Hall of Fame
Tom McGuire spent nearly two decades (1997-2016) as Bloomsburg University's Sports Information Director (SID) promoting the University's athletic teams, coaches, and student-athletes during one of its most successful eras. In that time period, BU won nine NCAA and 36 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) titles. McGuire helped position Bloomsburg as a respected name across both the NCAA and the PSAC.
As SID, McGuire oversaw publicity for 20 varsity programs and ensured comprehensive, equitable coverage for every team. During his time as SID, he developed BU's modern-day athletic website, produced media guides for all teams and increased the use of video interviews of student-athletes and coaches. In 2005, McGuire expanded his role to include serving as the director of athletic marketing and promotions, dramatically increasing corporate sponsorship revenue. Under his leadership, sponsorship dollars increased from $7,500 annually to nearly $75,000 per year. Over the course of his career, he raised close to $600,000 in scholarship support through corporate partnerships, directly benefiting Bloomsburg student-athletes. He also spearheaded the development of Roongo, the university's beloved mascot. Additionally, he served as the university's director of licensing and twice as interim director of university communications, while maintaining his SID duties.
McGuire served as the host SID for dozens of NCAA and PSAC championship events, including the 2008, 2011 and 2015 NCAA D-II national field hockey final four. McGuire's broadcasting background also came into play several times as he has served as the voice of the NCAA D-II field hockey webcasts in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011.
McGuire promoted two Bloomsburg football players for the Harlon Hill, the D-II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, with Franklyn Quiteh winning the honor in the fall of 2013 after finishing third in 2012 and sixth as a freshman in 2010. In 2006, he promoted Jamar Brittingham, to a third-place finish in the Harlon Hill voting and Jahri Evans for a top-five finish in the Upshaw Award voting as the nation's best lineman.
In 2006 he also promoted head football coach Danny Hale to a top 10 finish in the first-ever Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year program who was then featured in a special on ABC-TV hosted by broadcast legend the late Keith Jackson.
Through his efforts, the Huskies also regularly appeared on a CBS Sports show called Review of the NCAA Championships, which in 2009 featured BU coaching legend Jan Hutchinson who won an NCAA title in her final season as coach. He has also had 11 student-athletes featured in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd section and had a front-page story in USA Today in 2002 on Danny Hale's son Tyson, who was starting for the Huskies football team 10 years after overcoming cancer.
He also nominated and promoted 15 student-athletes who earned the prestigious College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America honor, as well as 16 women and eight men who were named PSAC Top 10 winners, which recognizes both academic and athletic excellence.
McGuire was recognized by his peers for his outstanding work. In 2014, the Eastern College Athletic Conference Sports Information Directors Association awarded him its Irving T. Marsh Award, presented annually to an SID who has exhibited excellence in the field of sports information. That year, he also earned the CoSIDA, now College Sports Communicators 25-Year Service Award and, in 2017, its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award one of the highest honors in the profession upon his retirement from sports information.
He also loved to share his knowledge of sports publicity with his student assistants. McGuire knew that his student workers were more than just 'go-fers', and he enjoyed giving them real-world work experience. Nearly 50 of those former student assistants, interns, and graduate assistants, who were mentored by McGuire, went on to professional careers in sports publicity, marketing, sponsorships or sports journalism.
After stepping away from sports information, McGuire took on the role of BU's director of media relations and retired in 2023 as the senior director of strategic communications for the newly formed Commonwealth University. The last award he won was a first-place writing award from the College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals (CUPRAP) for his long-form feature on fellow Hall of Fame inductee Steph Pettit.
McGuire also had the pleasure of writing about his son Nick, a 2019 BU graduate, who competed in cross country and track for the Huskies and who qualified for the 2018 NCAA D2 national cross country championships.
He and his wife Audrey will celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary in October.
