Jim McDonald ‘50 was a three-sport athlete at Washington and Lee, competing in football, basketball and lacrosse.
It was on the lacrosse field where McDonald truly made his mark, however. He was among a select group of players who began the varsity lacrosse program in the spring of 1947. As an attackman and midfielder, he was one of the team’s top offensive players all four of his seasons.
McDonald scored a goal in W&L’s first varsity contest, a 6-5 win over Penn State on April 8, 1947. Later he would score two goals in the fourth quarter of an 8-6 win over Virginia as the Generals logged a 5-2 overall record in their first season.
As a sophomore, McDonald produced a number of outstanding efforts, including four goals in an 11-10 loss to Virginia and three more in a 10-9 overtime victory over the Cavaliers. W&L once again produced a winning record, going 4-3 overall.
McDonald remained steady as a junior and honors began to pour in. Among his top performances was a three-goal effort in a 17-1 win over North Carolina. Following the season he received All-South honors and he was selected to participate in the 1949 North-South Senior All-Star Game.
As a senior, McDonald received Honorable Mention All-America honors, just the sixth player in program history to receive such recognition.
After his playing career concluded, McDonald spent over 50 years still engaged with lacrosse as a coach and administrator. He coached the University of Baltimore from 1956-63, compiling a 67-15-2 record and winning four championships. He also served as a longtime coach on both the recreational and high school levels.
McDonald spent 30 years as a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee, including 24 years as its chair. He also served as a board member for 18 years for the Lacrosse Foundation, one of the predecessors to US Lacrosse.
McDonald was previously inducted into the US Lacrosse Charlottesville Chapter’s Hall of Fame (1997), the US Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter’s Hall of Fame (2005), the University of Baltimore’s Athletic Hall of Fame (2008) and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2017).
