Al McGuire (born September 7, 1928 in New York City - died January 26, 2001 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) coached the Marquette University men's basketball team from 1964 to 1977. He compiled impressive numbers throughout his coaching career, resulting in his induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992, and was also well known for his colorful personality.

McGuire was born poor, the son of an Irish immigrant saloonkeeper. He played three years of basketball at St. John's Prep., Queens, New York (graduated 1947), and went on to star at St. John's University (1947-1951), where he played for four years and captained the 1951 team that posted a 26-5 mark and finished third in the NIT.

After college, McGuire played in the NBA, first with the New York Knicks (1951-52) and then with the Baltimore Bullets (1954). While with the Knicks, he once famously pleaded with his coach for playing time, with this guarantee: “I can stop (Bob) Cousy.” Inserted into the lineup, McGuire proceeded to foul Cousy on his next six trips down the court.

McGuire began his illustrious coaching career as an assistant at Dartmouth College (1955-1957). He then took his first head coaching job at Belmont Abbey College (1957-1964), where he wooed high school players off the streets of New York by showing them a picture of the quad at Duke and telling them it was really Belmont Abbey.

McGuire later became head coach at Marquette University in 1964 where he enjoyed remarkable success, including the NIT Championship in 1970 and a Final Four appearance in 1974. McGuire led the Warriors to the university's only NCAA basketball championship in 1977, his final season as a head coach. After retiring from coaching, he became a popular commentator for NBC Sports and CBS Sports.

McGuire died after a long bout with leukemia on January 26, 2001, aged 72, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Al McGuire Center, which includes a statue in his honor, opened on the Marquette campus in 2004.

Al McGuire's former television broadcast partner and friend, Dick Enberg, penned a one-man theatrical play entitled “McGuire”. It debuted at Marquette University's Helfaer Theater in 2005. There may be plans to take the show on the road, as it drew positive reviews as an accurate portrayal of the eccentric coach.

• Belmont Abbey record: 109-64
• Coached Belmont Abbey to five postseason appearances
• Marquette record: 295-80 (78.7%)
• Coached team to 11 consecutive postseason bids at Marquette
• NIT championship (1970)
• Coached team to a 28-1 season (1971)
• Al's 39-game winning streak is the ninth-longest in NCAA History
• Al's 56-game regular season winning streak is the third-longest in NCAA History
• Al's winning percentage (.908) over a three-year period (1970-72) ranks 27th in NCAA History
• Al's 81-game home winning streak ranks fifth in NCAA History
• Associated Press, United Press International and United States Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year (1971)
• NABC Coach of the Year (1974)
• NCAA championship (1977)
• Among a select few coaches who have won both the NIT and NCAA championships
• Marquette captured its first ever NCAA championship with a 67-59 victory over North Carolina in McGuire's last game as coach
• More than 92 percent of his student-athletes completed requirements to earn their degrees from Marquette
• Twenty-six of his players were drafted into the NBA
• Marquette University Athletic Director (1973-77)
• Conducted clinics at two Air Force bases in Europe (1971)

• 10 All-Americans
• 13 Future NBA Players
• Eight 1,000+ Point Scorers
• 11 500+ Rebounders
• Marquette's All-Time Leader in Free Throw Attempts
• Marquette's All-Time Leader in Free Throws Made
• Marquette's All-Time Leader in Field Goals Made
• Marquette's All-Time Leader in Scoring Average
• Marquette's All-Time Leading Scorer

• College basketball analyst, NBC Sports and CBS Sports
• Basketball analyst, 1988 Olympic Games
• Play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports' March Madness
• Following his broadcast of a 1996 NCAA Regional Championship, McGuire garnered fame for dancing with the players of Syracuse who were celebrating their entry into the Final Four. He would do the same the following year with the players from the University of Minnesota. The Minnesota players proclaimed they wanted to “Get Down with Al!”

YouTube of Al dancing with the Syracuse team

• Yellow ribbons and medals (success in recruiting)
• Tailenders (walk-ons or complementary players)
• Dunkirk (an extremely poor performance)
• Dance hall player (short on talent, but long on effort)
• Memos and pipes (university administrators and professors)
• Two loaves of bread under their arms (good jobs)
• Seashells and balloons (victory and happiness)
• Curtains (game's over)
• Tap city (game's over)
• Aircraft carrier (big center)
• Cloud piercer (player who jumps well)
• Ballerina in the sky (player who jumps well)