George Guida, 93; track star was key to 'Nova's 'Irish Pipeline'

George Guida, 93, a Villanova University track and field star who served his country in World War II and represented it in the 1948 Olympics, died Monday, Sept. 7, in San Francisco, where he had lived for more than 50 years.

Mr. Guida, remembered as a man of kindness and humility, was one of the first great runners to compete for Villanova's now-storied track program.

But it is not just what Mr. Guida did in competition that made him such an important figure for the team. A friendship Mr. Guida struck up with an Irish runner at the 1948 Olympics in London continues to benefit Villanova today.

Born Aug. 29, 1922, Mr. Guida grew up in South Philadelphia, one of eight children of an Italian immigrant father and a mother of Italian descent. He was a standout sprinter and quarter-miler while at Southeast Catholic High School, earning a scholarship to run at Villanova. His time at Villanova was punctuated by service in the Navy during World War II.

A 1945 article in The Inquirer described Mr. Guida, who held a national junior record in the 200 meters at the time, as a humble phenom.

"It was typical that George should stop to praise his teammates and gloss over his own achievements," the article said of Mr. Guida, who was then 23.

In 1948, Mr. Guida and a Villanova teammate, Browning Ross, became the second and third Villanova track athletes to compete in the Olympics. Mr. Guida finished sixth in the 400 meters. Ross competed in the steeplechase.

It was off the track at those Olympics that Mr. Guida made his most lasting impact for his alma mater.

Mr. Guida and Ross struck up a friendship with an Irish runner, Jimmy Reardon. The friendship resulted in Reardon's receiving a track scholarship of his own to Villanova.

And so began the so-called Irish Pipeline, the long tradition of elite Irish runners coming to Villanova and competing as Wildcats. More than two dozen standout Irish runners have since come to Villanova, including Sonia O'Sullivan, Eamonn Coghlan, Ron Delany, and John Hartnett, all Olympians and world-class champions.

One of the most successful Irish athletes to run for Villanova was miler Marcus O'Sullivan, who graduated in 1984. He competed in four Olympic Games and now directs the Villanova track and field program.

O'Sullivan said that he, and many other Irish athletes, would likely not have been able to come to Villanova if not for Mr. Guida and his friendship with Reardon, who was simply a fellow athlete in need of an education.

"It's very much in line with what the university would have been trying to nurture and establish," O'Sullivan said. "That's a great credit to a man and it's a great legacy left to his family."

The legacy Mr. Guida began shows no signs of abating: Villanova sophomore Siofra Buttner, from Ireland, earned All-Big East honors running for Villanova her freshman year.

Mr. Guida is survived by 24 nieces and nephews. His family and friends remembered a man who was constantly giving of himself, living out his Catholic faith through generosity and humility.

"He was everybody's favorite uncle," said one nephew, Stephen Fisher, who lives in California. "He was kind, he was generous. . . . He was a model of what you could be."

"There was nobody like him," said a longtime friend, Maria Watts. She recalled a man who was always giving to those in need, even paying expired parking meters as he walked down the street.

"He was amazing," she said. "His light shone on everybody."

A burial service will be held with family and friends Thursday, Sept. 17, at 10 a.m. at St. Peter's Church in Merchantville, N.J.

"He devoted his whole life to giving to others," said his niece Marie Cavanaugh. "That sums up Uncle George."

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@MatthewNussbaum