John McDonnell (coach)
Encyclopedia
John McDonnell is the retired head coach
for the University of Arkansas
Razorbacks
track
team. He began as the cross country
track coach for the University in 1972 and became head track coach in 1978. McDonnell retired after the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
He coached at New Providence (N.J.) High School
(1969–70) and Lafayette (La.) High School
(1971) before coming to the University of Arkansas.
Coach McDonnell led the track team to their first national championship at the 1984 NCAA Indoor Championships while the school was a member of the now-defunct Southwest Conference. Since then, the University of Arkansas has won 42 NCAA championships, including 11 cross country, 19 indoor track and 12 outdoor track. Other schools have won only 24 combined NCAA titles in the three sports during the same period.
McDonnell's 42 national championships (which include 19 in indoor track, 12 in outdoor track and 11 in cross country) are more than any coach in any sport in the history of college athletics. The next highest is 31 by Pat Henry
, former LSU
and current track coach at Texas A&M University
.
McDonnell also won five national triple crowns. (in 1984-85, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95 and 1998–99) Texas-El Paso
has won three national triple crowns. No other school has ever won one.
In addition, McDonnell team and individual achievements include:
The Razorback outdoor track facility
on the campus of the University of Arkansas is named in his honor. McDonnell has been inducted as a member of the United States Track Coaches Hall of Fame, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Southwestern Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Mayo Hall of Fame.
citizenship in 1969, the same year he graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Since retiring, McDonnell enjoys spending time on his 2500 acres (10.1 km²) cattle ranch in Pryor, Oklahoma. He reportedly owns over 650 head of cattle
.
The coach is also involved with several non-profit organizations, including the American Heart Association
and the Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute and he works closely with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
to promote prostate cancer
awareness.
McDonnell is married to the former Ellen Elias of Bayonne, New Jersey
and has two children, Heather and Sean.
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
for the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team. He began as the cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
track coach for the University in 1972 and became head track coach in 1978. McDonnell retired after the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Before the University of Arkansas
McDonnell earned his bachelor’s degree from Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette) in 1969, while competing to become a six-time all-American in track and cross country at USL, become the 1966-67 AAU 3,000-meter champion, and won the mile at the 1966 British Selection Games.He coached at New Providence (N.J.) High School
New Providence High School
New Providence High School is a public high school in the borough of New Providence, in Union County, New Jersey, operating as the only high school in the New Providence School District, serving students in grades 9 through 12. New Providence High School opened on September 8, 1958 with its first...
(1969–70) and Lafayette (La.) High School
Lafayette High School (Louisiana)
Lafayette High School is a public four-year high school located in Lafayette, Louisiana.With an enrollment of 2279 students, Lafayette High is one of the largest schools in the state of Louisiana...
(1971) before coming to the University of Arkansas.
Coaching accomplishments at Arkansas
McDonnell was hired as the cross country coach in 1972 and added the entire men's track and field program in 1978.Coach McDonnell led the track team to their first national championship at the 1984 NCAA Indoor Championships while the school was a member of the now-defunct Southwest Conference. Since then, the University of Arkansas has won 42 NCAA championships, including 11 cross country, 19 indoor track and 12 outdoor track. Other schools have won only 24 combined NCAA titles in the three sports during the same period.
McDonnell's 42 national championships (which include 19 in indoor track, 12 in outdoor track and 11 in cross country) are more than any coach in any sport in the history of college athletics. The next highest is 31 by Pat Henry
Pat Henry
Pat Henry is the current track & field coach at Texas A&M University. He is also the former track & field coach at Louisiana State University where he won 27 national championships....
, former LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
and current track coach at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
.
McDonnell also won five national triple crowns. (in 1984-85, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95 and 1998–99) Texas-El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
has won three national triple crowns. No other school has ever won one.
In addition, McDonnell team and individual achievements include:
- 20 conference triple crowns since 1982, including eight straight between 1987 and 1995
- 25 consecutive conference titles in cross country with indoor track and outdoor track combined from 1987 to 1995
- 73 conference championships in the last 77 events Arkansas has entered since 1981-1982
- 84 conference championships overall since 1974 including 38 in the SWC and 46 in the SECSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(out of a possible 50, or 90 percent) - 12 consecutive NCAA indoor track championships (1984–1995)
- coached 185 track All-Americans, earning 652 separate All-America honors
- 34 consecutive league cross country championships, including 17 straight in the SEC (1974–2007)
- 54 individual national champions
- 23 Olympians coached spanning three decades and six different Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
including gold, silver and bronze medalists - his 1994 indoor track squad won the national championship by the widest margins in the history of the sport as well as scored the most points (94) in the history of the NCAA event
- his 1994 squad scored a meet record 223 points at the SEC Outdoor Championships
- has been named national, regional or conference coach of the year a total of 140 times
- has coached 23 Olympians, including gold, silver and bronze medalists, 105 NCAA individual event champions and 331 individual event conference champions
The Razorback outdoor track facility
John McDonnell Field
John McDonnell Field is the outdoor track facility at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is home to the Arkansas Razorbacks...
on the campus of the University of Arkansas is named in his honor. McDonnell has been inducted as a member of the United States Track Coaches Hall of Fame, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Southwestern Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Mayo Hall of Fame.
Life outside of coaching
McDonnell was granted United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizenship in 1969, the same year he graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Since retiring, McDonnell enjoys spending time on his 2500 acres (10.1 km²) cattle ranch in Pryor, Oklahoma. He reportedly owns over 650 head of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
.
The coach is also involved with several non-profit organizations, including the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
and the Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute and he works closely with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is part of the University of Arkansas System, a state-run university in the U.S. state of Arkansas...
to promote prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
awareness.
McDonnell is married to the former Ellen Elias of Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
and has two children, Heather and Sean.
External links
- Retirement Announcement with McDonnell's long list of accomplishments
- Google Maps Satellite Image/Map of John McDonnell Outdoor Track Facility
- HogWired.com Coaching Profile