Pete McGuire had a twenty-one year career playing sixteen-inch softball. Six of those years were on the major level, most notably with the Whips and the Stompers. His best memo- ries though, were the years with his cousins Mike and Tom McGuire on The Groundsmen teams from the South Side and South suburbs.
But age and injuries spare no one,
so umpiring provided an opportunity for Pete to
stay involved in the game from another perspective. Thanks to his many mentors, Pete became a respected member in the softball community. Pete worked all major ASA tournaments except Forest Park. He um- pired major leagues and tournaments at Harvey and Blue Island. During the years between 1982 and 2004 Pete umpired in two ASA National Tournaments held in Mount Prospect and Blue Island.
Pete authored a softball column for The Star Publi- cations and also had columns appear in the Chicago Softball Magazine.
Along with close friend Tom O’Neill, Pete created The Ultimate Softball Challenge sponsored by the South
town / Star Newspapers. It was the only tournament of its kind to pit sixteen-inch and twelve-inch teams in direct competition. The women’s division featured sixteen-inch teams against eleven-inch teams. In his firstyear the Bank of Westmont faced
the Whips in the championship.
Throughout his career, Pete always
tried to conduct himself in a professional manner. During his high pressure games filled
with volatile situations, his cool and detached persona helped him make the tough call.
Pete is a professional educator dedicating thirty-three years of his life to Bloom Township High School District in Chicago Heights. He retired in 2003 but continued to coach basketball at Bloom. He is finishing his forty-fourth year. In 2012 Pete was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Pete and his wife, Juanita, of thirty years live in Park Forest, Illinois. They have six children – Tim, Patrick, Sharlie, Tara, Maceo, and Liddell. They are also proud grandparents of nine grandsons.