13 Facts About Frank McGuire

Frank Joseph McGuire was an American basketball coach.

Frank McGuire attended Xavier High School, graduating in 1933, McGuire graduated from St John's University in 1936, playing under head coach James "Buck" Freeman.

Frank McGuire served in the US Navy during World War II, interrupting his work as a teacher and coach at his high school.

Frank McGuire led 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.

In 1952, Frank McGuire left St John's to become the basketball coach at the University of North Carolina.

Additionally, Frank McGuire wanted to move out of New York City, as caring for his intellectually disabled son in a small apartment was difficult.

Frank McGuire is an honorary brother of the Alpha Eta chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma at the University of South Carolina.

Frank McGuire is one of 15 coaches, as of 2021, to take multiple schools to the Final Four.

Frank 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.

Frank 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 Frank McGuire New York City Railroad.

Frank McGuire was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977, and retired in 1980.

Frank McGuire is the winningest coach in South Carolina history, and is still the third-winningest coach in North Carolina history.

Frank McGuire is not related to Marquette coach Al McGuire, who was a coaching contemporary of his.