John McDonnell, the legendary Arkansas track coach who won more national titles than any coach in any sport in NCAA history, has died at age 82.
The retired coach passed away “peacefully” late Monday night, according to a statement from his family.
“He could have settled anywhere in America after emigrating from Ireland, but chose to call Northwest Arkansas home because as he often stated, this was 'God's Country,’” the statement read. “His career speaks for itself, but what truly spoke was his love for God, serving others, and his limitless generosity.
“We want everyone to know how thankful he was for the support, love, friendship, and depth of opportunities he received throughout the years. While the world has lost an extraordinary man, we not only mourn his loss, but wholeheartedly celebrate that God allowed people around the world to be touched and impacted by his gifts of faith, love, and inspiration. His legacy and spirit will forever live on through his family, friends, colleagues, and athletes."
From his arrival in Fayetteville as the cross country coach in 1972 to his retirement in 2008, McDonnell led the Razorbacks to 40 national championships in men’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field. That is nine more than the next closest coach - former LSU and current Texas A&M track coach Pat Henry.
A native of Ireland, McDonnell came to the U.S. to run track and cross country at Southwestern Louisiana - now known as Louisiana-Lafayette - in the late-1960s.
Following his standout career that included six All-America honors, he began his coaching career in the high school ranks - first at New Providence High in New Jersey from 1969-70 and then Lafayette High in Louisiana in 1971.
Although he originally came to Arkansas to coach cross country in 1972, McDonnell added the entire men’s track and field program to his coaching duties in 1978.
Six years later, he won his first national title at the 1984 NCAA Indoor Championships and eventually built the Razorbacks into the most dominant program in the history of the NCAA.
Among the 40 national championships, which doesn’t include two that were vacated, are five sets of national triple crowns, when Arkansas captured the cross country, indoor track and outdoor track championships in the same year. UTEP is the only other school that has accomplished that feat, doing so just three times.
McDonnell also led the Razorbacks to 83 conference championships - 37 in the Southwest Conference and 46 in the SEC - and coached 54 individual national champions.
Arkansas captured 34 consecutive conference titles in cross country, spanning the SWC and SEC, and 73 of 77 conference titles across the three sports beginning in the 1981-82 season.
His athletes also combined for 652 All-America honors and went on to capture gold, silver and bronze medals in the Olympics, with 23 total competing across six different Olympic Games.
McDonnell’s success led to him being a 30-time national coach of the year, 49-time conference coach of the year and 62-time region coach of the year in the three sports.
“John McDonnell was the personification of success on and off the track…while even more importantly making an indelible impact on the hundreds of young men who had the privilege to compete for him,” UA athletics director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “Coach McDonnell believed in each of his student-athletes and they loved and trusted him.
“What resulted was a stretch of unprecedented championship success at the University of Arkansas and lifelong lessons that will carry his legacy forward.”
McDonnell was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and two sisters. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Ellen (Elias) McDonnell, two children, four siblings and two grandchildren.
