Knicks legend and Hall of Famer Dick McGuire, who helped shape the franchise’s destiny for more than half a century, passed away today on Long Island at the age of 84. He died at Huntington Hospital of natural causes.
McGuire, who had been part of the Knicks for 53 of the franchise’s 64 seasons, served the team as a player, head coach, assistant coach, and chief scout. His most current position was senior basketball consultant; he still attended college games and occasionally was seen at Knicks home games.
He ran the Knicks draft in 1987 when the team selected Mark Jackson, who won Rookie of the Year and eventually passed him on the Knicks’ all-time assists list.
“I consider myself a student of the game, a historian,” Jackson told The Post today. “The McGuire name in New York City is royalty when you talk about basketball.”
McGuire’s jersey No. 15 was retired on March 1, 1992 and hangs from the rafters at MSG. In 1993, McGuire was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“Dick McGuire was the epitome of what it means to be a Knickerbocker: pride, tradition and class,” Knicks president Donnie Walsh said. “It was an honor to watch him play for our hometown team and I consider myself very lucky to say I worked alongside a man who shaped the National Basketball Association for parts of all eight decades of its existence.”
The Bronx native, born in 1926, represented the Knicks in five NBA All-Star Games (1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956) and led the team to three straight NBA Finals (1951, 1952, 1953). He is third on the franchise’s all-time assists list (2,950).
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dick McGuire, one of the NBA family’s most beloved and respected members,” NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement. “As one of its first superstars, Dick was instrumental to the early success of the NBA. Whether as player, coach, scout or consultant, Dick loyally served the New York Knicks organization for over five decades, simply an amazing accomplishment. He will be missed. Our prayers and condolences go out to his wife Teri and the entire McGuire family.”
He played at St. John’s and grew up in Rockaway Beach. McGuire was picked by the Knicks in the first round of the 1949 Draft and played eight seasons for the team before he was traded to Detroit on April 3, 1957, for a first-round pick. McGuire spent his final three seasons with the Pistons.
“Dick was one of a kind,” former St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca said. “He was a great ballplayer and coach and a better human being. All of basketball is going to miss him.”
McGuire is survived by his wife Teri; four grown children: Richard Jr., Leslie, Michael and Scott; and seven grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending. Scott McGuire is one of the Knicks’ college scouts.
With AP