Hall of Fame Coach Al McGuire Dies

M I L W A U K E E, Jan. 26, 2001 -- Al McGuire, the Hall of Fame coach who took hislove of basketball from the streets of New York to the NCAAchampionship and the broadcast booth, died today. He was 72.

McGuire, who reportedly was battling leukemia, died peacefullysurrounded by his family, according to a statement from his son,Al. The statement, released by Marquette University, did notdisclose the cause of death.

"Our family has marveled over the past months at his innerstrength and enthusiasm to live each day to its fullest," he said."Even as his illness wreaked havoc on his body, he remainedresolute in mind. He will be deeply missed."

McGuire retired from CBS Sports as a college basketballbroadcaster after calling a Wisconsin-Indiana game March 5.He said at the time he had a form of anemia but was not morespecific.

11 Postseason Berths in 12 Seasons

McGuire was one of college basketball's most successful coachesfor 20 years, leading Marquette to 11 postseason appearances,capped with an NCAA title.

McGuire played at St. John's before a brief NBA career thatended in 1955. He then made his mark on the sport as a coach andbroadcaster, earning him election to the Hall of Fame in 1992.

His head coaching career started at Belmont Abbey in 1958 and hemoved on to Marquette in 1965. In his 12 seasons there, his teamsreached postseason play 11 times, the last in 1977 when theWarriors beat North Carolina in the title game in Atlanta.

Rather than join the celebration as most coaches do, McGuire saton the bench by himself, his face buried in his hands, crying. Itturned out to be his last game as a coach, as he retired shortlyafter.

Fans Loved ‘McGuireisms’

He joined NBC the next year, and his constant banter with fellowanalyst Billy Packer became a staple for college basketball fans."McGuireisms" like "tap city," "white-knuckler" and"aircraft carrier" became part of the sport's vocabulary.

"At first they had me worried," he said of his start at NBC."They put my commentary on a corner of the screen and I thought Iwas talking for the deaf. I was all ready to use hand signals."

One of his more famous lines came when Packer said NorthCarolina center Geoff Crompton, who weighed more than 300 pounds,had lost 15 pounds. Without hesitation McGuire responded: "That'slike the Queen Mary losing a deck chair."

He joined CBS for the 1992 NCAA tournament and worked for themuntil his retirement last March. He entered a suburban Milwaukeehospital in July and was later transferred to a managed carefacility.

NIT Championship in 1970

McGuire finished with a career coaching record of 405-143,including a 295-80 mark at Marquette. His overall winningpercentage of .739 was 17th on the career list entering the 2000-01season.

The Warriors won the NIT in 1970, the last time a school turneddown an NCAA bid.

McGuire was unhappy with where regional Marquette, which had a19-3 record and was ranked eighth in the country, would be sent toby the NCAA tournament committee, so he opted to play in the NIT.The Warriors beat LSU and Pete Maravich in the semifinals and thenknocked off local favorite St. John's in the championship game.

Minutes after the title game McGuire was asked if his decisionmade some people in Milwaukee unhappy.

"Frankly, I don't care," he said. "I felt we could win theNCAA, but I'm happy with any championship. I've never won oneanywhere."

The Warriors lost in 1974 NCAA title game to North CarolinaState.

Honors for a Coaching Legend

Marquette announced in October that its new athletic facilitywould be named for McGuire. The school had already retired No. 77in his honor.

At the time of his selection to the Hall of Fame McGuire saidthe honor was bestowed because of his years coaching at Marquette,but he really learned to coach at Belmont Abbey, a small school inNorth Carolina, from 1957-64.

"That's where I drove the bus, picked up the towels, wrappedthe ankles. There's no one who's dropped on top of the mountain,"McGuire said. "You've got to work your way to the top."

He played for the New York Knicks from 1951-54 and the BaltimoreBullets from 1954-55.

He was joined in the Hall of Fame by his brother Dick, who alsoplayed at St. John's and for the Knicks.

He remained active in his adopted community of Milwaukee wherehe served as chairman of Al's Run to benefit Children's Hospital ofWisconsin for 14 years.