Reaction On The Death Of Al McGuire
1/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2001
By The Associated Press
"The value of contributions that Al made to Marquette University, the field of television and basketball in general was enormous. His impact on the game will go on forever.
Most importantly, though, the impact he had on people, even in my case when it was a short period of time, was indescribable and profound.
Al, even at the end, had a unique way of making you feel better about yourself. If all of those who were touched by him just listened, his lessons will go on with us forever.
Our prayers and thoughts are with his wife, Pat, and the entire McGuire family." - Marquette Head Coach Tom Crean
"We went to school together at St. John's. He was the first guy to wear low-cut sneakers. He said the regular sneakers irritated his ankles. Even then, you could see that he walked to a different beat. He was fun to be with, not fun to play against." - Former St. John's coach Lou Carnesecca.
"Al never got enough credit for being a truly great coach because he didn't use the same Xs and Os as many other coaches did. Al was a maverick - he did it his way. But as they say, his record will speak for itself. I'll miss him and wish his family the best." - Former North Carolina coach Dean Smith.
"He was some coach. He was Al the teacher, Al the mentor, Al the coach - and you had to do things his way. I'll truly miss Al. He was one of a kind." - Former Marquette player Dean Meminger.
"Al was never a professional broadcaster, so anything that he did on air was not contrived. He was able to articulate what he was seeing the way he thought he saw it. It was all natural, that's why it was so well accepted." - CBS announcer Billy Packer.
"It was a thrill to play for him. I'd been spending time talking to him and I knew it was coming. He was in good spirits. I don't look at it as a sad day. Coach is not in pain anymore." - Former Marquette player Bo Ellis, currently coach at Chicago State.
"Coach was a good man, very influential, a disciplinarian, a motivator,a father figure,a teacher and a fighter. After what he had been through the last few months that was a strong indicator of how tough he was. A lot of his qualities filtered into his type of players." - Ellis.
"We've truly lost one of a kind, one of the most unique, and incredible character I've ever met. Every one that he touched with a story about Al McGuire that taught them a different angle about life." - CBS broadcaster Dick Enberg.
"Al McGuire would not want his friends to be unhappy today. He instead would want us to remember all the great times we shared. Anyone who was ever touched by Al knows there will never be another one like him. His philosophy on life, sense of humor, and generosity of spirit will be missed by all of his friends and all of his fans." - CBS Sports president Sean McManus.
"He was a great brother, I'm going to miss him. We were very close. He had a great sense of humor, wasn't afraid to embellish a story to make it sound better. He did a good job as a coach and broadcaster. He really enjoyed it." - Brother and former coach Dick McGuire.
"Al McGuire was a man that lit up a room. I always got a kick out of Al because he would make people believe that he simply rolled out the ball and started coaching. But nothing could be farther from the truth. He was a genius at managing the game." - ESPN-ABC broadcaster Dick Vitale.
"Al McGuire was not just a great coach and a great teller of stories in the Irish tradition. He also had a gift for seeing the wonder and the goodness of God's creation, sometimes in the most unlikely places, and sharing in that discovery with those around him." - The Rev. Robert A. Wild, president of Marquette.
"College basketball has lost one of its all-time great coaches and Wisconsin has lost one of its most unique and loved human beings." - Former Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett.
"He was a great part of college basketball in a lot of ways, as a coach and as a commentator. He added a lot of color to our profession." - Louisville coach Denny Crum.