The Warriors’ 77-55 victory over East Grand-Greater Houlton Christian last Monday night in Dyer Brook was the 400th of McAvoy’s 32-year varsity coaching career, and another win the next night against Easton improved his record to 401-200, a .667 winning percentage.
The school presented McAvoy with a plaque commemorating his accomplishment prior to the start of the Dec. 8 game with Easton.
His teams have qualified for postseason play in 28 of his first 31 seasons and have had just four sub-.500 finishes during that tenure.
McAvoy played on an undefeated Class S state championship team at Sherman High School in 1967, the last year before that school was part of a consolidation that formed Katahdin High School of Stacyville. McAvoy then played on the first Katahdin team and helped the Cougars to an undefeated regular season.
He went on play basketball at Unity College before returning to northern Maine to begin teaching and coaching at Central Aroostook of Mars Hill.
McAvoy was a JV coach under Frank Keenan at CAHS for five years, then became head coach in 1977 and guided the Panthers for 13 seasons before returning to his alma mater in 1993 and coaching Katahdin for 15 years.
McAvoy left the Katahdin post in 2007 but returned to coaching at Southern Aroostook in 2012.
The Maine Sports Legends inductee guided Katahdin to the 2000 Eastern D championship. His clubs have reached five Eastern Maine finals, most recently in 2014 with Southern Aroostook.
The Warriors advanced to the semifinals last February and are expected to be among this winter’s top contenders in Class D North.
