John McDonough (sports executive)
Encyclopedia
John McDonough is a sports executive who is perhaps best known for his two decades with the Chicago Cubs
. In 2007, he left the presidency of the Cubs to become president of the Chicago Blackhawks
and guided the team to the 2010 Stanley Cup title, its first since 1961. On June 1, 2011, McDonough was promoted to President and CEO of the Blackhawks. He specializes in the area of marketing.
before matriculating to St. Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota
. McDonough and his wife Karen are parents of three children: Colleen, Ryan and Michael.
, Chicago's franchise in the North American Soccer League
(NASL). He served as General Sales Manager, and later as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. McDonough was also a member of the front office when the Sting won the 1981 NASL Soccer Bowl
Championship.
title.
One of the major innovations McDonough is credited with is the annual "Cubs Convention" which gives fans a chance to meet and interact with coaches, players and licensed vendors. Debuting in 1985, this was the first event of its kind in sports and is now viewed as a prototype for professional team and league fan festivals.
He also is credited with creating the role of "guest conductor", where celebrities, local heroes, and local high school sports champions are given the chance to lead the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game
" during the seventh-inning stretch at Cubs home games. The promotion started in the wake of the death of broadcaster Harry Caray
in 1998, and continues as a tradition today.
franchise. In his tenure with the team, the Blackhawks have moved quickly to revitalize the team’s profile and fan base, in what Forbes Magazine called “The Greatest Sports-Business Turnaround Ever.” Most importantly, the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup championship, the franchise’s first since 1961, with McDonough guiding the organization.
Upon his arrival to the Blackhawks, McDonough welcomed back Hall of Famers Bobby Hull
, Stan Mikita
and Tony Esposito
as team ambassadors, and helped foster a landmark partnership with WGN Television and Comcast SportsNet which allowed all 82 regular-season games to be broadcast on television for the first time in team history. The Blackhawks also announced a partnership with Chicago’s WGN Radio 720 to become the team’s new radio broadcast rightsholder.
McDonough was also instrumental in bringing the NHL Winter Classic 2009 to Chicago, a contest which matched up the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings in front of 40,818 at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009. The game drew an 11.8 overnight rating and a 21 share on NBC in Chicago, making it the most-watched NHL game in almost 34 years.
The Blackhawks franchise has undergone an enormous transformation under McDonough’s leadership; since 2007, the team’s season ticketholder base has more than tripled, and the Blackhawks have sold out more than 140 straight home contests, leading the league in average attendance each season since 2008-09. In less than two years since McDonough’s arrival, the Blackhawks organization jumped from 118th (2007) to 21st (2009) in ESPN Magazine’s Ultimate Standings. The organization’s ranking marked the best among Chicago’s professional sports teams.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. In 2007, he left the presidency of the Cubs to become president of the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
and guided the team to the 2010 Stanley Cup title, its first since 1961. On June 1, 2011, McDonough was promoted to President and CEO of the Blackhawks. He specializes in the area of marketing.
Personal life
McDonough is a lifelong Chicago area resident, graduating from Notre Dame High School in Niles, IllinoisNiles, Illinois
Niles is a village in Maine and Niles Townships, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The 2010 population from the U.S. Census Bureau is 29,803.The current mayor of Niles is Robert M. Callero.-History:Niles was first settled in 1827....
before matriculating to St. Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
. McDonough and his wife Karen are parents of three children: Colleen, Ryan and Michael.
Chicago Sting
McDonough's first work as a sports executive was with the Chicago StingChicago Sting
The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988...
, Chicago's franchise in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
(NASL). He served as General Sales Manager, and later as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. McDonough was also a member of the front office when the Sting won the 1981 NASL Soccer Bowl
Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....
Championship.
Chicago Cubs
McDonough spent 24 years with the Cubs (1983–2007). During his tenure with the team, the Cubs set numerous attendance records, setting an all-time mark in 2007, when McDonough was team president. In McDonough’s time as Cubs president, the franchise saw great success both on and off the field, winning the 2007 National League CentralNational League Central
The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...
title.
One of the major innovations McDonough is credited with is the annual "Cubs Convention" which gives fans a chance to meet and interact with coaches, players and licensed vendors. Debuting in 1985, this was the first event of its kind in sports and is now viewed as a prototype for professional team and league fan festivals.
He also is credited with creating the role of "guest conductor", where celebrities, local heroes, and local high school sports champions are given the chance to lead the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song. The song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of...
" during the seventh-inning stretch at Cubs home games. The promotion started in the wake of the death of broadcaster Harry Caray
Harry Caray
Harry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...
in 1998, and continues as a tradition today.
Chicago Blackhawks
In 2007, McDonough left the Cubs and became president of the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago's National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
franchise. In his tenure with the team, the Blackhawks have moved quickly to revitalize the team’s profile and fan base, in what Forbes Magazine called “The Greatest Sports-Business Turnaround Ever.” Most importantly, the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup championship, the franchise’s first since 1961, with McDonough guiding the organization.
Upon his arrival to the Blackhawks, McDonough welcomed back Hall of Famers Bobby Hull
Bobby Hull
Robert Marvin "Bobby" Hull, OC is a former Canadian ice hockey player. He is regarded as one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time and perhaps the greatest left winger to ever play the game. Hull was famous for his blonde hair, blinding skating speed, and having the hardest shot, earning...
, Stan Mikita
Stan Mikita
Stanislav "Stan" Mikita , is a Slovak-born Canadian retired professional ice hockey player, generally regarded as the best centre of the 1960s. In 1961, he won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he played his entire career.-Early life:Mikita was born in Sokolče, Slovak Republic...
and Tony Esposito
Tony Esposito
For the Italian musician, please see Tony Esposito .Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito is a retired Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style....
as team ambassadors, and helped foster a landmark partnership with WGN Television and Comcast SportsNet which allowed all 82 regular-season games to be broadcast on television for the first time in team history. The Blackhawks also announced a partnership with Chicago’s WGN Radio 720 to become the team’s new radio broadcast rightsholder.
McDonough was also instrumental in bringing the NHL Winter Classic 2009 to Chicago, a contest which matched up the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings in front of 40,818 at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009. The game drew an 11.8 overnight rating and a 21 share on NBC in Chicago, making it the most-watched NHL game in almost 34 years.
The Blackhawks franchise has undergone an enormous transformation under McDonough’s leadership; since 2007, the team’s season ticketholder base has more than tripled, and the Blackhawks have sold out more than 140 straight home contests, leading the league in average attendance each season since 2008-09. In less than two years since McDonough’s arrival, the Blackhawks organization jumped from 118th (2007) to 21st (2009) in ESPN Magazine’s Ultimate Standings. The organization’s ranking marked the best among Chicago’s professional sports teams.
Other work
- Juvenile Diabetes Research FoundationJuvenile Diabetes Research FoundationJDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes research. Driven by volunteers connected to children, adolescents, and adults with this disease, JDRF is the largest charitable supporter of T1D research...
International: Advisory Board of Directors (Illinois Chapter) - Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
: Master of Arts in Sports Administration Faculty Advisory Board
Awards
- Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Marketing Excellence Award - Chicago Baseball Veteran's Committee Man of the Year
- Promo Magazine: America's Top Ten Marketing Executives
- St. Mary's University Alumni Appreciation Award
- Notre Dame High School Hall of Fame
- Public Relations Society of AmericaPublic Relations Society of AmericaThe ' , based in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. The organization has more than 21,000 members, including professionals from public relations agencies, corporations, government, health care institutions, military, professional services firms,...
(Chicago Chapter): Executive of the Year - Chicagoland Sports Hall of FameChicagoland Sports Hall of FameThe Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, located in the Hawthorne Race Course, in Stickney/Cicero, near Chicago, Illinois, honors sports greats associated with the greater Chicago area. It was founded in 1979 as a trailer owned by the Olympia Brewing Company parked at Soldier Field in Chicago. The...
: Inducted in 2008