Temple University Athletics
Golf Coach John MacDonald To Step Down After 30th Season
2.26.01 | Men's Golf
PHILADELPHIA (Feb. 26) - John MacDonald will step down from his position as
head coach of the Temple University golf team effective June 30, 2001,
it was announced today by Director of Athletics Dave O'Brien. MacDonald
is currently in his 30th season at the Owl helm. The University has yet
to name a successor.
"I intend to share the virtues of the game with urban youth in and
around Philadelphia," said MacDonald. "I believe there are other Tiger
Woods types out there, and I want to help find them. In my opinion, all
youth deserve a chance to experience the game."
MacDonald serves as president and CEO of Impact Services
Corporation, an organization that has assisted many thousands of
low-income individuals in need to move forward with their lives. He also
serves as executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Scholastic Golf
Association.
"John is simply irreplaceable, both as a golf coach and mentor to
young people," said O'Brien. "It is not often a person stays true to his
dreams for 30 years, but John has done it. This next step is simply a
continuation of John's social commitment to bring golf to urban
youngsters. Our golf team will miss his expertise and leadership, but
his next endeavor is more important. We look forward to working with
John and helping him to realize his dreams. We also thank him for
positively influencing so many young lives."
Although MacDonald has tendered his resignation as head coach, his
presence will remain with the program as a volunteer consultant. In this
capacity, he will provide the Owls with assistance in the areas of
scheduling, contest management and facility arrangements for both
practice and competition.
MacDonald's teams brought seven Atlantic 10 Conference
championships to Temple University, the most recent in the 1994-95
season. He also coached the Owls to five East Coast Conference titles,
two Middle Atlantic Conference crowns and seven Eastern championships.
When the Temple golf program regularly competed in dual-match
competition between 1972 and 1985, MacDonald's teams posted nine
undefeated seasons and never finished lower than second in the Atlantic
10. His coaching record during the period was a phenomenal 139-9, a
winning percentage of .939.
Fourteen of MacDonald's Temple teams qualified for the NCAA
championships; seven earned berths in the NCAA East Regional; and four
team members qualified for the national tournament on three additional
occasions. In 23 of his 29 seasons at Temple, the Owls have been
represented in the national tournament. Eleven of MacDonald's Temple
golfers earned All-American honors a total of 22 times. Two of his
players were honored twice each with Academic All-American honors. He
was named the NCAA District II Coach of the Year 12 times.
A 1965 graduate of Temple University who went on to earn his
master's degree at the University in Education, MacDonald lettered in
soccer from 1962 through 1964 and in golf from 1963 through 1965. In his
senior year, he captained both teams and was also named the Most
Valuable Player in each sport. He was selected to the Regional
All-America soccer team in 1964.
In 1987, MacDonald received the highest honor the Department of
Athletics can bestow upon an individual when he was inducted to the
Temple University Athletic Hall of Fame. Along with John Dyniewski, he
is one of just two golfers so honored. He is also a member of the Golf
Coaches of America Hall of Fame.
MacDonald and his wife, Mary, recently moved to Marlton, New
Jersey. His older son, Bryan, is a magna cum laude graduate of the
Temple University Fox Business School and works as a chief marketing
officer for Kemper Auto and Home Insurance Company. His daughter, Kim, a
graduate of the Temple University Nursing Program, serves as a nurse at
St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. Younger son David graduated
from West Chester University in the spring of 1995 following a highly
successful collegiate football career and is working in sales with New
Jersey Legal Copy. The MacDonalds are the proud grandparents of four
grandchildren.
