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Al McGuire

Al McGuire (1928-2001)

Teams coached: Belmont Abbey Crusaders, Marquette Warriors
Marquette record: 296-79 (.789)
Overall record^: 405-142 (.740)

Career Accomplishments:

  • NCAA National Championships:  1  (1977)
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  9  (1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977)
  • NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  8  (1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977)
  • NCAA Tournament Final Four:  2  (1974, 1977)
  • NIT Championships:  1  (1970)
  • NIT Appearances:  2  (1967, 1970)
  • NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances:  3  (1959, 1960, 1961)
  • Helms Foundation National Championships:  1  (1977)

Awards:

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1964-1977 Marquette
1957-1964 Belmont Abbey
1955-1957 Dartmouth (asst)

Al McGuire Facts

  • Alfred Emanuel McGuire
  • Born September 7, 1928
  • Died January 26, 2001
  • Hometown: New York City, New York
  • Alma Mater: St. John’s University (BA, 1951)
  • NYC-native McGuire played at St. John’s under head coach Frank McGuire (no relation); served as team captain as a senior
    • Spent three seasons playing in the NBA, first with the New York Knicks (under Joe Lapchick) and then with the Baltimore Bullets (under Clair Bee)
  • Started coaching career in 1955 as an assistant to head coach Doggie Julian at Dartmouth
  • Spent seven seasons as the head coach at Division II Belmont Abbey College (NC), where he went 109-63 overall
  • Took over at Marquette at 1964, when the program was a Division I Independent and known as the “Warriors”
    • Led Marquette to nine NCAA Tournaments, making it to at least the Sweet 16 eight times
    • Runner-up in the 1967 NIT and then became NIT champions three years later in 1970
    • Runner-up in the 1974 NCAA Tournament, losing 76-64 in the title game to NC State
    • Won the NCAA Tournament in 1977, defeating North Carolina in the final to win the program’s first national title
      • McGuire announced midway through the 1976-77 season that he would retire at the end of the year, so the title game served as his final game as a head coach
  • After a year in the business world, McGuire began what would be long broadcasting career with stints at NBC and CBS
    • McGuire called many NCAA Tournament games and served as the basketball analyst for the 1988 Olympic Games
  • Older brother – Dick McGuire – also played at St. John’s and went on to coach both the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons
    • As a player, Dick was a 7x NBA All-Star and had his number #15 retired by the Knicks in 1992
    • Dick and Al McGuire are the only two brothers to both be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
  • In addition to the Hall of Fame honors listed above, McGuire as inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993
  • Marquette opened the Al McGuire Center on campus in 2004, hosting women’s basketball and volleyball games
    • The floor at the new Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee is named “Al McGuire Court” for Marquette basketball games
  • Passed away after a long battle with leukemia in January 2001 at the age of 72
    • Survived by his wife, Patricia, two sons and one daughter
    • One son – Allie – played at Marquette and briefly for the New York Knicks

Al McGuire Coaching Tree

  • Jim Boylan (Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, New Hampshire)
  • Bo Ellis (Chicago State)
  • Rick Majerus (Saint Louis, Utah, Ball State, Marquette)
  • Danny Nee (Merchant Marine, Duquesne, Robert Morris, Nebraska, Ohio)
  • Hank Raymonds (Marquette)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the Division I and Division II levels