ANTONIO (TONY) MCGINNIS: A legend on the court, he is now helping to inspire a younger generation to become leaders
In and around the immediate areas of Huntsville and Madison County, the name Tony McGinnis automatically conjures up memories of one of the greatest basketball players coming out of the Rocket City. He was named one of the top 25 athletes in Butler High School history where he graduated in 1991 after leading the Rebels in scoring three consecutive years and was an All-State selection as a junior and senior and City MVP. He was recruited by a who’s who in the college ranks and almost signed with Vanderbilt. Instead, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound one-time multi-sport athlete chose to attend college at Texas A&M where he was a four-year letterman, three-year starter and an All-Southwest Conference selection as a senior. His 16-points a game along with team leader Joe Wilbert’s 24-points a game remain the top one-two punch in team history.
After playing professional basketball for 18 months in both Slovenia, the small country in Central Europe, and Australia, the sixth largest country in the world, McGinnis came home and soon began his career away from the basketball court and is currently the Executive Director of the Huntsville Housing Authority where his mission leading 90 employees is to help as many people as possible break the chains of generational poverty in what is known as Section 8 as the organization is funded through HUD. As of 2026, his organization takes care of 1,550 housing units and administers over 1,900 vouchers for Section 8. Much of his work is to help the youth of the community.
“I felt I had a calling to help the youth as I, too, lived in low-income housing as a youth,” said McGinnis, whose given name is Antonio and the son of Leon and Ellis McGinnis. His father passed away in 2017 while his mother will be 75 years old later this summer, is very independent and actually helps McGinnis by picking up his 14-year-old son, Ian, after school each day. “I’ve always believed God has navigated my life to put me on a path many others never thought I’d be. I truly know I’ve exceeded others’ expectations of me. I’m proud of that.”
McGinnis earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M and later earned his master’s in business administration from Strayer University. He has been bestowed numerous accolades for his work since returning home from the ranks of professional basketball. He has more than 20 years of experience guiding public service organizations including the Harris Home for Children and the Boys & Girls Club of North Alabama.
Married to his wife, Mitzi, for 15 years, the two have five children between them. They live in a modest home, which is a long way from where McGinnis was raised.
He grew up in the Sparkman Homes, which was mostly known as Mason Court, located on Holmes Avenue. McGinnis remembers the neighborhood was a tough place to live as there was crime and death in every direction. Actually, the McGinnis family didn’t know how much danger they were in during the 70’s and 80’s as the unlawful situations became normalcy. But sports kept McGinnis on the right track as his athletic activity kept him engaged year-round. Besides hitting the playground areas of Mason Court, he would make daily after school treks to the Boys & Girls Club located on Abingdon Ave. in northwest Huntsville where he cut his teeth in athletics and began his road out of the neighborhood and onto a successful life as an adult. Basketball was not his first love as football was his favorite sport.
“My first experience with a basketball team was while I was in the second grade, as the coach at the Boys & Girls Club told me I was going to play center,” said McGinnis. “So I went to the basketball thinking it was for football and I got into position as a center in football. Basketball was not my best sport as in my very first season I scored two points all season. By my eighth grade a Boys & Girls Club opened in my neighborhood and in a way created a balance, a safety net around our neighborhood. The staff at the club helped me dream. They cultivated my dreams.”
Slowly McGinnis began to excel at basketball as he grew tall and was very strong. His numerous hours of play on the court soon helped him craft his skills and by the time he attended Stone Middle School he was unaware of how basketball was about to change his life forever.
He was in the seventh grade and one day in particular his life flashed in front of his eyes and he knew his future would have to include sports. He said of the moment he knew, “I was on my way home after basketball practice at Stone and as I was walking home along Triana Blvd., it all of a sudden hit me that I knew I would have to use athletics to get out of the neighborhood. The neighborhood was filled with men who were hustlers and I knew I didn’t want to do that the rest of my life. My dad was always involved in my life. My coaches, first at Stone then at Butler, were there to help me find my way. I gave up playing football in my sophomore year and concentrated on basketball.”
He starred as a basketball player at Butler under head coach Jack Doss who remains a head coach today at Grissom High and along the way with a record setting 10 state championships, five of those at Butler after McGinnis was long gone. McGinnis said of his former coach Doss, “He believed in me as a sophomore. He made me see my full potential and not hide it. He was a true basketball coach.”
Growing up at Mason Court with two brothers, McGinnis said his mother was a no-nonsense type of mom who also had help from McGinnis’ father and other family members. He spoke of having his godparents, Sam and Teresa Anderson, always supportive like a second pair of parents. Since being married, he said Mitzi has helped him navigate the last 15 years and believes in him. Those in his life have been Godsends and he knows that support he received and his hard work is what put him in the position of a person who cares for others.
“Being successful to my own detriment has always been tough on me as my plate is always full as I take the time to listen to others,” added McGinnis, who is also an author as he’s written two books that are currently on Amazon. Each are about 90 pages long and are titled “Life In The Bricks,” an actual look back at growing up in Mason Court, and “I Called Him Dad,” a look at his relationship with his father who died in 2017.
Like most high school students, McGinnis got his first job while in prep school by mowing lawns. He said the experience left him knowing he wanted an inside-type job. Always known as a hard worker, he even worked part-time while attending college. He bused tables at a local restaurant and, seeing what he had to do was not his liking, he decided to quit after one day on the job.
McGinnis received his taste of coaching youth when he was the head coach of the Men’s Ambassador basketball team at Oakwood University and led his team to the USCAA National Championship in 2012. He would still like to coach, not on the basketball court, but instead, in the area of consulting young people in the public service industry. He would like to help young executives grow to their full potential, much like he did.
“I am very satisfied with my life. I feel like it helped me to help a lot of people, especially the youth,” said McGinnis. “Others have seen my success and that has given them hope. I’m still helping others. God gives us assignments in our life. I’ve awakened in my purpose. Some of my friends have landed high paying jobs, but I felt my reward would come in life. I feel I’ve been a person who cared for people, gave my all as a servant.”
