Frank McGuire

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Frank Joseph McGuire (November 8, 1916 - November 11, 1994) was an American athletic coach who gained his greatest renown in collegiate basketball.

Born in New York City as the youngest of thirteen children 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 1960, recruiting violations caused North Carolina to land on NCAA probation, for what has turned out to be the only time in school history. Chancellor William Aycock forced McGuire to resign after the season. He was hired by the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors shortly afterward and coached Chamberlain during the Warriors' last season before moving to San Francisco, California. McGuire resigned rather than move west with the team.

Following his brief period in the NBA, McGuire became basketball coach at the University of South Carolina in 1964. After having been the first coach to take two 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 Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977, and retired in 1980.

He is the winningest coach in South Carolina history, and is still the second-winningest coach in North Carolina history. He died three days after his 78th birthday in Columbia, South Carolina.

[edit] External link

• Basketball Hall of Fame

Preceded by Joe Lapchick	St. John's Men's Basketball Head Coach 1947–1953	Succeeded by Al DeStefano
Preceded by Tom Scott	North Carolina Men's Basketball Head Coach 1953–1961	Succeeded by Dean Smith
Preceded by Neil Johnston	Philadelphia Warriors Head Coach 1961–1962	Succeeded by Bob Feerick
Preceded by Chuck Noe	South Carolina Men's Basketball Head Coach 1964–1980	Succeeded by Bill Foster