McPhie, Gus

Gus McPhie – (2003)

 

Gus McPhie is the embodiment of the student-athlete. At both Lorain St. Mary High School and at John Carroll University, Gus was a leader on and off the field, excelling in both the scholastic and athletic arenas. He held several student offices in high school and was awarded the “Manhood Medal” for religious spirit, scholastic achievement, leadership and character. He was a co-captain of both the football and basketball teams at St. Mary in his 1959-60 senior year. At John Carroll, after serving several student offices, including freshman class President, he was named to Who’s Who in American Universities and Colleges (1964), and earned several honors in football.

While Gus was a two-year starter on the St. Mary basketball team, his real passion was as a football quarterback. In 1959 he was the number one passer in Lorain County, St. Mary’s Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Back, and he earned All Ohio and All American recognition. Gus had his best games against the stronger competition. He threw for 175 yards and 184 yards, respectively, and completed 60% of his passes in losses to Cleveland St. Stan’s, the North Central Conference champion, and Fremont St. Joseph, Sandusky Bay Conference champs.

His high school football coach was Al O’Neill, who also coached the undefeated 1957 St. Mary football team that was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. In an unusual scenario, Gus was a student manager for that team–and a year later, the starting quarterback. George Simonovich, another Hall of Fame inductee (1979), was Gus’ basketball coach at St. Mary.

A three-year letter winner in college, Gus led John Carroll to two consecutive undefeated seasons in 1962-63, beating opponents by an average score of 25-3. He was recognized as the Blue Streaks’ man to turn to for big plays, leading JCU to three come-from-behind victories in the 1963 season. In all three games Gus either threw the winning touchdown pass or he scored the go-ahead touchdown. An accurate passer, he remains today among the top ten all-time John Carroll quarterbacks in percentage completions. His coach, John Ray, left JCU after Gus’ senior year to become the Assistant Head Coach at Notre Dame, later the head coach at the University of Kentucky, and then the Defensive Coordinator with the Buffalo Bills.

In 1963 Gus earned first team All Presidents’ Athletic Conference honors, was named second team All-Catholic All American, and was recognized by the Cleveland Touchdown Club as the Most Outstanding Local College Player. Gus’ awards continued after his college years when he was inducted into John Carroll’s Hall of Fame in 1978, and he was recently named the quarterback on John Carroll’s 1946-1970 all era team in a backfield that included the famed Don Shula.

Gus currently is the Chief Operating Officer of a sportswear apparel firm in Cincinnati where he serves also on several boards of volunteer organizations. He has four grown children, Christi, Michael, Molly and Brian and a grandson, Andrew. Gus and his wife, Mary, reside in Montgomery, Ohio.