Don McGuire is a television sports executive. He was Executive Producer at Turner Sports' TBS and TNT, Raycom Sports, and The Golf Channel

The Golf Channel

Golf Channel, known as The Golf Channel before the July 2008 dropping of The, is an American cable television network with coverage focused on the game of golf. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, the American headquarters and studio are currently located in Orlando, Florida...

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He has won multiple Emmy awards and was responsible for the startup of Raycom Sports in 1983 and the fast growth of Ted Turner's sports operations from 1987-1995.

ABC Sports

McGuire started his career as an announcer on radio in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was discovered by Dick Ebersol

Dick Ebersol

Duncan "Dick" Ebersol is an American television executive and a senior adviser for . He had previously been the chairman of NBC Sports, producing large scale television events such as the Olympic Games and National Football League broadcasts....

 while Ebersol was at ABC Sports in 1974 and was one of three finalists for ABC's NCAA Football sideline reporter position, eventually given to Jim Lampley

Jim Lampley

James "Jim" Lampley is an American sportscaster, news anchor, movie producer, and restaurant owner. Lampley has anchored a record 14 Olympic Games U.S. television broadcasts, most recently the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....

 and Don Tollefson.

NBC Sports and Raycom Sports

McGuire joined NBC Sports in 1978, hired by Executive Producer Don Ohlmeyer

Don Ohlmeyer

Don Ohlmeyer is an American television producer and former president of the NBC network's West Coast division. Currently, Don Ohlmeyer is a Professor of Television Communications at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California...

 to both produce and be talent on Olympic features for the 1980 Moscow Olympics McGuire soon became producer of studio shows for NBC including NCAA basketball and NFL 78 and 79, hosted by Bryant Gumbel

Bryant Gumbel

Bryant Charles Gumbel is an American television journalist and sportscaster. He is best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's The Today Show. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel.-Early life:...

 McGuire left NBC after that network lost TV right to the NCAA Basketball Championships but was the Feature Producer in 1979 on the highest-rated college game ever, the Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson

Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...

 versus Larry Bird

Larry Bird

Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...

championship between Michigan State and Indiana State.
McGuire is featured in Seth Davis' new book "When March Went Mad" about the Bird/Johnson game in 1979.

McGuire helped start Raycom Sports in 1983 producing hundreds of college football and basketball games yearly for syndication.

Turner Sports

In 1987, he was hired by Robert Wussler to be Executive Producer of TBS Sports. He was Executive Producer on the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics, the 1991 Pan American Games from Havana, Cuba, the 1990 World Cup from Italy and the 1994 Goodwill Games from St Petersburg Russia.

He was the executive who first hired Doug Collins, Hubie Brown, Chuck Daly, Don Sutton, Ernie Johnson, Jr, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley at TNT.