Don McGuire (television executive)

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Don McGuire (1 Dec 1949 - 19 Mar 2020) was an American television sports executive. McGuire started his career as a radio announcer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He joined NBC Sports in 1978, initially to produce features for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He was the feature producer in 1979 on the Michigan State and Indiana State NCAA basketball championship match-up featuring Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. He also produced the telecast of the heavyweight fight between Gerry Coetzee and Randy Stephens - the first competition between a black man and a white man in South Africa. In 1987, McGuire was hired as executive producer of TBS Sports. He was executive producer on the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics, the 1991 Pan American Games, the 1990 World Cup, and the 1994 Goodwill Games. Under McGuire's operational direction Turner Sports added the NBA, NFL, PGA and Grand Slam Golf. McGuire was also a consultant on the launch of the Golf Channel and subsequently served as executive producer and later senior vice president for programming, production and operations until the network was taken over by Comcast.

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Early life

McGuire was born on 1 December 1949 Albuquerque, New Mexico. [1] He attended the city's Sandia High School, [2] [3] graduating in 1967 [1] before attending the University of Oklahoma where he majored in journalism. [1]

Career

University of New Mexico

McGuire was an Associate Sports Information Director for the university from 1973-1975 [1] before being named press information director for ABC Sports. [4]

ABC Sports

McGuire started his career as an announcer on radio in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was discovered by Dick Ebersol while Ebersol was at ABC Sports in 1974 and was one of three finalists for ABC's NCAA Football sideline reporter position, eventually given to Jim Lampley and Don Tollefson.

University of New Mexico

McGuire was working as a Sports Information Director for the university for the 1975-1977 seasons. [5] He left in August 1977 when he got a job with NBC. [2]

NBC Sports and Raycom Sports

McGuire joined NBC Sports in 1978, hired by executive producer Don Ohlmeyer to both produce and be talent on Olympic features for the 1980 Moscow Olympics McGuire soon became producer of studio shows for NBC including NCAA basketball and NFL 78 and 79, [2] [6] hosted by Bryant Gumbel.

McGuire left NBC after that network lost TV rights to the NCAA Basketball Championships but was the feature producer in 1979 on the highest-rated college game ever, the Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird championship between Michigan State and Indiana State. McGuire is featured in Seth Davis' book "When March Went Mad" about the Bird/Johnson game in 1979. For NBC, McGuire produced the telecast of the history-making heavyweight fight in Johannesburg between Gerry Coetzee and Randy Stephens- the first competition between a black man and a white man in South Africa. He was coordinating producer for the 1979 US Olympic Festival and all the 1980 US Olympic Trials events.

McGuire helped start Raycom Sports in 1983 producing hundreds of college football and basketball games yearly for syndication.

Turner Sports

In 1987, he was hired by Robert Wussler to be executive producer of TBS Sports. He was executive producer on the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics, [7] the 1991 Pan American Games from Havana, Cuba, the 1990 World Cup from Italy and the 1994 Goodwill Games from St Petersburg Russia. Under McGuire's operational direction Turner Sports added the NBA, NFL, PGA and Grand Slam Golf. He was senior executive for sports on the launch of TNT and in the launch of SportSouth. He created the first live, onsite football pregame show—The Silver Bullet Stadium Show—before NFL on TNT broadcasts.

He was the executive who first hired Doug Collins, Hubie Brown, Chuck Daly, Don Sutton, Ernie Johnson, Jr, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley at TNT.

McGuire consulted to Golf Channel founder Joe Gibbs in 1995 on the launch of that network and subsequently served as executive producer and later senior vice president for programming, production and operations until the network was taken over by Comcast.

Death

McGuire died on 19 March 2020 [7] in Little Elm, Texas. [1] [3] He was survived by his wife and three sons. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Obituary for Don McGuire" . Albuquerque Journal at Newspapers.com. Mar 29, 2020. p. C10. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  2. 1 2 3 Nordstrand, Dave (9 Oct 1979). "Don McGuire Producing Olympics" . The Albuquerque Tribune. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  3. 1 2 Wright, Rick (27 December 2020). "In Memoriam 2020: We bid farewell to so many icons of their sports in NM" . Albuquerque Journal. pp. B4. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  4. ↑ "Publicity Man Named by ABC" . The Palm Beach Post. 7 August 1974. pp. C9. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  5. ↑ Stevens, Richard (6 December 1979). "Jimmy Williams: It's a Mess" . The Albuquerque Tribune. pp. F1. Retrieved 2025-04-29. DON MCGUIRE, who was sports information director at UNM during the 1975-76 and 1976-77 basketball seasons, said he wasn't surprised at the developments with the UNM basketball program. McGuire, a producer with NBC TV sports, was fired by UNM in August 1977.... One of the reasons I felt Lavon... asked me to resign two years ago was that I had some severe disagreements with Norm... and John... over what was going on in the basketball program.
  6. ↑ Rothenberg, Fred (8 December 1979). "Network War: Fans Losing" . Florida Today at Newspapers.com. p. 1C. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  7. 1 2 Ourand, John (23 March 2020). "Veteran TV Sports Producer Don McGuire Passes Away". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
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