TOWSON, Md. - - George McGinty, Towson University's first women's gymnastics coach who directed his 1968-69 Tiger squad to a national championship, died of congestive heart failure on March 14^th at his Jarrettsville, Md. home. He was 85-years-old.

In the fall, 1966, George was named the Tigers' coach and charged with the responsibility of building a women's collegiate gymnastics program. He held the position until his retirement in 1981. Over his 14-year stint the Tigers made five appearances in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women's post-season Championship Meet, winning the 1969 Division II national title. Towson followed that performance with two fourth places, a sixth and a 12^th in subsequent AIAW appearances. To date that title remains the only national championship for women in the history of Towson athletics. It was also the first national title for any Towson program.

Two of his 56 gymnasts, Candi Normile (1979) and Wendy Foerster (1981) earned All-American status.

Over his career as Towson's coach his teams compiled a 104-45 record as they paved the way for a program that has been recognized as one of the top 20 women's gymnastics programs in NCAA Division I. Despite the Division II status, George's teams regularly dispatched such opponents as Maryland, West Virginia, Penn State, North Carolina, Rutgers, Temple and UMass.

In 1979, after leading the Tigers to a 20-3 record, he was honored as Towson's Coach of the Year. In 1991 George was inducted into Towson's athletics Hall of Fame. He was also a member of Towson's physical education faculty for 15 years.

"George was the consummate teacher," said Vickie Boss McGinty, George's wife and a Towson graduate. "He was organized but flexible; held his students and gymnasts to high but reasonable expectations. He loved all aspects of coaching. He took great pride in the program he built at Towson. His greatest joy was to see his girls grow into strong, capable, caring women. I think most of them would agree that he had a role in that.

 "I played field hockey and lacrosse at Towson," Vickie continued. "I came to run his meets because he found out my freshman year that there was a Math major running around in the athletic department. I got started then scoring the meets for him." So, Vickie was recruited by George, but not as a gymnast. The relationship developed into a marriage of 40 years.

A native of Chapel Hill, N.C., George graduated from UNC with a degree in physical education. He taught briefly in Gastonia, N.C. then moved to the Baltimore area where he first taught at Carroll Manor School before assuming a position at then Ridgely-Dulaney Junior/Senior High School that presented him with an introduction to the sport. As his interest in gymnastics grew, he moved on to the newly built Dulaney High School in 1960 when he started the school's co-ed gymnastics program. His boys and girls teams were undefeated from 1960 to 1966. In 2018, George was inducted into Dulaney's athletics Hall of Fame.

A clinician at gymnastics camps from Massachusetts to Florida, he continued his coaching career when he and Vickie moved to Chester, Vermont following his retirement from Towson State. He coached at a competitive club, Northern Lights Gymnastics, where a number of the youngsters George mentored over the years went on to compete at the collegiate level. The McGintys returned to the Baltimore area in 2003, residing in Jarrettsville in Harford County.

A Mass celebrating Coach McGinty's life will be offered on Monday, April 1 at 11:00 am at St. Mark's Catholic Church in Fallston, Md.