Frank McGuire
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | November 8, 1913
Died | October 11, 1994 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | (aged 80)
Playing career | |
Basketball | |
1933–1936 | St. John's |
Coaching career ( Philadelphia Warriors | |
1964–1980 | South Carolina |
Baseball | |
1948–1952 | St. John's |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 549–236 (college basketball) 67–30 (college baseball) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Basketball ACC Coach of the Year (1957, 1969) | |
Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1977 | |
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
Frank Joseph McGuire (November 8, 1913 – October 11, 1994) was an American basketball coach. At the collegiate level, he was head coach for three major programs: St. John's, North Carolina, and South Carolina, winning over a hundred games at each.[1][2]
Early years
Born in
St. John's
After
North Carolina
In 1952, McGuire left St. John's to become basketball coach at the University of North Carolina. On paper, this was a significant step down from St. John's, as UNC was not reckoned as a national power at the time. However, school officials wanted a big-name coach to counter the rise of rival North Carolina State under Everett Case.
In his first season, McGuire briefly led the Tar Heels to their first appearance in a major poll, for two weeks in January and February 1953. After two middling seasons in the newly formed
In 1961, UNC was found guilty of major NCAA violations. Combined with rumors of point shaving by some UNC players, this led Chancellor William Aycock to force McGuire's resignation after the season. At McGuire's suggestion, Aycock named McGuire's top assistant, Dean Smith, as the new coach.[5][6]
Philadelphia Warriors
Soon after leaving North Carolina, McGuire became the head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors and coached Chamberlain during the Warriors' last season in the city. During this season, Chamberlain set his all-time record for scoring average in a season, of 50.4 points per game; additionally, this was the season in which Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game. The team moved to San Francisco in 1962 and McGuire resigned rather than go west with the team.
South Carolina
Following his one season in the NBA, McGuire worked for two years in public relations in New York before returning to college basketball as head coach at the University of South Carolina in 1964. The Gamecocks achieved national prominence under McGuire in his sixth year, going undefeated in ACC play in 1970–one of only two times that an ACC team from the state of South Carolina has won a regular season title (the other being Clemson in 1990). The Gamecocks were denied an NCAA berth when they lost a controversial ACC championship game, in double overtime, to North Carolina State. In those days, only one team per conference was guaranteed a bid to the 25-team field. Ironically, the Gamecocks' home arena, Carolina Coliseum, hosted the NCAA East Regional that same year. The Gamecocks' 25 wins in 1970 were the most in school history until Frank Martin's 2016 team also won 25 games (Martin's 2017 Gamecocks broke the record, with 26 wins). McGuire's Gamecocks won the ACC tournament in 1971–to this day, the only ACC tourney title won by a school from the state of South Carolina.
The Gamecocks went independent in 1972, and McGuire would then go on to take the Gamecocks to three more NCAA Tournaments and two National Invitation Tournaments before being forced into retirement after the 1979-80 season. His 283 wins are by far the most in school history. The playing surface at the Gamecocks' former arena, Carolina Coliseum, is named Frank McGuire Arena in his honor. He is also an honorary brother of the Alpha Eta chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma at the University of South Carolina.
Legacy
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 five coaches--
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. McGuire recruited so many New York City players to UNC and USC that the talent pipeline from NYC to the Carolinas was commonly referred to as the McGuire New York City Railroad.
Players that he coached or successfully recruited at the two schools include
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.
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. Members of his coaching tree include Al and Dick McGuire, Bobby Cremins, Dean Smith, Doug Moe, Donnie Walsh, Lou Carnesecca, Larry Brown, Billy Cunningham, and George Felton.
Head coaching record
College basketball
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. John's Redmen (Metropolitan New York Conference) (1947–1952) | |||||||||
1947–48 | St. John's | 12–11 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
1948–49 | St. John's | 15–9 | 5–1 | T–1st | NIT First Round | ||||
1949–50 | St. John's | 24–5 | 3–3 | T–3rd | NIT Third Place | ||||
1950–51 | St. John's | 26–5 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA Regional Third Place / NIT Third Place | ||||
1951–52 | St. John's | 25–6 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA Runner-up / NIT Quarterfinal | ||||
St. John's: | 102–36 | 23–7 | |||||||
North Carolina Tar Heels (Southern Conference) (1952–1953) | |||||||||
1952–53 | North Carolina | 17–10 | 15–6 | 8th | |||||
North Carolina Tar Heels (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1953–1961) | |||||||||
1953–54 | North Carolina | 11–10 | 5–6 | 5th | |||||
1954–55 | North Carolina | 10–11 | 8–6 | T–4th | |||||
1955–56 | North Carolina | 18–5 | 11–3 | T–1st | |||||
1956–57 | North Carolina | 32–0 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA University Division champion | ||||
1957–58 | North Carolina | 19–7 | 10–4 | T–2nd | |||||
1958–59 | North Carolina | 20–5 | 12–2 | T–1st | NCAA University Division First Round | ||||
1959–60 | North Carolina | 18–6 | 12–2 | T–1st | |||||
1960–61 | North Carolina | 19–4 | 12–2 | 1st | |||||
North Carolina: | 164–58 | 99–31 | |||||||
South Carolina Gamecocks (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1964–1971) | |||||||||
1964–65 | South Carolina | 6–17 | 2–12 | 8th | |||||
1965–66 | South Carolina | 11–13 | 4–10 | T–6th | |||||
1966–67 | South Carolina | 16–7 | 8–4 | 3rd | |||||
1967–68 | South Carolina | 15–7 | 9–5 | T–3rd | |||||
1968–69 | South Carolina | 21–7 | 11–3 | 2nd | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||
1969–70 | South Carolina | 25–3 | 14–0 | 1st | |||||
1970–71 | South Carolina | 23–6 | 10–4 | 2nd | NCAA University Division Sweet 16 | ||||
South Carolina Gamecocks (Independent) (1971–1980) | |||||||||
1971–72 | South Carolina | 24–5 | NCAA University Division Sweet 16 | ||||||
1972–73 | South Carolina | 22–7 | NCAA University Division Sweet 16 | ||||||
1973–74 | South Carolina | 22–5 | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||||
1974–75 | South Carolina | 19–9 | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||||
1975–76 | South Carolina | 18–9 | |||||||
1976–77 | South Carolina | 14–12 | |||||||
1977–78 | South Carolina | 16–12 | NIT First Round | ||||||
1978–79 | South Carolina | 15–12 | |||||||
1979–80 | South Carolina | 16–11 | |||||||
South Carolina: | 283–142 | 58–38 | |||||||
Total: | 549–236 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
College baseball
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. John's Redmen () (1948–1952) | |||||||||
1948 | St. John's | 9–5 | |||||||
1949 | St. John's | 21–6 | College World Series
| ||||||
1950 | St. John's | 13–5 | |||||||
1951 | St. John's | 9–10 | |||||||
1952 | St. John's | 15–4 | |||||||
St. John's: | 67–25 | ||||||||
Total: | 67–25 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
See also
- List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach
References
- ^ "McGuire chosen for hall of fame". Spartanburg Herald-Tribune. South Carolina. Associated Press. May 6, 1973. p. B1.
- ^ "Frank McGuire succumbs at 80". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. October 12, 1994. p. 6C.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (October 12, 1994). "McGuire was a basketball missionary". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. South Carolina. (New York Times). p. D3.
- ^ Goldaper, Sam (October 12, 1994). "Frank McGuire, 80, basketball coach, dies". New York Times.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard. Dean Smith, Champion of College Basketball and of Racial Equality, Dies at 83 The New York Times. February 25, 2015