“Al never got enough credit for being a truly great coach because he didn’t use the same X’s and O’s 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.”
–Former North Carolina coach
Dean Smith
“We lost a giant and a genius. Al was the most unique and incredible person I ever met. He saw life at a different angle than the rest of us. He could cut through all the fat and get to the bone of the matter quicker than anyone I’ve ever known.”
–Former broadcast partner
Dick Enberg
“They threw away the mold with Al. He was a very kind person, great for the game of basketball. A genuinely nice guy. He’s probably like [my wife] Bobbi–in a better place.”
–Arizona coach Lute Olson
“He was my friend, and I loved him. Our friendship transcended basketball.”
–Former DePaul coach Ray Meyer
“He was a genuine original who came out of a time when there were real characters in sports, not pre-packaged images. Like the song says, `You gotta have heart,’ and Al had a world of it. He was a wonderful man.”
–NBC Sports’ Bob Costas
“Al McGuire was a man who 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 further from the truth. He was a genius at managing the game.”
–ESPN-ABC broadcaster Dick Vitale
“Coach McGuire was a tremendous inspiration, a very important part of the success I’ve had in life, in college and afterwards. From the time I met coach until the day he died he never changed–he was a caring man, a giving man, a major influence in my life.”
–Chicago State coach Bo Ellis, a member of Marquette’s 1977 national champions.
“Other than my mother and my father, he had the biggest effect on me. I listened to everything he told me. He taught me not to fear anything but fear itself.”
–former Marquette All-American
Jim Chones
“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.”
–Rev. Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., president of Marquette
“People who are interested in college athletics and basketball are talking in glowing terms about a man who not only was a super individual but meant so much to the game. What he leaves behind is more than can be comprehended.”
–Bulls assistant Norm Ellenberger, former coach at New Mexico
