Richie Guerin
Richie Guerin | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 29, 1932 Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Professional basketball player, coach |
| Years active | 1956–1970 (player), 1964–1972 (coach) |
| Known for | NBA player for New York Knicks and St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks; NBA Coach of the Year (1967–68); Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (2013) |
Richard Vincent Guerin (born May 29, 1932) is a retired professional basketball athlete and coach. His playing career in the NBA was primarily with the New York Knicks from 1956 until 1963. Subsequently, he took on the role of player-coach for the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks franchise, a position he held for nine years. On February 15, 2013, Guerin earned induction into the prestigious Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Between 1947 and 1954, Guerin was a member of the Marine Forces Reserve while pursuing his studies at Iona College. There, under the guidance of coach Jim McDermott, he accumulated 1,375 points over 67 games. After completing college, he fulfilled two years of active duty at the Marine Corps Schools located in Quantico, Virginia.
Selected by the Knicks as the 8th pick in the second round of the 1954 NBA draft, Guerin launched his professional basketball journey in 1956 following his departure from military service.
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Guerin established himself as a prolific scoring point guard known for his assertive style and charismatic demeanor, which endeared him to fans at Madison Square Garden. He demonstrated exceptional ability as a scorer, facilitator, and rebounder—leading New York in assists for five consecutive seasons and topping their scoring charts three times across seven full seasons. He maintained an average exceeding 20 points per game for four straight years and set franchise single-game records with 57 points in 1959 and 21 assists in 1958. His scoring record remained unbroken until Bernard King eclipsed it in 1984.
Guerin was honored with six straight selections to the NBA All-Star Game. Despite his personal achievements, the Knicks only reached postseason play once during his time with them. In the middle of the 1963–64 NBA season, he was traded to the St. Louis Hawks. Over eight years there, he served as both player-coach and head coach. Teaming up with notable players such as Bob Pettit, Lou Hudson, Lenny Wilkens, and Cliff Hagan, Guerin guided the Hawks to nine consecutive playoff berths and received the NBA Coach of the Year Award for the 1967–68 season.
Early life
Born on May 29, 1932, in the Bronx, New York, Richard Vincent Guerin spent his formative years in this borough. He attended Mount Saint Michael Academy, where he distinguished himself in basketball.
College career
Guerin enrolled at Iona College in 1950 and played primarily at center under coach Jim McDermott. Over three varsity seasons, he averaged no less than 19.9 points per game and established a freshman scoring record that stood at that time.
New York Knicks (1956–1963)
After being chosen by the New York Knicks as the 17th overall pick in the second round of the 1954 NBA draft, Guerin joined their roster in 1956 upon completing two years of service with the Marines. During this period, the Knicks were struggling teams with limited standout talent aside from Carl Braun, Dick McGuire, and Harry Gallatin.
Guerin rapidly became an essential contributor to the team’s efforts, earning six consecutive selections to the NBA All-Star starting from his sophomore season. In his third year, he led New York in assists with an average of 5.1 per game and was second on the team in scoring at 18.2 points per game. That season featured a then-franchise record of 21 assists in a single game—a Madison Square Garden record that lasted for decades. This year also marked the only playoff appearance for New York during his tenure.
By his fourth season, Guerin topped team scoring with an average of 21.8 points per game and set a new franchise single-game scoring mark by putting up 57 points. The following season (1960–61), he maintained a scoring average of 21.8 while contributing an additional 7.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists per contest.
His most outstanding campaign came in 1961–62 when he averaged a career-high of 29.5 points along with a personal best of 6.9 assists over nearly 43 minutes per game. He ranked sixth overall in league scoring and fourth in assists that year while becoming the first player from New York to exceed 2,000 points scored during a single season (totaling 2,303). That season placed him among only eight NBA players who achieved over 2,000 points, plus more than 500 rebounds and assists each. He also earned his third selection to the All-NBA Second Team.
In the 1962–63 season, Guerin led New York once again with an average of 21.5 points per game while ranking seventh among league scorers and eighth in assists (4.4 apg). Additionally, he posted a free-throw percentage of .848—second best on his team. When departing from the Knicks’ organization, he stood second on their all-time scoring list behind Carl Braun.
St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks (1963–1967, 1968–1970)
Early in the 1963–64 NBA season, on October 18, the Knicks traded Guerin to the St. Louis Hawks in exchange for cash and a second-round draft pick, which was later used to select Howard Komives. During his initial appearance at Madison Square Garden as a Hawk, Knicks supporters gave Guerin a five-minute standing ovation.[1]
Guerin joined a Hawks roster abundant in offensive firepower, which led to his scoring average decreasing to 13.1 points per game during the 1963–64 season. On December 28, 1964, despite the Hawks holding second place in the NBA Western Division, Guerin replaced Harry Gallatin as the team's player-coach. At that point in time, only one other player-coach was active in the NBA: Detroit Pistons' Dave DeBusschere.[2] The Hawks' record improved from 17–16 under Gallatin to 28–19 after Guerin assumed coaching duties, securing a playoff berth but ultimately falling to the Baltimore Bullets in the division semifinals. Under Guerin’s guidance, the Hawks qualified for the postseason seven seasons consecutively.[1]
During the 1965–66 NBA season, Guerin averaged 14.9 points per game and followed with 13.8 points per game in the 1966–67 NBA season. After being selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1967 expansion draft, he initially retired from playing but continued his coaching career. He led the Hawks to a 56–26 record, clinching the Western Division championship and earning the NBA Coach of the Year Award for that season.[3]
Guerin was picked by Seattle in the NBA expansion draft on May 1, 1967.[4]
On November 15, 1968, Seattle traded him back to the Hawks in exchange for Dick Smith.[4]
By that time, the Hawks had relocated to Atlanta ahead of the 1968–69 NBA season. Returning as a bench player, Guerin contributed to their 48–34 record while appearing in 27 contests. In the following 1969–70 NBA season, he again played a role in another 48–34 finish over eight games.[4][5]
Guerin’s final professional appearance took place on April 19 during Game 4 of the 1970 Western Division Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, where he posted 31 points along with five rebounds and three assists. Despite his strong showing, Atlanta was swept in four games.[6]
Legacy and honors
In 2013, Guerin was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He also earned induction into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 and was part of the inaugural class of the Bronx Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022. Guerin is noted as being the last NBA player to employ a two-handed set shot.
St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks (1964–1972)
Guerin continued as head coach for two more seasons during which Atlanta recorded identical 36–46 results each year. His overall coaching record concluded at 327 wins and 291 losses. Significantly, Guerin was Pete Maravich’s first professional head coach and was responsible for selecting Maravich third overall in the 1970 NBA draft after Maravich earned National College Player of the Year accolades. Guerin regarded Maravich—who holds the NCAA all-time scoring record—as an exceptionally talented player.
On April 24, 1972, Guerin was elevated to general manager. His successor as head coach, Cotton Fitzsimmons, was appointed just over five weeks later on May 31. Although Guerin still had four years remaining on a five-year contract, he was released from his position on August 4, 1973. The Hawks sought a general manager with stronger marketing abilities and replaced him with Pat Williams two days afterward.
Regular Season
| Season | Team | Games Played | Minutes Per Game | Field Goal % | Free Throw % | Rebounds Per Game | Assists Per Game | Points Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–57 | New York Knicks | 72 | 24.9 | .368 | .620 | 4.6 | 2.5 | 9.7 |
| 1957–58 | New York Knicks | 63 | 37.6 | .354 | .691 | 7.8 | 5.0 | 16.5 |
| 1958–59 | New York Knicks | 71 | 36.0 | .424 | .802 | 7.3 | 5.1 | 18.2 |
| 1959–60 | New York Knicks | 74 | 32.8 | .420 | .773 | 6.8 | 6.3 | 21.8 |
| 1960–61 | New York Knicks | 79 | 38.3 | .396 | .792 | 7.9 | 6.4 | 21.8 |
| 1961–62 | New York Knicks | 78 | '42.9' | .442 | '6.4' | '6.9' | '29.5' | ' .820' |
| 'New York'|'79'|'34.3'|' .432'|' .848'|' 4.2'|' 4.4'|' 21.5'| | ||||||||
| 'New York'|'2'|'13'|' .688'|' .800'|' 1.5'|' 2'|' 13'| | ||||||||
| 'St Louis'|'78'|'30'|' .410'|' .819'|' 3.2'|' 4.8'|' 13.1'| | ||||||||
| 'St Louis'|'57'|'29.4'|' .446'|' .767'|' 2.6'|' 4.8'|' 14.4'| | ||||||||
| 'St Louis'|'80'|'29.5'|' .415'|' .812'|' 3.9'|' 4.9'|' 14.9'| | ||||||||
| 'St Louis'|'80'|'28.4'|' .436'|' .731'|' 2.4'|' 4.3'|' 13.7'| | ||||||||
| 'Atlanta Hawks' | 27 | 17.5 | .423 | .770 | 2.2 | 3.7 | ||
| '1969-70' | Atlanta Hawks | 8 | 8 | .273 | 1 | .3 | 1..5 | |
| colspan='2' | Career | 848 | 32..4 | .416 | .780 | 5 | 5 | |
| colspan='2' | All-Star | 6 | 20..3 | .411 | .654 | 3..2 | 3 |
Playoffs
| Season | Team | Games Played | Minutes Per Game | Field Goal % | Free Throw % | Rebounds Per Game | Assists Per Game | Points Per Game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| '1959' | New York Knicks | 2 | 38..5 | .257 | .857 | 9 | 7..5 | ||
| '1964' | St Louis Hawks | 12 | 35..7 | .444 | .788 | 4..2 | 4..1 | ||
| '1965' | St Louis Hawks | 4 | 31..3 | .385 | .760 | 2 | 5..3 | ||
| '1966' | St Louis Hawks | 10 | 39..9 | .453 | .816 | 3..7 | 7..9 | 20..6| | |
| '1967' | St Louis Hawks | 9 | 25..3 | .419 | .800 | 2..6 | 4..3 | 10..7| | |
| '1969' | Atlanta Hawks | 3 | 10..7 | .250 | .500 | 1..7 | 2..3 | 1| | |
| '1970' | Atlanta Hawks | 2 | 28 | .619 | 1 | 4 | |||
| colspan='2' | Career | 42 | 32 | 429 | 803 | 3..5 | 51 |
Head Coaching Record
| Season | Team | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Winning Percentage | Division Standing | Playoff Games | Playoff Wins | Playoff Losses | Postseason Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964–65 St. Louis Hawks season | align="left" |St. Louis Hawks |47 |28 |19 | 4 |1 |3 |Lost in 1965 NBA Playoffs#Division Semifinals Division Semifinals | |||||||||
| 1965–66 St. Louis Hawks season | align="left" |St Louis Hawks |80 |36 |44 | 10 |6 |4 |Eliminated in 1966 NBA Playoffs#Division Finals Division Finals | |||||||||
| 1966–67 St. Louis Hawks season | align="left" |St Louis Hawks |81 |39 |42 | 9 |5 |4 |Exited in 1967 NBA Playoffs#Division Finals Division Finals | |||||||||
| 1967–68 St. Louis Hawks season | align="left" |St Louis Hawks |82 | 56 | 26 | Template:Winning percentage\ | 1st in Western Division | 6 | 2 | 4 | Lost in 1968 NBA Playoffs#Division Semifinals Division Semifinals | ||
| 1968–69 Atlanta Hawks season | align="left" |Atlanta Hawks |82 |48 |34 | 2nd in Western Division | 11 | 5 | 6 | Fell in 1969 NBA Playoffs#Division Finals Division Finals | |||||
| 1969–70 Atlanta Hawks season | align="left" |Atlanta Hawks |82 |48 |34 | 1st in Western Division | 9 | 4 | 5 | Defeated in 1970 NBA Playoffs#Division Finals Division Finals | |||||
| 1970–71 Atlanta Hawks season | align="left" |Atlanta Hawks |82 |36 |46 | 2nd in Western Division | 5 | 1 | 4 | Eliminated in 1971 NBA Playoffs#Division Semifinals Division Semifinals | |||||
| 1971–72 Atlanta Hawks season | align="left" |Atlanta Hawks |82 |36 |46 | 2nd in Western Division | 6 | 2 | 4 | Lost in 1972 NBA Playoffs#Division Semifinals Division Semifinals | |||||
| Career | !618 | !327 | !291 | !60 | !26 | !34 | ! |
Marine Corps
From 1947 until 1954, Guerin was a member of the Marine Corps Reserve while pursuing his studies at Iona College, where he earned his degree and received a commission as a second lieutenant. He then completed active duty service with the T&T Regiment at Marine Corps Schools in Quantico, concluding his military career as a first lieutenant in June 1956. His decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and the Organized Marine Corps Reserve Medal.
In 2004, Guerin was honored with induction into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame, acknowledging his significant impact both in military service and athletics.
Personal
Following his retirement from professional basketball, Guerin embarked on a career as a sportscaster for the Knicks before transitioning to Wall Street as a stockbroker. He devoted 31 years to Bear Stearns & Co, ultimately retiring in 2005 holding the position of managing director. Guerin is a father to four children and grandfather to nine grandchildren, residing with his wife Pat in Palm Beach, Florida.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ The GOAT List: 2014 Edition
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