Patti McGuire

When Playmate Patty McGuire was made our Miss November 1976, she told Playboy fans that she’s just an Irish beauty from St. Louis and not a Hollywood wannabe. She planned on packing up her Playboy memories and heading back home to complete her political science degree at Southern Illinois and hitting the campaign trail with local politicians. Since becoming our PMOY, her plans have changed. “Being named Playmate of the Year has its rewards: a kiss from Hef and a Dodge Midnight Charger from Playboy. I’m moving to California now, but I want to report that I still don’t have stars in my eyes. I’m still not an aspiring actress,” Patti insisted during her PMOY photoshoot. “For the Playmate of the Year shooting, Pompeo Posar, the photographer, and I went down to Cabo San Lucas, at the top of the Baja. We stayed in a friendly hotel called the Finisterra. Every morning, a boat would drop us off at a deserted beach and we’d take pictures. It was beautiful. I’ve never seen such wildlife. One pelican spent the whole day watching me take my clothes off.” No one could blame the bird for having great taste in women and, as for Patti, her Playmate experience made her quickly realize how blessed she is. “Being chosen Playmate of the Year is an honor. Sort of like the night I was elected homecoming queen at Hazelwood High. I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll be taking courses at UCLA, modeling and playing backgammon at Hef’s,” explains the busty beauty. “It should be fun.” Fun is the perfect word to describe the all-natural brunette who says she’s unpredictable. She’s tongue-in-cheek, she’s into politics and she’s a self-described crazy Irishwoman. “My friends say I have a split personality—half liberal, half conservative. Sometimes sad, but with a sense of humor,” laughs Patti. “I was surprised when Playboy asked me to pose for a gatefold. But, I’m impulsive. I’ll do anything if it falls into my lap.” Impulsive is the best way to describe the complex beauty who has a need for speed and listens to citizen-band radio to make sure her behavior doesn’t get her into too much trouble. “I would always try to find a car with a C.B. antenna. If it was doing 90 miles an hour, I could be fairly certain that the driver was talking to someone on down the highway and that there weren't any policemen on patrol. I wouldn't get a ticket,” laughs our busty Miss 1977. “So it was inevitable that I became a ladybreaker from the Gateway City of St. Louis, Missouri.” With her old car back home in Missouri and with fall classes at UCLA still not in session, Patti has been spending loads of time at the Playboy Mansion where it’s been all fun and games—even appearing on games. Following her PMOY win, Patti had the pleasure of posing with Hugh Hefner and Playmate Sondra Theodore for the official back glass of Playboy’s pinball machine in 1978. “It was a gas,” says Patti about being a Playmate and her time at the Mansion. “There were about ten girls staying there—other Playmates and models—and it was like living in a sorority house. We’d have water fights in the Jacuzzi at night, backgammon games with Hef, parties at Pips. I’d attend movies on Sunday. I met a lot of good people and made friends. Now, I’m moving out to California. It’s going to be a change. I’m leaving behind a two-year relationship and a lot of old friends. But, it’s something I have to do.” Since being our Miss 1977, Patti has moved across the country and has college students and even presidential candidates knowing her name, but the biggest surprise was still yet to come. While attending a Mansion party filled with Playmates and celebrities, Patti caught the eye of a tennis pro who was the date of a fellow Playmate. Jimmy Connors couldn’t believe our Playmate of the Year was even more beautiful in person than she was on the cover of our magazine. The couple quickly married months later and have Patti McGuire’s fans to thank for voting her our Miss 1977—making their meeting at the Playboy Mansion and marriage possible.