Ex-Hogs motivated by coach

By Bob Holt (Contact)

FAYETTEVILLE — John McDonnell coached Arkansas to a combined 42 NCAA championships in cross country and track and field by developing a team concept.

“A lot of people don’t really think of track and field as a team sport, but it very much has a team feel at Arkansas,” said Reuben Reina, an NCAA champion for the Razorbacks and U.S. Olympian. “John made guys want to fight for each other to prove that we, as a team, are the best.

“It wasn’t about a bunch of individuals going out to make a name for themselves. It was about working together and making a name for Arkansas.”

Frank O’Mara, a former Razorbacks NCAA champion and Irish Olympian, said McDonnell’s work ethic kept Arkansas on top during his tenure.

When O’Mara was attending law school at Arkansas, he recalled taking a training run early in the morning — a few hours after Arkansas had scored a meet-record 223 points in winning the 1994 SEC Outdoor title — and seeing McDonnell working in his Walton Arena office.

“I hope he knows how much he’s appreciated in Arkansas,” O’Mara said after McDonnell announced Monday that he’s retiring at the end of this outdoor season. “Maybe he’ll have time to realize that now.”

McDonnell’s motivational tactics included once threatening to send O’Mara back to Ireland in a rowboat if his performance didn’t improve.

“He was able to create a great bond with you and get you to do more than you thought was possible,” O’Mara said. “He’s exceptional one-on-one with people.”

Mike Conley, a 10-time long and triple jump champion for the Razorbacks who won the gold medal in the triple jump at the 1992 Olympics, praised McDonnell for building a dynasty from scratch.

“He didn’t piggyback on somebody else’s success, and he did it at a time when Arkansas didn’t have the facilities we do now,” Conley said. “We were shoveling snow off the track to work out.

“With him, there were no gimmicks. There were no shortcuts. It was grinding it out every day.

“He made you understand how important a practice in September might be to helping you win a championship in June.”

A team championship.