John McDonnell: The Most Successful Coach in NCAA History

by Andrew Maloney, John McDonnell

When John McDonnell began his coaching career at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville--choosing it over Norman, Oklahoma, because Fayetteville reminded him of his native Ireland--he could hardly have imagined that he would become the most successful coach in the history of American collegiate athletics. But, in thirty-six years at the university, he amassed a staggering résumé of accomplishments, including forty national championships (eleven cross country, nineteen indoor track, and ten outdoor track), the most by any coach in any sport in NCAA history. His teams at Arkansas won the triple crown (a championship in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track in a single school year) a record five times. The Razorbacks also won eighty-three conference championships (thirty-eight in the Southwest Conference and forty-six in the Southeastern Conference), including thirty-four consecutive conference championships in cross country from 1974 to 2008. McDonnell coached 185 All-Americans, fifty-four individual national champions, and twenty-three Olympians. And from 1984 to 1995, his Razorback teams won twelve consecutive NCAA Indoor Track Championships, the longest streak of national titles by any school in any sport in NCAA history. This biography tells the story of the McDonnell's life and legacy, from his childhood growing up on a farm in 1940s County Mayo, Ireland, to his own running career, to the beginnings of his life as a coach, to all the great athletes he mentored along the way.

458 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2012

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched and written.

[Christopher Kelsall · Rating 4 out of 5]

John McDonnell: The Greatest Coach in NCAA History, is a detailed and entertaining biographical account of the life of a man with an insatiable and unrelenting appetite for winning. He won as an athlete – including beating the legendary American miler (and 1500 metre runner) Jim Ryun – and he won as a coach, perpetually.

His teams captured an unprecedented 41 NCAA national championships in cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track. Two national championships were taken away, after a lengthy legal battle, so he proceeded to win one more for the road, sort-of-speak. He is credited with 40 national titles.

At the age of 68, just to take the boots to one of his main rivals one final time, he willed his lower-ranked Razorbacks to defeat the University of Michigan Wolverines, to win the 2005 indoor national championship. It was one of his greatest triumphs of his career and he had many. In total they won, 82 Conference Championships, and 21 Conference Triple Crowns. McDonnell also coached 23 Olympians as well as 185 All-Americans. He retired in 2008.

Read more: https://athleticsillustrated.com/john...

[Joe Eby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Interesting look into the tenacity of the Arkansas program.