Paul Maguire

Biography

Paul Maguire grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and became a standout multi-sport athlete at The Citadel before entering the newly formed American Football League in 1960. Playing linebacker and punter for the Chargers and then the Buffalo Bills, he spent all ten years of the AFL's existence in the league, won three championships, and retired as the league's all-time leader in punts and punting yardage. He moved into broadcasting soon after retiring, building a 40-plus year career as a color commentator for NBC and ESPN, where his blunt, often combative analysis and sharp football instincts made him a fixture of NFL and college football coverage for decades. He worked alongside some of the sport's biggest broadcast names, including a stint on NBC's top NFL team with Dick Enberg and Phil Simms, and later spent years calling ABC and ESPN college football alongside Bob Griese. Maguire remained closely tied to Buffalo throughout his career, both on air and through his long-running local sports talk show.