Johnny McCarthy was an American basketball player and coach. As a point guard, he played college basketball and was an All-American at Canisius College. He was selected by the Rochester Royals in the 1956 NBA draft and played 6 seasons in the NBA and 1 in the American Basketball Association with the Rochester / Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks, Pittsburgh Rens (ABA), and the Boston Celtics, where he won the 1964 NBA Championship under Red Auerbach against the Philadelphia Warriors.
From 1953-1956, McCarthy played 61 games for the Canisius Griffins. McCarthy scored 1,160 career points, which ranks 24th all-time in school history, and he was the team’s leading scorer in 1954-55 and 1955-56. In those two seasons, he helped lead the Griffins through 2 NCAA Tournament appearances where the team earned 4 wins. In 6 career NCAA Tournament games, McCarthy averaged 15 points per game.
McCarthy was inducted into the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame in 1967.
As of 2026, McCarthy is the first of only four players in NBA history to record a triple-double in his playoff debut, with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against the Minneapolis Lakers on March 16, 1960. He was later joined by Magic Johnson in 1980, LeBron James in 2006 and Nikola Jokić in 2019.
Coach Johnny McCarthy passed away on May 9, 2020.
Coaching Career
McCarthy started his coaching career in his hometown with the Buffalo Braves, succeeding Dolph Schayes who was fired one game into his second season after a 123-90 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics. He finished the season with a 22-59 record, including Schayes 1 loss, the team finished with a 22-60 record, missing the playoffs.
Notable Players Coached
- Elmore Smith (Future 1972 NBA All-Rookie First Team & 1974 NBA blocks leader)
- Walt Hazzard (1968 NBA All-Star)
- Randy Smith (Future 2x NBA All-Star)
McCarthy then returned to his alma mater Canisius University to coach the men’s basketball team, the Griffins. He went 28-49 in three seasons.
Notable Players Coached
- Larry Fogle
- Averaged 24.9 points and 9.6 rebounds in 1974–75
- Selected with the 34th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 1975 NBA Draft
- Charles Jordan
- Averaged 15.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in 1974–75
- Strong interior presence and double‑double machine