|
|
James “Pat” McGuire
The last message Tucker High softball player Kendall Shockley received from her coach James “Pat” McGuire read, “Kendall, I can’t wait to get back coaching and watching you play!”
McGuire, the longtime head softball coach for J.R. Tucker High School, died Dec. 17 at age 73, but Shockley still wears his name on her visor as a memento to how much McGuire meant to her as a coach and a mentor.
“Coach McGuire meant so much to me, so many words can’t even describe it,” she wrote in a letter to Tucker Principal Art Raymond. “Losing Coach Pat really hurt and affected me, but what is even more important is not letting him down and doing everything how he would have wanted.”
Raymond, who asked the Henrico School Board to name Tucker’s softball field the “Coach Pat McGuire Field” at a meeting April 18, said he received more than 140 letters in support of renaming the field in McGuire’s honor. The board decided to waive the one-month notice period requirement in order to immediately approve the new name.
McGuire, a Glen Allen native and a prominent softball coach who led Tucker’s softball team for 25 years, was a well-known and cherished figure in the Tucker community, Raymond said.
“He mentored hundreds of players,” he said. “Naming the field after him would honor his memory and life’s work with the young women at our school and the wider community.”
For 24 years, McGuire also coached the West End Waves travel softball league, which he founded back in 1999 and originally intended to coach for only one year. Instead, McGuire stayed with the league until his death in December.
“I was supposed to do it for one year, and now I’m going on 24 years later, I’m still here,” McGuire said at a Dec. 2 Christmas party for the Waves league. “And I hope to be here for a long time to see these girls.”
McGuire was born and raised in Henrico and graduated from Hermitage High School. He played football in high school and was coached by Chester E. Fritz, the namesake of Hermitage’s Fritz Stadium.
At age 18, McGuire joined the army and served during the Vietnam War. He remained a member of the reserves for 43 years and volunteered with the Forest View Rescue Squad, an Emergency Medical Services team, in Chesterfield for 48 years. He also served many roles at his church, Skipwith Baptist Church.
McGuire long had been active in the Tucker community before he started coaching. His two children, JP and Ashley, attended the school, and his wife Linda was a Tucker graduate.
But what McGuire was best known for at Tucker was his dedication to the softball players he coached, his commitment to building up their confidence and being there for them through the “highs and lows.”
“Pat was more than a coach; he was a guiding light, a mentor, and a source of unwavering support for generations of players,” the West End Waves homepage reads. “His profound influence extended far beyond the game, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and lives of those he touched.”
“Coach always saw the best in everyone. Coach saw something in me that I couldn’t even see in myself,” wrote Rehanna Ayala, a softball player at Tucker. “For all the years I have played softball, I have only done outfield positions, but when I got to Tucker, Coach McGuire saw more potential in me. Because of Coach I am now an infielder. I was so nervous when I played infield for the first time, but Coach was right there with me to support me.”
McGuire would stick by his players throughout the college admissions process, going to speak to college softball coaches on behalf of his players and traveling to their games so he could be a friendly face in the stands.
“He always put students first and cared for them deeply,” wrote Benita Turner, a former Tucker softball coach alongside McGuire. “He helped students who were having issues in school, he helped the student athletes find scholarships and followed them throughout their career and lives.”
McGuire often would attend his players’ graduations and ceremonies and send them text messages on their birthdays and on holidays. He was known for his love of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, which he would bring to practices when players were feeling down.
Even when his health was deteriorating, McGuire kept showing up, making it to every game and practice to be there for “his girls.”
“He showed me to always be positive in tough situations,” wrote Ayala. “Coach McGuire was the strongest man I knew. Coach was sick, and he still managed to get out on the field with us every day and practice, and he would make it to every single game.”
At his league’s Christmas party, McGuire said it was his love for his players that kept him going even when he was struggling.
“This past September wasn’t the best month for me, but watching and hearing about these players helped me get through it,” he said. “God is great and faith is what made me get through this, because I knew I would get back to these girls.”
At the school board meeting, several of McGuire’s friends and family members showed up to support the naming of the field. Raymond and Turner were joined by Tucker’s Director of Student Activities Chris Brown, current Tucker softball coach Richard Barlow and assistant coach Ted Bryce, West End Waves Vice President John Linthicum, lifelong friend and former Douglas S. Freeman High softball coach Bob Lawrenson, family friend Lisa Harris, and McGuire’s son, JP, and his wife, Kaitlyn.
“Pat will be remembered for his unwavering patriotism, selflessness, and dedication to his family and community,” Raymond read from McGuire’s obituary at the meeting. “His kind heart and gentle nature touched the lives of many. He will be greatly missed and forever cherished in our hearts.”
* * *
Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.
Leave a Reply