HAMPTON BAYS WRESTLING ALUMNI

RICHARD MCGUCKIN
Varsity Assistant Coach, 1974-1981
Junior High Head Coach, 1972-1985

Besides being the assistant varsity coach, McGuckin coached the junior high team. McGuckin was an invaluable asset to Coach Fitzgerald. "McGuck" was excellent at teaching fundamental wrestling technique. The growth and success of the program was due to McGuckin teaching the basics and Coach Fitzgerald expanding upon that. McGuckin was a disciplinarian but his jolly mannerisms made his practices fun.  You were bound to hear him say "fiddle-dee-dee son" if your effort was not quite up to par!

The following was taken from Coach McGuckin's Roslyn High School class of 1957 page: Following Roslyn High School, I went to The Citadel, in Charleston, SC.   I was on the wrestling team and in general loved the place. The next 3 years I taught school ---actully the school was the US Army Jungle Warfare School, and I taught Jungle survival and river crossing.  If you need a grass hut built or want to float a jeep across a river, I’m your guy.

Leaving the Army in February, teaching jobs were in short supply so I ended up as a Multi-Peril Insurance Underwriter for Royal Insurance.  Days were sort of boring but being single and in Manhattan was enough fun to make up for it.

After 3 years, I left Royal for a teaching job (JHS science this time) in Valley Stream, NY.   I coached football and wrestling and still lived in NYC.  Nights I got a MS from Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.  However, when I looked around for a house to buy.  I discovered that all the teachers lived 1- 2 hours away.  I decided to find a place where I could afford a house and then look for a job there.

Hampton Bays, NY was a blue collar “lunch bucket” type of town where all the commercial baymen, the plumbers, electricians and bartenders that work in the “Beautiful Hamptons” live; but houses were still reasonable and I spent 30 wonderful years teaching General Science and Biology.  I coached wrestling for 20 years and football for 10.

In 1984 we were unable to find a replacement for the Physics teacher who retired and the school offered me a Sabbatical year off (with pay) if I would take enough Physics courses to be NYS certified.  While studying Physics, I entered the PhD program in the Education department at Virginia Tech.  I finished the courses and comprehensive exams but they absolutely hated my dissertation, and I ended up with a CAGS instead of a PhD – so it goes.

My last 15 years I taught Physics and a college level course in Marine Biology.  Fantastic times.  Retired in 1999.  Taught Biology at Southampton College, LIU until 2002 when CW Post discovered that the land in Southampton would cover their operating budget for 10 years and closed down.  I'm still in Hampton Bays.

Hobbies include photography and sailing.  Used to do my own photo lab work but I just got a digital camera.  At one time I owned 6 boats from kyacks and garveys to several sailboats.  Currently just one boat and a "Look Box."  I walk, paddle and photograph shallow water and watch the "creatures."