Former AD Jack McDonald Named NACDA Hall of Fame Inductee
4/29/2019 3:25:00 PM | General
McDonald Served as Quinnipiac AD for 20 Years
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Former Quinnipiac University Director of Athletics and Recreation Jack McDonald has been named a part of the 2019 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) hall of fame class as announced by the organization on Monday afternoon. McDonald spent 20 years (1995-2015) at Quinnipiac as the Director of Athletics and Recreation.
The full list of inductees includes: Bob Bonn, Carthage College; Peg Bradley-Doppes, University of Denver; Don DiJulia, Saint Joseph's University; Gene Doris, Fairfield University; Jim Forkum, Santa Rosa Junior College; Bruce Parker, Rocky Mountain College and Judy Rose, UNC Charlotte.
FULL NACDA RELEASE
The honorees will receive their awards on Wednesday, June 12 at NACDA's 54th Annual Convention at the Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup Luncheon, located at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Florida.
McDonald spent the majority of his career in athletics administration as the director of athletics and recreation at Quinnipiac University. Hired in the fall of 1995 to oversee Quinnipiac's transition from Division II, the school proceeded to build a dual-sport facility for basketball and hockey, upgraded conferences in all sports, came within one win of a hockey national championship and earned a bid to host the Women's Ice Hockey Frozen Four in Hamden.
McDonald had this to say about his nomination:
"The call from Bob Vecchione was a wonderful surprise and on behalf of all I have had the pleasure to work with at Boston College, Denver, Quinnipiac and the University of New England, I would like to sincerely thank the NACDA Hall of Fame Committee. For forty years I have had a blast working with student-athletes, coaches, staff, fans, alumni, and my peers, colleagues and fellow members of NACDA. I would also like to also congratulate all of my fellow inductees for all they have done in intercollegiate athletics. Lastly, I would to thank my wife of 43 years, Linda and my sons Brian, Jim, Jack & David for their love and support during our wonderful ride in intercollegiate athletics."
Quinnipiac elevated to Division I in 1998, a move that triggered several landmark milestones. The university designed its campus addition atop York Hill around the $52 million TD Bank Sports Center, opened in January 2007. The hockey program, based in part on construction of the new facility, was admitted to the ECAC in 2006, allowing it to compete against top academic and hockey schools. In December 2012, it accepted an invitation to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in all other sports.
McDonald also brokered television, radio and Internet packages for the Bobcats, including competitions seen on NESN, ESPN3 and ESPNU. The Bobcats won 33 conference championships and made 21 NCAA Championship appearances during McDonald's tenure as AD, including the men's ice hockey team reaching the Frozen Four and National Championship Game in 2013.
MacDonald also served as an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac in the Sports Studies Program, teaching Sports Administration to juniors and seniors each fall.
A former NACDA Executive Committee member, McDonald was honored as an Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year in 2013-14. He served as DI-AAA ADA President in 2008-09 and received the Association's Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
After his retirement from Quinnipiac, McDonald became associate vice president and director of athletics at the University of New England (UNE), where he eventually became vice president of student engagement and director of athletics before he retired from UNE in 2017.
Jack McDonald grew up in Braintree, Ma and attended and ran track & field at Archbishop Williams ('69) and was also a life long summer resident and now live permanently in Ocean Bluff/Marshfield, Ma.
The full list of inductees includes: Bob Bonn, Carthage College; Peg Bradley-Doppes, University of Denver; Don DiJulia, Saint Joseph's University; Gene Doris, Fairfield University; Jim Forkum, Santa Rosa Junior College; Bruce Parker, Rocky Mountain College and Judy Rose, UNC Charlotte.
FULL NACDA RELEASE
The honorees will receive their awards on Wednesday, June 12 at NACDA's 54th Annual Convention at the Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup Luncheon, located at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Florida.
McDonald spent the majority of his career in athletics administration as the director of athletics and recreation at Quinnipiac University. Hired in the fall of 1995 to oversee Quinnipiac's transition from Division II, the school proceeded to build a dual-sport facility for basketball and hockey, upgraded conferences in all sports, came within one win of a hockey national championship and earned a bid to host the Women's Ice Hockey Frozen Four in Hamden.
McDonald had this to say about his nomination:
"The call from Bob Vecchione was a wonderful surprise and on behalf of all I have had the pleasure to work with at Boston College, Denver, Quinnipiac and the University of New England, I would like to sincerely thank the NACDA Hall of Fame Committee. For forty years I have had a blast working with student-athletes, coaches, staff, fans, alumni, and my peers, colleagues and fellow members of NACDA. I would also like to also congratulate all of my fellow inductees for all they have done in intercollegiate athletics. Lastly, I would to thank my wife of 43 years, Linda and my sons Brian, Jim, Jack & David for their love and support during our wonderful ride in intercollegiate athletics."
Quinnipiac elevated to Division I in 1998, a move that triggered several landmark milestones. The university designed its campus addition atop York Hill around the $52 million TD Bank Sports Center, opened in January 2007. The hockey program, based in part on construction of the new facility, was admitted to the ECAC in 2006, allowing it to compete against top academic and hockey schools. In December 2012, it accepted an invitation to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in all other sports.
McDonald also brokered television, radio and Internet packages for the Bobcats, including competitions seen on NESN, ESPN3 and ESPNU. The Bobcats won 33 conference championships and made 21 NCAA Championship appearances during McDonald's tenure as AD, including the men's ice hockey team reaching the Frozen Four and National Championship Game in 2013.
MacDonald also served as an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac in the Sports Studies Program, teaching Sports Administration to juniors and seniors each fall.
A former NACDA Executive Committee member, McDonald was honored as an Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year in 2013-14. He served as DI-AAA ADA President in 2008-09 and received the Association's Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
After his retirement from Quinnipiac, McDonald became associate vice president and director of athletics at the University of New England (UNE), where he eventually became vice president of student engagement and director of athletics before he retired from UNE in 2017.
Jack McDonald grew up in Braintree, Ma and attended and ran track & field at Archbishop Williams ('69) and was also a life long summer resident and now live permanently in Ocean Bluff/Marshfield, Ma.
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