McGuire, of course, was the Marquette coach who had his own language. He used such terms as cupcakes, French pastry, elevator man, tap city and white-knuckler to describe things that happened in basketball.

McGuire died of leukemia Feb. 23, 2001, but his name is in huge neon lights again now because Marquette is back in the NCAA Final Four.

I was on hand at the Omni in Atlanta when McGuire’s 1977 team won the championship by beating North Carolina. As the game ended, McGuire’s reaction was to sit on the bench for a few moments, crying as he held his head in his hands. It was his final game as Marquette’s coach.

Because of McGuire’s situation, it was perhaps the most emotional Final Four championship game I ever witnessed.

But I had been around McGuire plenty of other times, and had heard many stories about him.

Like how he used to ride motorcycles while on vacation in New Zealand. Like how a reporter found him lying on the floor of his office when he went there to interview him. Like an "elevator man" was, to him, a player who could leap. Like an "aircraft carrier" was, to him, a big center.

That was the year Coach Maury John’s Bulldogs had a 26-5 record, reeled off 12 straight victories late in the season and almost upset John Wooden’s UCLA team in the Final Four at Louisville.

UCLA slipped past the Bulldogs, 85-82, in the semifinals, but Drake went on to finish third in the tournament by drilling North Carolina, 104-84, when consolation games were still played.

Drake began that season by winning six consecutive games—and one was over McGuire’s Marquette team, 68-63.

McGuire was already a factor in collegiate basketball, and John—who knew everything there was to know about strong coaches and strong teams—was ready for Al when he brought his team to town.

John was always working to get a better home-court advantage at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, where Drake then played its games. For the Marquette game, he had workmen switch the players’ benches to the opposite side of the court.

Consequently, Marquette’s bench was in front of the Drake student crowd, which then was a boisterous, pom-pon waving gang that enjoyed making life miserable for the visiting players and coaches.

The students obviously knew about McGuire, and did their best to rattle him.

They heckled him, a few unfortunately even threw coins at him during the game. As I recall, McGuire didn’t put up any fuss. After all, being from Marquette, he knew all about how loud and sometimes obnoxious fans from private schools could get during games.

Well, from state schools, too.

The Bulldogs won that one, 89-74 (that never happens anymore, does it?) and beat Iowa State, 81-71, at Ames in their next game. As I recall, Drake fans out-numbered Cyclone fans at the Armory, where Iowa State then played its games.

"Hang it up, Andy! Hang it up, Andy!" the Bulldogs’ fans chanted in the second half in reference to Glen Anderson, the Iowa State coach. To further show how far Drake’s program was ahead of Iowa State’s, John’s Bulldogs ripped the Cyclones, 94-71, later that season at the Auditorium in Des Moines.

Two years later, Anderson did hang it up. He was fired and Maury John was hired when Iowa State was preparing to open Hilton Coliseum for the 1971-72 season. McGuire got even with Drake in the 1969-70 season with a 72-70 victory at Milwaukee. The Bulldogs almost made it to the Final Four that year, too. An 87-78 loss to Lou Henson’s New Mexico State team in the Midwest Regional final at Lawrence, Kan., was the only thing that stopped them.

In McGuire’s final season at Marquette—the one that would end with the NCAA championship--he came back to the Auditorium for a game against Drake when Bob Ortegel was the Bulldogs’ coach. Marquette won, 62-60.

The year before, McGuire’s team had rolled past Ortegel and Drake, 80-58, in Milwaukee.

McGuire held court with reporters the day before the tournament began. He arrived late for the session, and sat in the stands while visiting with us.

McGuire said he had been delayed because he was looking for a restaurant in downtown Omaha to buy a chili dog for lunch.

"I always look for a chili dog in whatever town I’m in," he explained.

When he arrived at the arena, he was carrying a sack. It didn’t contain a chili dog.

It carried a weathered old tool.

"I was looking for antique tools," he said. "I look for them in every city I’m in. That’s one of my hobbies."

Hey, the guy was show biz all the way.

I have no idea if the stories about chili dogs and antique tools were true, but all of us believed them because it was Al McGuire who was telling ‘em.

I wish he could be in New Orleans for the Final Four this weekend.

And I wish Maury John could be there, too.

When the team wins 10 games and loses 20, I guess people wonder a lot of things.

"Kurt Kanaskie has never had an MVP award in all his years as Drake’s coach," explained Mike Mahon, the school’s athletic department spokesman. "He doesn’t believe in that kind of stuff."

David Bancroft was named the winner of the coaches’ award. Sean Tracy received the most improved player award and Josh Powell was named the team’s outstanding defensive player.

"The coaches’ award is given to the player who exemplifies the best attitude and is unselfish, hard-working and reliable," Kanaskie said. "It also goes to the player who puts winning above everything else."

Other awards: Top field goal percentage—Quantel Murphy, .571; top free throw percentage—Luke McDonald, .861; top rebounder—Greg Danielson, 268 for an 8.9 average per game; top assists—Lonnie Randolph, 103 for a 3.4 average per game.

For the second straight year, Brian Hogan of Fort Madison was named the winner of the academic achievement award for having the best grade-point average on the team.