Alfred McGuire is considered one of the most colorful and charismatic figures in basketball history. He and Hall of Fame brothers Frank and Dick McGuire often teamed up for games on a basketball court near their family's tavern in Rockaway, NY nicknamed "McGuire's Playground". As a player, Al captained St. John's to the National Invitational Tournament in 1951. Later, as a college coach, he recruited heavily in NYC. Al was famous for saying the best players came "from neighborhoods with cracked sidewalks". He coached at Belmont Abbey from 1957 to 1964 where his teams made five post-season tournament appearances. He then coached Marquette from 1964 to 1977 and achieved 11 post season appearances, including the NIT Championship in 1970 and the NCAA Championship in 1977. McGuire was named Coach of the Year in 1971 and 1974. He later, joined NBC Sports, teaming with colleagues Billy Packer and Dick Enberg to take college basketball to unprecedented heights of popularity with TV audiences.

Died January 26, 2001