[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 11, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5466-S5467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING COACH JOHN McDONNELL

  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about a 
great Arkansan, a fellow--I am holding his picture up here--whom most 
Americans do not recognize. Pretty much everybody in Arkansas knows 
him. He is a household name in our State.
  It is with great pleasure I rise today to honor the career of a great 
Arkansan, a track and field icon, known not just in Arkansas but around 
the world. Following the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 
this week, Coach John McDonnell will retire after 36 years at The 
University of Arkansas.
  Walking past the trophy cases lining Bud Walton Arena at the 
University of Arkansas, you will note the Razorback track team has been 
a winner over and over again under the leadership of Coach John 
McDonnell. He has accumulated more National Championships than any 
other coach in the history of college athletics. But his commitment to 
track and the UofA goes beyond the finish line. His athletes will tell 
you that Coach McDonnell motivated them and set high standards on and 
off the track. He taught them about integrity, character and teamwork--
traits they continue to apply in their career and lives today.
  Dr. B. Alan Sugg, president of the University of Arkansas system, 
said it best when he described Coach McDonnell as ``a world-class coach 
because he is a world-class leader.''
  He started his track career at Southwestern Louisiana, now Louisiana-
Lafayette, where he was a six-time All-American in cross country and 
track. He also was the 1966-67 AAU 3,000-meter champion, and he won the 
mile at the 1966 British Selection Games.
  He began helping other athletes achieve their own success as a coach 
for 2 years at New Providence, NJ and at Lafayette, LA before embarking 
on a dedicated and determined career coaching the Razorbacks. He 
accepted the job at Arkansas over a similar offer from Oklahoma, he 
says, because the terrain of northwest Arkansas reminded him of his 
home in Ireland.
  I am going to hold up a sign here. When you drive into Fayetteville, 
you see this sign. It says, ``Welcome to Fayetteville, Track Capital of 
the World; 42 NCAA Track and Field Championships.'' You will notice 
this ``42'' is like a little flip chart because we won so many times, I 
think after maybe 25 or so, the highway department said we can't keep 
replacing this sign every time he wins a title, so now all they do is 
change that number out. Let me tell you, it changes frequently.
  His record of wins as a coach is remarkable. He has won 42 NCAA 
National Championships since 1984: 11 in cross country, 19 indoor track 
championships, and 12 outdoor track championships. This includes 12 
consecutive NCAA indoor track championships from 1984-1995. During this 
streak he won the triple crown five times including three in a row from 
1991-1994.
  He has been relentless in his pursuit of conference championships as 
well, winning 84 conference championships since 1974 including 38 in 
the old Southwest Conference and 46 in the Southeastern Conference. Did 
I mention 20 conference triple crowns since 1982, including 8 straight 
between 1987-1995?
  Alberto Salazar, a Nike executive and world-class marathoner said 
``John McDonnell has been the most successful and the best coach in the 
United States from the 1980s on.'' He goes on to say, ``his teams have 
continued to get better and better . . . he has set the standard for 
all other coaches to follow.''
  While being a winning coach he also focused on development of his 
student-athletes, coaching 185 track All-Americans who combined have 
earned 652 All-America honors. He has coached 23 Olympians, spanning 
three decades and six different Olympic Games. Mike Conley won a gold 
medal in Barcelona and a silver medal in Los Angeles, Matt Hemingway 
earned silver in Athens, and Calvin Davis a bronze in Atlanta.
  Seven-time NCAA champion and Olympian Alistair Cragg said:

       I am his creation . . . I came in here out of shape and had 
     quit running. He's got that hand on your shoulder that you 
     know you can't mess up, but if you do that you're not going 
     to mess up on your own. You can go into any race or 
     competition with a lot of confidence. When he says you're 
     ready, you're ready. It's a reassurance.

  Moreover, Coach McDonnell produced 55 individual national champions. 
His athletes hold 22 records, including Daniel Lincoln who holds the 
Outdoor American record for the 3,000M Steeplechase and Tyson Gay who 
holds the 200M record at the Outdoor World Championships.
  Coach McDonnell will continue to inspire student-athletes and coaches 
alike. A physical legacy has been established by the new state of the 
art ``John McDonnell Field''--a new 10,000 seat outdoor venue which 
opened in 2006 at the University of Arkansas. Accompanying that is the 
Randal Tyson

[[Page S5467]]

Track Center, a world-class indoor facility that opened in 2001.
  ``John built this program,'' says Mike Conley, a five-time NCAA 
champion at Arkansas and the 1992 gold medal winner in the Olympic 
triple jump.

       When he recruited me and the others who eventually won the 
     school's first national Triple Crown, there weren't any 
     facilities to speak of. We came because we believed in him 
     and what he thought he could do at Arkansas. The facilities 
     came later because of his success.

  With much humility and a sense of humor, Coach McDonnell has been 
named National Coach of the Year 12 times in indoor track, 11 times in 
outdoor track and 7 times in cross country.
  That is a total of 30 National Coach of the Year honors. I do not 
want to forget about the 50 times he has been named Conference Coach of 
the Year, and the 62 times he was awarded Region Coach. The most recent 
award was winning the 2008 SEC Coach of the Year for outdoor track.
  It goes without saying Coach McDonnell has been inducted into the 
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame, the 
University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, the Arkansas Sports Hall 
of Fame, the University of Southwestern Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, 
and the Mayo Hall of Fame.
  Coaches and teachers live within our hearts and our minds for years. 
We remember their drills, their training and their sayings and only 
later realize the full impact they have had on our lives. Coach 
McDonnell is one of those coaches.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today in thanking and recognizing 
Coach John McDonnell on his outstanding career and his positive 
influence for so many Razorback athletes.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Nelson of Nebraska). The Senator from 
Montana.

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