In this Book
- John McDonnell: The Most Successful Coach in NCAA History
- Book
- 2013
- Published by: University of Arkansas Press
summary
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.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Author’s Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-x
- 4. Climbing the Mountain (1978–1981)
- pp. 58-78
- 5. Reaching the Pinnacle (1981–1984)
- pp. 87-110
- 7. On Top of the World (1984–1986)
- pp. 124-151
- 8. Fayettenam (1986–1988)
- pp. 152-172
- 9. Closing Out the Decade (1988–1991)
- pp. 189-210
- 11. A New Generation (1994–1997)
- pp. 242-270
- 12. A Pain in the Neck (1997–2000)
- pp. 283-309
- 13. A New Lease on Life (2001–2003)
- pp. 310-330
- 14. John McDonnell on Leadership
- pp. 331-337
- 15. Rising to the Occasion (2003–2006)
- pp. 337-364
- 16. The Final Years (2006–2008)
- pp. 377-392
- 17. Retirement
- pp. 393-402
- Appendix I
- pp. 403-424
- Appendix II
- pp. 425-426
- About the Author, Back Cover
- pp. 458-459
Additional Information
ISBN
9781610755207
Related ISBN(s)
9781557289926, 9781682261682
MARC Record
OCLC
843880927
Pages
442
Launched on MUSE
2013-08-13
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
2013