McGuire, Alfred J.
Basketball
b. Sept. 7, 1928, New York, NY
d. Jan. 26, 2001
McGuire was captain of the St. John's University team that won 26 of its 31 games in 1950-51. He spent four years in the NBA, with the New York Knicks from 1950-51 through 1952-53 and with the Baltimore Bullets in 1953-54, averaging 3.9 points in 191 games, then became an assistant coach to "Doggy" Julian at Dartmouth in 1955.
In 1958, McGuire took over as head coach at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. His teams won 109 games while losing 64 in seven seasons and McGuire went to Marquette University as basketball coach and athletic director in 1964. The school had won just 5 of its 26 games the previous season. After an 8-18 record in his first year, McGuire brought Marquette to national prominence.
From 1969-70 into the 1970-71 season, Marquette won 39 consecutive games, including the 1970 National Invitation Tournament. In his last coaching season, 1976-77, the team won the NCAA tournament. McGuire was named coach of the year by UPI, the Associated Press, and the U. S. Basketball Writers Association in 1971, and he won the 1974 coach of the year award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
After retiring as a coach, McGuire became an excellent television analyst, combining his knowledge of the sport with wit and wisecracks to entertain and inform fans. He popularized the phrase, "The opera isn't over until the fat lady sings."