Jim McDonald, a 2017 inductee into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame as a truly great contributor to lacrosse, died on August 16. He was 97 years old.
Born in Maryland in 1927, McDonald received his first lacrosse stick at age 12 from a family friend and began a lifetime association with the game. McDonald played midfield at Towson High School, often traveling to games in a hay truck during World War II. He then continued his playing career at Washington & Lee University before joining the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club as a post-collegiate player.
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 in what was called the Laurie Cox Division. He also served as a longtime coach on the rec and high school levels, mentoring and tutoring many generations of youth players at the St. James Lacrosse Rec Program, which he founded.
In 1964, Hall of Famer Dinty Moore appointed McDonald to the board of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame Foundation, where among other duties, McDonald served as chair of the Youth Lacrosse Committee and helped jump start numerous rec league programs in the Baltimore area.
McDonald and fellow Hall of Famer Mickey Webster also co-chaired the campaign for the new headquarters that would become home of the Lacrosse Foundation, and eventually, USA Lacrosse until 2016. McDonald and Webster were successful professional partners in the insurance business, with a reputation as brokers of the highest integrity, and worked tirelessly as fund raisers for the new headquarters.
Webster once said of his close friend, “I tried for years to find fault with him – to see if there was something about him that I could even kid him about – but I could not find any flaws at all.” 
Among his many contributions to the game, 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 USA Lacrosse. That tenure included terms as both president and vice president.
During his Hall of Fame induction, McDonald shared some reflections on his longtime association with the game. “The friendships in lacrosse are deep and they are real, and they have been a big part of my life,” he said. “What I did in this game I did because I loved it. I love lacrosse.”
In addition to being a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, McDonald was also inducted into the US Lacrosse Charlottesville Chapter’s Hall of Fame, the US Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter’s Hall of Fame, the University of Baltimore’s Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Washington & Lee Athletic Hall of Fame.
A memorial service for McDonald is scheduled for Friday, August 29, at 11:00 am at St. James Church in Monkton, Md.
