Al McGuire was a
college basketball coach at
Marquette University and a popular television analyst. McGuire grew up in New York City and basketball was his salvation from the streets. He earned a scholarship to St. John's, and had a brief
NBA playing career. Then after stints as an assistant at
Dartmouth College and as head coach for Division II school
Belmont Abbey College, he made his mark at Marquette. The
Warriors, as they were known then, were guided by McGuire to two
Final Four appearances, the
National Invitation Tournament title in 1970, and the
National Championship in 1977. Perhaps as impressive as his won-loss record at Marquette (295-80) was the fact 92% of his players
graduation from the school. He retired from coaching following the championship victory to take a job as a game analyst with
NBC Sports. His famous "McGuireisms" led him to be described by the
New York Times as the "
James Joyce of the airwaves". His work with fellow analyst
Billy Packer and lead play-by-play man
Dick Enberg was so popular, it helped quickly grow the popularity of
March Madness. The trio called the highest-rated college basketball in television history in March of 1979 when
Magic Johnson's
Michigan State Spartans defeated
Larry Bird's
Indiana State Sycamores. McGuire eventually would also work for
CBS Sports for several years, before his death in 2001 following a bout with
Leukemia.