Final Four Fact February: Holy Mackerel! 1977 Was Awesome, Baby!

A generation of basketball fans that includes myself probably associates Al McGuire with television broadcasts. His call of “Holy Mackerel!” at the conclusion of Georgia Tech’s 1992 defeat of USC is among my earliest March Madness memories.

McGuire also danced with the 1996 Syracuse team after its Elite Eight win over Kansas, another moment etched in my childhood NCAA Tournament memory.

Learning that McGuire previously coached, was wildly successful in doing so, and retired early with an impressive coaching tree sprouting from his relatively brief run made me appreciate his TV commentary even more as I became more savvy.

Of course, the 1977 national championship team is the first I learned of McGuire’s legacy. My dad owns a book that’s a collection of photography from the first 50 years of the NCAA Tournament, and I remember thinking a few things as I flipped through it:

• That meh team in the Great Midwest Conference college won a national championship?

• What on EARTH are those uniforms?!

• The “Holy Mackerel” guy was their coach?

McGuire wasn’t just a coach, but a great one, with a staff that included one of the best of the more modern era in the late Rick Majerus.

The naturally charismatic nature that made McGuire so memorable as a commentator is also evident when revisiting his quips as a coach. I have often in this newsletter cited the book Road to Madness on the 1974 Tournament, and McGuire’s wit is prominently featured.

From the first time he coached Marquette to an NCAA Tournament in 1968 through the 1975-76 season, each of McGuire’s teams won no fewer than 23 games. However, Marquette could not break through to the pinnacle.

While this was true for pretty much all of the sport in this era as a result of the John Wooden-coached UCLA teams’ dominance, Marquette ran into other barriers.