Oglethorpe University

John “Johnny” Guthrie was an all-around Petrel who dedicated his life to athletics.

As a student, Guthrie was a guard on the men’s basketball team and a member of the famed 1958-59 team. He was a 1962 GIAC Al-Conference honoree. His senior season, the team went 20-4, and he coached the junior varsity team to a 9-3 record. His junior year, the 1960-61 team recorded two victories in the first annual Oglethorpe tournament and went all the way to the District 25 NAIA Tournament where they would claim the trophy.

Guthrie was also a member of the baseball team, the O Club, the Parliamentarian Student Body, and the Rat Court. He also coached the junior varsity basketball team as a senior.

After graduation, Guthrie became a coach and teacher at Southwest DeKalb High School until he returned to Oglethorpe in 1965. He was an assistant coach for basketball, baseball, and tennis until 1967. After a stint with George Washington University, Guthrie joined the University of Georgia as a men’s basketball assistant coach. He became their head coach in 1973, and was credited with recruiting the school’s first Black athlete and assistant coach. Guthrie was known for challenging outdated, racially motivated rules and for helping the integration progress at UGA. Guthrie stayed with the Bulldogs until 1978, then he became the Associate Commissioner of Basketball Operations for the SEC. Guthrie remained in that position until his retirement in 2005.

Guthrie and his wife Angela were married for 48 years and had one son, David; a current NBA official. He passed away unexpectedly on September 14th, 2010 at the age of 70.