COMMENTS, REVIEWS

"At least three Al McGuire books have made their way into print since the inimitable basketball coach-turned-broadcaster died in January 2001. That doesn't include "You Can Call Me Al," a 1999 biography by Arlington Heights writer Joe Moran that's the best and most thorough of the bunch."

"This book does a good job of capturing 'the Fox' through the eyes of others. Moran was relentless in his pursuit of those who knew McGuire and the result is a fascinating portrayal of a fascinating man."

"Joseph Moran's biography of McGuire, 'You Can Call Me Al," was not only a labor of love, it was a labor of perseverance. Moran, a 1980 Marquette graduate, first approached McGuire about doing an autobiography in 1989, as others had before. Initially the coach sounded interested, but then he pulled back. Moran, however, kept pushing. In 1994, he received a phone call from McGuire, who wanted to visit. The coach said he would be willing to help, but he didn't want to take the time necessary to do an autobiography. He said, "'It's your book, it's your baby. Go ahead and talk to whoever you want,'" Moran said. Moran conducted dozens of interviews. The portrait is complete and it received McGuire's stamp of approval. "You know how he is, Moran said. He said, 'The book is a lot better than I thought it would be.'"

"A few more than 300 pages seemed to be too few to cover the life and times of Al McGuire. Joseph Declan Moran, a 1980 Marquette graduate, did what in McGuire-ese is a 'blue chip' job (translation: terrific) in 'You Can Call Me Al.'"

"McGuire gave author Joe Moran a free hand, which has led to gut-splitting anecdotes and comments that would be held in contempt by today's political correctness police."