Three-time All-New England wrestler Rick Maguire capped a
standout collegiate career by winning the 118 pound title during
his senior season.
The native of Springfield, Vt., delivered when his name was
called during his freshman season. Being utilized strategically on
a team that captured the 1987 New England Championship, Maguire
proved he could hang with the best, posting a 4-1 mark with a pin
in dual-match action.
He broke through during his sophomore season, registering a 10-1
record en route to placing second at 118 lbs. at the New England
Championships hosted by the Engineers. He continued to provide his
team with great performances from the lead-off weight as he
compiled a 12-1 standard with his highest career pin total of 4
during his junior season. he again snagged valuable team points by
finishing second at the championships.
Like most great champions, Maguire saved his best for last. He
racked up 10 victories in 11 dual meets and took home the 118 pound
championship at the NEWA meet hosted by Plymouth State. He was one
of two Crimson and Gray wrestlers who had their arms lifted as
champions and in an effort that saw Phil Grebinar’s quad come
within a half a point of the team title. One of Maguire’s 3
pins that season in dual meet competition came in a team-best 14
seconds over his opponent from Bowdoin.
“Rick Maguire was an energetic and dynamic leader for the
WPI Wrestling Team during his four years at WPI,” said Hall
of Fame head coach Grebinar. “His energy, hustle, and
technique were evident in every practice and meet. As an 118 lb.
wrestler and the lead-off for every dual meet, Ricky provided a
huge jump-start to the team in setting the tone of a WPI
victory.”
Maguire amassed an overall record of 36-4 in dual meets for a
eye-popping 90 percent winning percentage, good for top five
all-time in the history of the program. He also garnered
valuable points for the team by totaling nine pins, a quarter of
his total victories.
“Ricky was one of the toughest and most tenacious
wrestlers that I was fortunate enough to have as a teammate,”
said fellow Hall of Famer and current head coach Steve Hall.
“A great example of this is when everyone else simply walked
up the five flights of stairs in Harrington after practice, Ricky
would carry me on his back up all five flights. He was wrestling
118 at the time and I was 245.”
Maguire graduated from WPI in the spring of 1990 with a degree
in electrical engineering. He began his professional career right
here in Worcester at Allegro Microsystems as a product engineer.
Later, he moved on to Analog Devices, where he spent five years as
a test engineer. Currently he is working as a product design
engineer at Philips Healthcare in Andover. Rick is the proud father
of two lovely daughters, Katie and Jillian, and resides in
Londonderry, New Hampshire.
