LIKE IT IS : Coach’s reign over college track last 36 years

WALLY HALL

Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/223559/

When it comes to college track, John McDonnell has outrun the world. If you added the NCAA basketball titles of UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina and Indiana together, you would be 15 short of what McDonnell has accomplished with the Arkansas track program, which participates in 21

1 outdoor events and has only 12 / 2 scholarships. McDonnell has captured 42 NCAA titles since 1984 — yes, two are being held by the NCAA right now, but that’s on appeal — all other schools have won only 27 combined during that span. To truly illustrate his impact, he has won five national triple crowns. Texas El-Paso has won three and the sum total for all other schools is a big fat zero.

They should rename the sport JohnMc.

“You have to put John in a class with anybody in the country, not just here,” then-Athletic Director Frank Broyles said in 1998. “I would say his record proves that he’s equal or better than any other coach in any sports at any other school.”

McDonnell, a native of Ireland who will turn 70 on July 2, announced Monday that he is hanging up his whistle.

He came to the USA and worked as a cameraman for ABC, but when a promotion was delayed, he packed his bags and moved to Lafayette, La., where he ran track for what is now Louisiana-Lafayette.

He was a six-time All-American. After three years of coaching, two in New Jersey where he met and married Ellen Elias, he was offered jobs by Oklahoma and Arkansas, and the Boston Mountains won him over because it reminded him of his home in Ireland.

When he first came to the UA, he taught shop at Greenland High School to make ends meet. But with a stable of long distance runners from Ireland and a marathon of recruiting, his success quickly demanded raises and in the early 1980 s, Broyles declared he deserved at least as much as the top football assistant coach.

In his 36 years, McDonnell has been one of the two most popular UA coaches with the media (Norm DeBriyn being the other ).

Both of them were always humble, honest and candid.

And unafraid.

When Danny Ford was the head football coach, he decided he didn’t like the track team cutting through the stadium after working out in the weight room. He wanted them to go around the complex, so he took a big chain and padlocked the gate.

Without saying a word, Mc-Donnell backed his pickup next to the gate, took out bolt cutters, cut the chain, threw it in the back of his truck and drove off.

The chain was never seen again and the two coaches next conversation was about cows.

McDonnell, who still has a deep Irish brogue, is a strong leader and teacher and his students have excelled because of it.

During his tenure at Arkansas, 185 Razorbacks have become All-Americans, and they have a combined 652 All-America honors.

He has had 23 former athletes compete in the Olympics, including Mike Conley, who won a gold and silver medal in the triple jump. Conley then returned to help coach the Razorbacks for a few years before taking the reins as executive director of World Sports Chicago and opening a sports agency in Fayetteville.

In 1998, this newspaper published a 56-page special section devoted entirely to McDonnell and the requests for extra copies by his fans were unbelievable.

Almost two years ago, Mc-Donnell coached Razorback Daniel Lincoln to an American record in the 3, 000-meter steeplechase.

Yet, bring up any athlete’s achievements and McDonnell never takes any credit, claiming he was lucky to train someone so talented.

To compete under him as a Razorback was considered an honor, and John McDonnell owned the world of track and field for 36 years.

He will retire to his 2, 500-acre farm with 650 head of cattle this summer and he will be missed, but most likely never forgotten.