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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Dan McDonald
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Home Phone: 337-857-0660 UL Director of Sports Information, 1982-1999. * * * * * * * * * If you listen to Dan McDonald, he’ll tell you it’s still far too early for his name to even be considered as a candidate for the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s annual Distinguished Service Award. “The first time I got contacted about it,†McDonald said. “I was like, ‘What, have you run out of people?’†Talk to just about anyone who has ever worked with or around Dan McDonald, however, and his qualifications for induction are without debate. As longtime Daily Advertiser sports editor Bruce Brown put it, “The Distinguished Service Award fits McDonald like a glove.†Indeed, if there was a Mount Rushmore of LSWA DSA inductees into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Dan McDonald should be in that number. McDonald will be honored by the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony June 24 in Natchitoches. He may humbly attempt to toss aside his worthiness of receiving the award, but no one would be able to question the “distinguished” or the “service” part of that honor. In the hectic, stressful world of sports journalism, Dan’s been making the lives of sports writers and broadcasters in Louisiana easier for almost five decades now. And he’s showing no signs of slowing down. He’s still a regular at almost every UL sporting event or Sun Belt Conference Tournament – either working the event himself or delivering interesting tidbits to spice up somebody else’s story. “Writing or broadcasting, he has shown the uncanny ability to handle any assignment with ease,†Brown said. “But, just as importantly, Dan is one of the most even-tempered, principled people you’ll ever meet in this business or any other, a self-depreciating friend who will do anything he can to help make your days go better, professionally or personally.†Just about every veteran sports writer in Louisiana has a Dan McDonald story to tell, and just about every one of those tales revolve around Dan going above and beyond to get the job done. For Bobby Ardoin, it was a cold, rainy night in Natchitoches in 1976 that immediately comes to mind. “It was raining ice droplets, (maybe sleet) and the new football press box wasn’t completed,†Ardoin remembered. “We covered the game in what was similar to a duck blind, open air with tar paper covering us. Dan didn’t flinch. We got our stats, everything was cool and he led us back to NSU’s Bullard Hall to write our stories.†As Ardoin so accurately described him, Dan was “a multi-tasker before the term was invented.†Former Advertiser assistant sports editor Philip Timothy worked in the Demons’ sports information office with Dan before many of us ever met him. With Dan, though, very little has really changed. “I remember once while in Nacogdoches, Texas, to play Stephen F. Austin, we had arrived early with the team, ate our pre-game meal and were relaxing in the dressing three hours before game time,†Timothy said. “Dan suddenly appeared and told me he needed my help getting into the SFA press box. It was urgent he told me. “When we got there, it was naturally locked but somehow he managed to get into the press box and together we placed game-day media packets at each seat. Then as if this wasn’t enough, he found a broom and proceeded to begin to sweep and clean the press box.†Timothy said three years later, Dan had him slow down in traffic on I-10 with 18-wheelers bearing down on their vehicle to make sure McDonald got a good picture of the new Louisiana Superdome. “I didn’t stop but slowed to 20 miles per hour,†he remembered. “As soon as I heard ‘Got it,’ I floored it. He had wanted a perfect shot and he had gotten it. “That was Dan. He was so meticulous, left nothing to chance and had just one speed … all out.†Many have said that Dan McDonald was the Energizer bunny long before the battery commercial ever hit the drawing boards. In this age of entitlement, Dan has never been one to sit around and complain. He’s too busy doing something about it. Veteran Baton Rouge Advocate reporter Sheldon Mickles has witnessed that first hand. “If something needs to be done, don’t drag your heels doing it,” Mickles said. “That’s because Dan will jump in and help wherever and whenever it’s needed.†As impressive as Dan’s work ethic has always been, however, it’s the deeper aspects of his “get-it-done†approach that has always caught my eye. Dan worked two Olympic Games, he was one of the most respected sports information directors in America and he’s attended countless conference and national championship events. And yet on any given Friday night still today, Dan could be found covering a Class 1A high school football game in some small area town somewhere. It’s still fun for him. The novelty of covering a sporting event, having a job to do and doing it has never evaded Dan’s perspective. Plus, it just might be an opportunity to catch a future Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer — perhaps the next Jake Delhomme — in action before he becomes famous. “I think of Dan as a ‘renaissance man’ when it comes to reporting – willing and able to tackle almost any sport, any subject, any time,†Mickles said. “That, along with a vast ability to work on a number of different journalistic platforms — print, electronic, digital and public relations — makes him a one-of-a-kind guy in my book.†His passion for covering more than just the most popular events began during his years as a sports information director at UL from 1980-1999. Unlike so many sports information directors, Dan made it a point to travel with every Ragin’ Cajun sport at least once in every school year. “I knew those kids playing those sports worked just as hard as anybody’s else sports out there and they deserved that kind of recognition,†McDonald said. “And I think it also gave them sort of a feeling that somebody cared about what they were doing.†That sentiment also explains his intense love for the Olympic Games. Ask Dan about his favorite athletes of all time and near the top of that list will be a gold medal freestyle wrestler name John Smith that most sports fans in these parts have never heard of. “I was struck by the fact that here I was around all of these world-class athletes and nobody knew their names,†McDonald said commenting on his firsthand Olympic experiences in Seoul in 1988 and Athens in 1996. “They were in sports that don’t get a lot of exposure and don’t get a lot of attention.†His college experience in Natchitoches also prepared Dan for all the many hats he still regularly wears in the world of sports journalism. “I was so thankful to the people at Northwestern,†McDonald said. “I had the chance to work for student newspaper, I had a chance to edit the student newspaper, I had a chance to be in founding group of the campus radio station and most notably I got a chance to work in the sports information office, which at the time was a one-person office. I was basically the assistant sports information director and I was only 17 years old.†At that young age in turbulent times in America when most of the country was confused and flustered, Dan’s life plan in sports was already crystal clear in his mind. “I knew at a very young age that (sports journalism) was exactly what I wanted to do,†he said. And he’s spent his life making sure that others can better enjoy sports. “Dan has devoted his life to sports,†Timothy said. “You never had to worry about whether or not you were getting 100 percent. He is so deserving of this honor, not just for what he has done but for the many lives he has impacted.†Athletic Network Footnote by Dr. Ed Dugas: Dan McDonald: Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Inductee – McDonald reflects on sports career The Advertiser, June 9, 2017 Please click here for Dan’s video. Dan McDonald: Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Inductee – My favorite Ragin Cajun athletes The Advertiser, June 9, 2017 Click here for Dan’s Athletic Network profile. He is not only top-shelf when it comes to a variety of media skills – from reporting to announcing – but a first-class person. The AN is appreciative of the assistance and many courtesies he has provided since our inception. * * * * * The Advertiser, Dec. 31, 2016 NATCHITOCHES – Incomparable New Orleans Saints play-by-play announcer and award-winning New Orleans television figure Jim Henderson joins Dan McDonald, whose multi-faceted career has won him national acclaim as a writer and sports publicist, as 2017 recipients of the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. The honor, to be made official June 24 in Natchitoches, means Henderson and McDonald will join the elite 11-person Class of 2017 being inducted in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Henderson and McDonald were selected from a 19-person pool of outstanding nominees for the state’s top sports journalism honor. The Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism is the most prestigious honor offered to sports media in the state. Recipients are chosen by the 35-member Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame selection committee based on nominees’ professional accomplishments in local, state, regional and even national arenas, with leadership in the LSWA a contributing factor and three decades of work in the profession as a requirement. Distinguished Service Award winners are enshrined in the Hall of Fame along with the 400 current athletes, sports journalists, coaches and administrators chosen since 1959. Just 58 leading figures in the state’s sports media have been honored with the Distinguished Service Award since its inception almost 35 years ago, in 1982. Henderson, who has been the Saints’ distinctive radio play-by-play voice since 1986, is a 13-time winner of Louisiana’s sportscaster of the year honor as selected by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. After earning enshrinement in 2011 to the College Sports Information Directors of America’s Hall of Fame for his innovative work at his alma mater, Northwestern State, and UL from 1975-99, McDonald has also received national and LSWA honors as a sports writer, and is one of the Acadiana area’s busiest sports broadcasting figures. Henderson and McDonald will be among the 2017 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class to be spotlighted in the annual Induction Dinner and Ceremonies on Saturday evening, June 24, at the Natchitoches Events Center. The Induction Dinner and Ceremonies are the culmination of the 2017 Induction Celebration beginning Thursday afternoon, June 22, with a press conference at the Hall of Fame museum at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches. LSU’s David Toms, whose 13 PGA Tour golf wins include a major championship, is joined by nine-time Pro Bowl football star Ed Reed, three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel, and World Series champ Juan Pierre headlining eight 2016 competitive ballot inductees chosen for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. LSU has heavy impact in the Class of 2017. Two more Tiger heroes, football and track great Eddie Kennison and iconic gymnastics coach D-D Breaux, are included along with Raymond Didier, who has impressive LSU credentials coupled with coaching feats at Nicholls and UL Lafayette. Rounding out the class is Southeastern Louisiana basketball legend C.A. Core. Core and Didier will be inducted posthumously. Also honored with enshrinement in the Class of 2017 will be the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award winner, to be announced next week. In a career dating to 1974, McDonald continues to pile up LSWA writing awards and remains involved in sports media relations in the private sector. He stands alongside state sports information legends Louis Bonnette, Paul Manasseh and Ace Higgins as inductees in the College Sports Information Directors of America’s Hall of Fame (June 2011). In 26 years as an SID at Northwestern State (1975-80) and Louisiana (1980-99), McDonald became an industry leader in many aspects. Among those who benefited first hand from McDonald’s guidance include former assistants Herb Vincent, the associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference; Greg Sharko, the media relations director for the Association of Tennis Professionals; and Pat Murphy, the head softball coach at the University of Alabama, who came to work as a graduate assistant SID for McDonald in Lafayette. After graduating in three years from Northwestern, the Jonesboro native spent one year as a sportswriter at the Alexandria Town Talk before Northwestern hired him – at 22 years old – to be the SID of what was about to become a Division I athletics department. In 1980, he moved to UL. McDonald won numerous CoSIDA awards for writing and media guides at both institutions, including national honors at NSU, and served two years on the CoSIDA Board of Directors. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee media relations staff for two Olympic Games (Seoul, 1988 and Atlanta, 1996) and six U.S. Olympic Festivals. He also served two years as president, after a two-year term as vice president, of the LSWA and remains a key member of the LSWA Executive Committee and Hall of Fame Committee. McDonald retired from then-USL to become senior sports writer at the Lafayette Daily Advertiser and spent nine years in that role. Now a freelance journalist, he has won dozens of writing awards from the LSWA, including three ‘Writer of the Year’ awards in a five-year span, and was the 1999 recipient of the LSWA’s coveted Mac Russo Award recognizing members who remarkably represent the ideals of the organization. At the Advertiser, he captured a “Best of Gannett†national award for his coverage of the Little League World Series. McDonald has also done extensive broadcast and television work, including currently anchoring annual webcasts of Sun Belt Conference baseball, softball and golf tournaments. He and his wife of 28 years, Mary Beth McDonald, operate the Lafayette-based McD Media marketing/public relations firm with an emphasis on sports PR. The selection of Henderson and McDonald was jointly announced Friday by Hall of Fame chairman Doug Ireland and LSWA president Paul Letlow. Henderson, who spent 34 years (1978-2012) as sports director of WWL-TV in New Orleans, has been the radio play-by-play voice of the New Orleans Saints since 1986 (except for the 1990 season, when he called NFL games for CBS-TV). Henderson replaced New Orleans legend and 1990 DSA winner Lloyd “Hap†Glaudi as WWL’s sports director, and helped the station produce one of the highest-rated local news broadcasts in America. As a reporter for CBS Newspath, Henderson regularly covered major events like the Super Bowl, the Masters and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. His play-by-play career has allowed Henderson to be the soundtrack for memorable moments in Saints history, including their first playoff victory in 2000 (â€Hakim dropped the ball!â€), the NFC Championship Game win in January 2010 (â€Pigs have flown! Hell has frozen over! The Saints are on their way to the Super Bowl!â€) and, two weeks later, the Saints’ victory in Super Bowl XLIV (â€Get ready to party with the Lombardi, New Orleans!â€). After retiring from WWL in January 2012, he has remained in his play-by-play role with the Saints. His TV “retirement†did not last long. Six months later, he returned to the airwaves to provide commentary and analysis on the Saints for WVUE-TV. The 2017 Induction Celebration will kick off Thursday, June 22 with the press conference and an evening reception. It includes three receptions, a youth sports clinic, and a Friday, June 23 golf scramble at Oak Wing Golf Course in Alexandria. Tickets for the Induction Dinner and Ceremonies, and golf entries, will be on sale this spring through the LaSportsHall.com website. The 2017 Induction Celebration weekend will be hosted by the LSWA and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, the support organization for the Hall of Fame. The LSHOF Foundation was established as a 501 c 3 non-profit entity in 1975 and is governed by a statewide board of directors. For information on participation and sponsorship opportunities, contact Foundation President/CEO Ronnie Rantz at 225-802-6040 or RonnieRantz@LaSportsHall.com. Standard and customized sponsorships are available. * * * * * * * Submitted February 22, 2010 Golfballs.com names McDonald first-ever editorial director Golfballs.com, Acadiana’s first on-line retailer and one of the world’s leading online retailers of golf balls and equipment, has named DanMcDonald as editorial director. In the newly created position, McDonald will work with members of the Golfballs.com staff to improve and supplement editorial content and exclusive audio and video interviews on the Web site. “With the tremendous growth of internet business opportunities, we have to be able to add more content and more value to consumers,” said Golfballs.com President and CEO Tom Cox. “We want to become more of a customer advocate and begin a transition from a site that is strictly sales to one that provides unbiased information on our products and services. To that end, McDonald will also oversee editorial content on the firm’s new Acadiana golf information venture, www.AcadianaGolfer.com. That website is expected to launch in the spring of 2010 and will provide information about the sport on all levels to golfers and patrons in Acadiana. Among items to be found on the website will be information on local courses, tournaments, special events, local professionals, college and high schools, calendars, golf-related blogs and weekly columns. “We think we’re responding to a void in golf news locally,” Cox said. “We at Golfballs.com want to become the primary source for golf information in the Acadiana area, and we think that AcadianaGolfer.com will be a catalyst for providing that information.” The company also has a brick-and-mortar location at 126 Arnould Blvd. in Lafayette. McDonald worked for 23 years in collegiate athletic information in Louisiana as sports information director at Northwestern State University (four years) and UL Lafayette (19 years). He was senior sports writer at the Lafayette Daily Advertiser newspaper for nine years covering UL and the Sun Belt Conference. He also wrote a weekly golf column and was the Advertiser’s golf beat writer. During those nine years, he won 31 writing awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and earned a national “Best of Gannett” award for his coverage of the 2005 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn. Since leaving the Advertiser in early 2008, he has served as vice president of McD Media Inc., a marketing and public relations firm founded by his wife Mary Beth. He won several national writing and brochure awards from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and served two years on that organization’s Board of Directors during his collegiate athletic career. During that time, he also served on the U.S. Olympic Committee media relations staff for two Olympic Games, in 1988 in Seoul, Korea, and in 1996 in Atlanta, and for six U.S. Olympic Festivals. McDonald served two years as president of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and remains a member of that group’s Executive Committee and Hall of Fame Committee. ABOUT GOLFBALLS.COM: From humble beginnings in a 100-square-foot room in a small-town warehouse, to its current state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot facility, Golfballs.com has grown to become one of the world’s leaders in on-line golf ball and equipment sales. Co-Founder Tom Cox has served as president and CEO since its 1995 start-up, growing the business from $17,000 in first-year sales to a 40-employee company that has more than $10 million in annual sales, and which has sold more than 50 million golf balls direct to consumers in all 50 states and over 50 countries. Golfballs.com has an in-house production department and is an authorized internet retailer for key brands including Titleist, Callaway and Nike and has been an approved Titleist imprinter since 2003, creating a company-wide focus on the sale of customized and personalized golf equipment. The company opened its retail outlet store in 2004 and recently launched loyaltylogo.com, a full-service promotional product distributor catering to businesses, and acadianagolfer.com, a news and information site for golf on all levels in the Acadiana area.
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