[2] Macauley attended Saint Louis University, where his team won the NIT championship in 1948.

[2] Macauley acquired his nickname of "Easy Ed" during a pre-game warmup in his sophomore year, when fans shouted "Take it easy, Ed" because he (the captain of the team) did not realize that the national anthem was being played when he left the locker room and ran out onto the court.

He was named to the All-NBA second team for the only time in the 1953–54 season while also leading in field goal percentage.

Macauley was traded from the Boston Celtics to the St. Louis Hawks on the day of the 1956 NBA draft (April 29, 1956).

Macauley made the NBA Finals in 1957, averaging 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in the seven-game series.

[8] Macauley was named player-coach of the Hawks for the 1958–59 season, and he played in 14 regular-season games before retiring as a player.

After leading the Hawks to the 1960 NBA Finals (which they lost in seven games to the Celtics), Macauley retired from coaching.

[11] Macauley scored 11,234 points in ten NBA seasons and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.