VINCE McGUINNESS

Steve Virgen

While growing up in Newport Beach, Vince McGuinness loved to play

soccer and baseball, but the latter was put to the side when he

arrived at Corona del Mar High in 1978.

Jim Tomlin could be the one to blame, but as it turned out,

Tomlin, the former Sea King track and field coach, gained credit for

noticing McGuinness’ talent in regard to track rather than baseball.

When McGuinness was a freshman, he was planning to play baseball,

but Tomlin helped the young athlete change his plans. Before the

baseball season, Tomlin spoke with the freshman baseball coach and

asked him to encourage McGuinness to compete for the Sea Kings’ track

and field team instead.

“I got pulled up to play varsity in the CIF playoffs for soccer

and I missed the tryouts for baseball,” McGuinness said. “When I

showed up for baseball, the coach was saying I would be a pretty good

track athlete.”

McGuinness was upset about the baseball coach’s suggestion,

because he enjoyed baseball so much. But McGuinness eventually got

over it. Later in the spring, he broke the freshman school record in

the 400 meters.

“I just loved to compete and I had a blast,” McGuinness said of

his time with the Sea Kings.

McGuinness also said he enjoyed his choice to compete in track and

field. Tomlin was known for supporting camaraderie among his athletes

on the track and field team and McGuinness enjoyed that aspect as

well.

Competing in the 1,600 relay was the most fun, McGuinness said.

McGuinness ran anchor and was part of he relay team that also

included Lance Martin, John Forte and Dave Patterson.

In McGuinness’ senior year the Sea Kings won the Beach Cities

Invitational at Newport Harbor.

“We won league three out of my four years in soccer and track,”

McGuinness said. “In 1983, the soccer team lost in the [CIF]

semifinals on penalty kicks. We went undefeated until that game. It

was a great season.”

McGuinness said he had a lot of fun in soccer. Most of the players

had played on the same club team since age 11, he said. He also

experienced personal achievements that made his high school

experience even more memorable.

“I had two hat tricks in one week,” he said. “That was a big week

for me. Also, when I came in under 50 [seconds] in the 400.”

In 1999, McGuinness served as a walk-on assistant for the Corona

del Mar track and field team. He still follows the team and said he

took pleasure in meeting senior Chris Ringstrom, who is also a

standout in soccer and track and field, particularly the 400.

“It’s just fun for me to go back and see a kid like Chris

Ringstrom,” McGuinness said. “He’ll probably break my [school] record

in the 400. I think my record is 48.8 in the 400. I went and saw him

last year and I told him I hope he beats it.”

McGuinness now coaches for the Newport Beach Slammers soccer club.

He said he does it for fun, as investment management is his

profession. When he finished competing in soccer and track and field

at Corona del Mar in 1983, he concentrated solely on academics.

He went on to earn his undergraduate degree in international

studies at USC. He lived and worked in Scotland and Japan as a stock

analyst. He met his wife, Kristen, in Scotland.

McGuinness, the latest honoree of the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of

Fame, moved back to Newport Beach about seven years ago and lives

there with Kristen and their four children: Nick, 9, Kennedy, 6, who

is the only girl, Joseph, 2, and William, 1.