Jim McDonald, from New York, N.Y., enrolled at BG after a three-year tour of duty with the U.S. Army. He scored a total of 878 points in a three-year career under the legendary Harold Anderson. McDonald co-captained the Falcons as both a junior and a senior, leading BG to the 1959 MAC championship. The Falcons had a 47-25 record (.653) during his three seasons in uniform. Upon graduation, McDonald coached in the high-school ranks in the Toledo area for a decade, and returned to BGSU as an assistant coach for the 1969-70 season. He helped the Brown and Orange to a 15-9 record that year, then spent 12 years as an assistant coach at Toledo. McDonald was named head coach at Kent State in March of 1982. After taking over a team that had recorded just three winning seasons in the previous 30 years, he promptly led the Golden Flashes to a 15-13 record in his first season. McDonald's record included back-to-back 21-win seasons in 1988-89 and 1989-90, and a MAC Coach-of-the-Year award in the latter season.
Jim McDonald was inducted to the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
