Frank Joseph McGuire (November 8, 1913 – October 11, 1994) was an American basketball coach. At the collegiate level, he was head coach for three major programs: St. John's, North Carolina, and South Carolina, winning over a hundred games at each. Early years Born in New York City as the youngest of 13 children in an Irish-American family, to New York police officer, Robert McGuire and his wife, the former Anne Lynch (his father died when Frank was only two years old). He attended Xavier High School graduating in 1933, McGuire graduated from St. John's University in 1936, playing under head coach James "Buck" Freeman. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, interrupting his work as a teacher and coach at his high school. Prior to 1947 he also played pro basketball briefly in the American Basketball League. St. John's After Joe Lapchick left St. John's to coach the New York Knicks in 1947, McGuire became head basketball and baseball coach at his alma mater. He 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. North Carolina In 1952, McGuire left St. John's to become basketball coach at the University of North Carolina. On paper, this was a significant step down from St. John's, as UNC was not reckoned as a national power at the time. However, school officials wanted a big-name coach to counter the rise of rival North Carolina State under Everett Case. In his first season, McGuire briefly led the Tar Heels to their first appearance in a major poll, for two weeks in January and February 1953. After two middling seasons in the newly formed Atlantic Coast Conference, McGuire first made an impact in 1955, when his Tar Heels routed then-#5 Alabama 99-77. It was UNC's first defeat of a nonconference opponent ranked in the top 10 of a major media poll. They went on to share the ACC regular season title with N.C. State. A year later, McGuire guided North Carolina to an undefeated 32-0 season in 1956-57, capped off by winning the NCAA championship game 54-53 in triple overtime against the Wilt Chamberlain-led Kansas Jayhawks. McGuire's teams were built around a core of players from in and around New York City, such as Lennie Rosenbluth, Joe Quigg and