Hall of Fame
John McVay, a three-year letterman in football from 1950-52, was selected as the all-Mid-American Conference center and served as team captain his senior year. He helped Miami compile a 9-1 record and capture the MAC and Salad Bowl titles his first year under Coach Woody Hayes. Miami had a 15-4 mark is last two years under Coach Ara Parseghian.
Following graduation from Miami in 1953, McVay coached Canton Central Catholic High School to a nine-year record of 41-7-2. He served three years as an assistant on Duffy Daugherty's football staff at Michigan State. McVay was the head football coach at the University of Dayton for eight years and his 1962 team posted an 8-2 record, one of the best mark in the Flyers' playing history. He also served as Director of Athletics at Dayton for one year.
After leaving Dayton McVay coached the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League to a 24-8 record. He was elevated from assistant to head coach of the New York Giants the second half of the 1976 season and was rewarded with a multi-year contract at the end of the season. He guided the Giants through the 1978 season, then moved on to the San Francisco 49ers, where he served as vice president and general manager for 17 seasons.
He was part of five Super Bowl World Championship teams with San Francisco and was named NFL Executive of the Year in 1989. He retired from the 49ers in 1996. One of McVay's son, John Jr. was a standout defensive back and lettered for Miami's football team from 1972-74. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977
