He signed his first baseball contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1948. An outfielder who batted and threw right-handed, McGaha never played in the Major Leagues. However, he achieved great success as a minor league manager. At 27, he became a playing skipper in 1954 in the Double-ATexas League, leading the Shreveport Sports to 90 victories and a regular-season pennant in his first season, and then to 87 wins and a playoff title the following year. In 1959, his Mobile Bears won the Double-A Southern Association championship and 89 regular-season games. Then, in 1960, McGaha led the Triple-AToronto Maple Leafs to 100 victories and the International League's Governors' Cup playoff championship. In 1961, he was promoted to a coaching position with the parent Cleveland Indians then became their manager at age 35 in, succeeding Jimmie Dykes, although McGaha was fired with two games remaining in his maiden season with Cleveland at 78–82 in sixth place in the ten-team American League. In 1963, McGaha became a coach for the Kansas City Athletics. In June 1964, with the Athletics in last place under manager Eddie Lopat, owner Charlie Finley, known for his quick trigger finger in hiring and firing, abruptly shifted McGaha into the Kansas Cityfront office; then, a few days later, moved him back onto the field as Lopat's successor. The A's revived somewhat, but still finished in last place. McGaha was fired by Finley in the 1965 season after a 5–21 start. He was replaced by Haywood Sullivan. In part of three seasons as a Major League manager, McGaha posted a 123–173 record. Following his big-league managing career, he worked for the Houston Astros as a minor league skipper and Major League coach.
Basketball coach
In addition to his baseball managing, McGaha also spent two years as the head men's basketball coach at Arkansas A&M College, serving as the head coach in 1953-54 and 1954–55. He posted a 32–15 record during his two years as the Boll Weevils' head coach– McGaha was a member of the 1948 Duluth Dukes and was one of the survivors of a July 24 bus crash where four players and their manager were killed in a head-on accident with a truck. He died in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 75.
