Richie Guerin

Richie Guerin was a great basketball player and coach, born on May 29, 1932, in the Bronx. Part of his greatness was because of how he played the game, but it was also because he always taught his players to treat each other equally. When he was chosen for the Knicks, he was very proud, since playing for the New York team was an honor to him. This wasn't just important to him, for he also was in the Marine Reserves, where he played for the Iona College Basketball team. He was chosen while he was still in the Marines in 1954. He began playing in 1956.

Richie seemed to do no wrong, on the court and off. People loved to watch him for the way he played, plus his antics off-court. He was great, but the team wasn't doing so well, so he was traded to the St. Louis Hawks, where he was a player and coach. He brought the team to seven playoffs, and in 1967, he only was the coach. He left during the 1971-1972 season with a 327-291 record in coaching.

He holds many honors and awards, many of which weren't broken until Bernard King and Patrick Ewing came around. He did play in 6 All-Star games and holds records for getting 20 points per game for four consecutive years, 57 points in one game, and 21 assists in a single game. He was inducted in the Iona College Hall of Fame in 1982 and in the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.