| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1885-01-21)January 21, 1885 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | September 22, 1962(1962-09-22) (aged 77) Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | College of the Holy Cross |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1914–1917 | Beverly HS (MA) |
| 1918–1919 | Watertown HS (MA) |
| 1918–1919 | Boston University |
| 1920–1923 | Malden HS (MA) |
| 1924–1926 | Watertown HS (MA) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 3–6–1 |
John Griffin MacDonald (January 21, 1885 – September 22, 1962) was an Americanfootball coach. He was a longtime high school football coach inMassachusetts and served as the head football coach atBoston University from 1918 to 1919, where he compiled a record of 3–6–1. He was the father of CongressmanTorbert Macdonald.[1]
MacDonald attendedBrighton High School,Boston Latin School and theCollege of the Holy Cross, where he played baseball, football, and track.[1] He began his coaching career atBeverly High School in 1914. He led BHS to an unexpected championship in football his first year as head coach and was given the additional duty of head baseball coach the following year.[2] In 1918, MacDonald moved toWatertown High School.[3] After coaching atMalden High School from 1920 to 1923, MacDonald returned to Watertown, were remained until a pay dispute resulted in his contract not being renewed after the 1926–27 school year.[4][5] He returned to theMalden Public Schools, where he taught until his retirement in 1952. MacDonald died on September 22, 1962, and was buried inHoly Cross Cemetery inMalden, Massachusetts.[1]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston University(Independent)(1918–1919) | |||||||||
| 1918 | Boston University | 1–3–1 | |||||||
| 1919 | Boston University | 2–3 | |||||||
| Boston University: | 3–6–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 3–6–1 | ||||||||