirteen children in an Irish-American family, to New York police officer, Robert McGuire and his wife, the former Anne Lynch (his father dying when Frank was only two years old), McGuire graduated from St. John's University in 1936. He served in the United States Navy
during World War II
, interrupting his work as a teacher and coach at his high school. Prior to 1947 he also played pro basketball briefly in the American Basketball League; he then became the head basketball and baseball
coach at his alma mater.
After bringing the baseball team to the College World Series
in 1949 and the basketball team to the Final Four
in 1952 – becoming one of only three coaches to achieve both accomplishments – he left St. John's to become basketball coach at the University of North Carolina
. He guided North Carolina to the 1957 NCAA title
, winning the championship game 54-53 in triple overtime against the Wilt Chamberlain
-led Kansas
team, and finishing the season with a perfect 32-0 record.
In 1961, the lieu of major NCAA violations (along with the rumors of point shaving by some UNC players) created a rift between McGuire and Chancellor William Aycock
leading McGuire to resign after the season. The man who replaced him was Dean Smith
, his assistant coach whom he recommended for the job. Shortly after he left North Carolina, McGuire became the head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors
and coached Chamberlain during the Warriors' last season before they moved to San Francisco, California
. McGuire resigned rather than move west with the team. During his season playing for McGuire, Chamberlain set his all time record for scoring average in a season, of 50.4 points per game.
Following his brief period in the NBA, McGuire became basketball coach at the University of South Carolina
in 1964.
The Gamecocks quickly achieved national prominence and went undefeated in the ACC in 1970 and won the ACC tourney in 1971, after which USC would leave the Atlantic Coast Conference and become an independent. To this day, that is the only ACC tourney title won by a school from the state of South Carolina. McGuire would then go on to take USC to the NCAA tournament several times as an independent.
McGuire holds the record for most victories in a season without a loss, together with Bobby Knight of the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, at 32-0.
He achieved the number one ranking with both the University of North Carolina and South Carolina, and is one of three coaches--Larry Brown
and Roy Williams
are the others—to take two different schools to the NCAA Finals.
McGuire was famous for using his New York City ties to enlist players to come south to play at UNC and USC, and was known as one of the top recruiters in the sport, frequently joking about how successful his New York City players, many of them Jewish and Catholic, were in Baptist-prevalent North Carolina and South Carolina.
Players that he coached or successfully recruited at the two schools include Lennie Rosenbluth
, Larry Brown
, Donnie Walsh
, Doug Moe
, Billy Cunningham
, Bobby Cremins
, John Roche, Tom Owens
, Tom Riker
, Kevin Joyce
, Brian Winters
, Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
and Alex English
.
After having been the first coach to take two different schools to the finals of the NCAA basketball tournament, in 1971 he became the second coach – joining Eddie Hickey
– to take three different schools to the NCAA tournament. McGuire was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977, and retired in 1980.
He is the winningest coach in South Carolina history, and is still the third-winningest coach in North Carolina history. He died in Columbia, South Carolina
three days after his birthday.
He is not related to Marquette
coach Al McGuire
, who was a coaching contemporary of his. However, he did coach both Al and his brother Dick McGuire
at St. John's.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
.
Born in New York City as the youngest of thirteen children in an Irish-American family, to New York police officer, Robert McGuire and his wife, the former Anne Lynch (his father dying when Frank was only two years old), McGuire graduated from St. John's University in 1936. He served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, interrupting his work as a teacher and coach at his high school. Prior to 1947 he also played pro basketball briefly in the American Basketball League; he then became the head basketball and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
coach at his alma mater.
After bringing the baseball team to the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
in 1949 and the basketball team to the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
in 1952 – becoming one of only three coaches to achieve both accomplishments – he left St. John's to become basketball coach at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. He guided North Carolina to the 1957 NCAA title
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, winning the championship game 54-53 in triple overtime against the Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
-led Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
team, and finishing the season with a perfect 32-0 record.
In 1961, the lieu of major NCAA violations (along with the rumors of point shaving by some UNC players) created a rift between McGuire and Chancellor William Aycock
William Brantley Aycock
William Brantley Aycock is an American educator who served as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1957 until 1964 and is the retired Kenan Professor of Law at the UNC School of Law....
leading McGuire to resign after the season. The man who replaced him was Dean Smith
Dean Smith
Dean Edwards Smith is a retired American head coach of men's college basketball. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Smith has been called a “coaching legend” by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith is best known for his successful 36-year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel...
, his assistant coach whom he recommended for the job. Shortly after he left North Carolina, McGuire became the head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and coached Chamberlain during the Warriors' last season before they moved to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. McGuire resigned rather than move west with the team. During his season playing for McGuire, Chamberlain set his all time record for scoring average in a season, of 50.4 points per game.
Following his brief period in the NBA, McGuire became basketball coach at the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
in 1964.
The Gamecocks quickly achieved national prominence and went undefeated in the ACC in 1970 and won the ACC tourney in 1971, after which USC would leave the Atlantic Coast Conference and become an independent. To this day, that is the only ACC tourney title won by a school from the state of South Carolina. McGuire would then go on to take USC to the NCAA tournament several times as an independent.
McGuire holds the record for most victories in a season without a loss, together with Bobby Knight of the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, at 32-0.
He achieved the number one ranking with both the University of North Carolina and South Carolina, and is one of three coaches--Larry Brown
Larry Brown (basketball)
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
and Roy Williams
Roy Williams (coach)
Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
are the others—to take two different schools to the NCAA Finals.
McGuire was famous for using his New York City ties to enlist players to come south to play at UNC and USC, and was known as one of the top recruiters in the sport, frequently joking about how successful his New York City players, many of them Jewish and Catholic, were in Baptist-prevalent North Carolina and South Carolina.
Players that he coached or successfully recruited at the two schools include Lennie Rosenbluth
Lennie Rosenbluth
Leonard Robert "Lennie" Rosenbluth is an American former basketball player.-Biography:...
, Larry Brown
Larry Brown (basketball)
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
, Donnie Walsh
Donnie Walsh
Joseph Donald Walsh Jr., better known as Donnie Walsh is a former professional basketball coach, and former president of basketball operations for the New York Knicks.-Biography:...
, Doug Moe
Doug Moe
Douglas Edwin Moe is an American professional basketball coach. He is most closely associated with the Denver Nuggets franchise....
, Billy Cunningham
Billy Cunningham
William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...
, Bobby Cremins
Bobby Cremins
Bobby Cremins is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the College of Charleston's men's basketball team, and former head coach at Appalachian State and Georgia Tech.-Early years:...
, John Roche, Tom Owens
Tom Owens
Thomas William Owens is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'10" center from the University of South Carolina, Owens played five seasons in the American Basketball Association and seven seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Carolina Cougars, Memphis...
, Tom Riker
Tom Riker
Thomas E. Riker is an American former professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the NBA. He was a 6'10", 225 lb...
, Kevin Joyce
Kevin Joyce (basketball)
Kevin Francis Joyce is a retired American basketball player.A 6'3" guard, Joyce played at the University of South Carolina. During the 1971 ACC Tournament championship game, he out-jumped North Carolina's 6-10 Lee Dedmon with seconds left to tap the ball to a wide open Tom Owens under the basket...
, Brian Winters
Brian Winters
Brian Joseph Winters is a former NBA guard/forward, coach and former WNBA head coach. He attended academic and athletic powerhouse Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, NY, graduating in 1970. He then played collegiately with the University of South Carolina and was the 12th pick in the 1974...
, Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Michael Joseph Dunleavy is a retired American professional basketball player, former head coach, and former general manager of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. He is the father of Indiana Pacers player Mike Dunleavy, Jr.-Early life:...
and Alex English
Alex English
Alexander English is a retired American basketball player and former assistant coach of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association who played at the forward position...
.
After having been the first coach to take two different schools to the finals of the NCAA basketball tournament, in 1971 he became the second coach – joining Eddie Hickey
Eddie Hickey
Edgar S. "Eddie" Hickey was a college men's basketball coach. He coached at his alma mater of Creighton University , St. Louis University and Marquette University , compiling a 436-231 record...
– to take three different schools to the NCAA tournament. McGuire was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977, and retired in 1980.
He is the winningest coach in South Carolina history, and is still the third-winningest coach in North Carolina history. He died in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
three days after his birthday.
He is not related to Marquette
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
coach Al McGuire
Al McGuire
Al McGuire was the head coach of the Marquette University men's basketball team from 1964 to 1977. He compiled impressive numbers throughout his coaching career, resulting in his induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992, and was also well known for his colorful personality.-Early life:He...
, who was a coaching contemporary of his. However, he did coach both Al and his brother Dick McGuire
Dick McGuire
Richard Joseph "Dick" McGuire was an American professional basketball player and coach.One of the premier guards of the 1950s, McGuire spent eleven seasons in the NBA , eight with the New York Knicks and three with the Detroit Pistons...
at St. John's.