McDonald in Hall of Fame

McDonald in Hall of Fame Longtime Ely boys basketball coach inducted by state association

Ely’s Tom McDonald has joined elite company in the state’s basketball coaching fraternity.

Last weekend, the longtime Ely boys basketball coach was inducted into the Minnesota High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.

McDonald, who has coached in Ely since 1990 and has amassed 581 wins, was one of five new inductees this year and was recognized during a Saturday afternoon banquet at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis.

While known to be intense and emotional on the sidelines and at practice, Mc-Donald described himself as “the quiet one” in his family and was sheepish about the recognition.

“It’s a great honor to be here,” he said. “I’m humbled by it, a little embarrassed by it.”

But in a nearly 40-year coaching career that started first in South Dakota, McDonald has not only collected wins, but exerted his influence and love for the game to numerous athletes.

Tim Omerza, an assistant coach in the program for almost 30 years, said “Tom has had an influence on hundreds of students and athletes who still think of him as one of their best teachers and a life-changing coach. Their desire to succeed and their competitive spirit and passion to do what excites them can be traced back to their days playing for Coach.”

McDonald’s brother Joel, who joined Omerza in nominating the Ely head coach for the hall of fame, said “Tom always holds players accountable, gives them a sense of purpose and promotes their evolution to solid student athletes and eventual adults as they graduate from Ely. His former players are grateful and respectful to have played for such a compassionate teacher and coach.”

McDonald, who hails from Chisholm, was a decorated player for his father Bob while playing for the Bluestreaks and leading them to a pair of state tournament berths in the early-1980s.

After playing collegiately at South Dakota State, Mc-Donald taught and coached first in South Dakota and won a state tournament title there in his first coaching position. In 1990, he returned to the Iron Range to accept a social studies teaching position and the head basketball job at Ely, where the program had fallen on tough times after a solid run in the 1980s.

McDonald had some lean years early on, but by the mid-1990s, his teams caught fire and developed a reputation for being both hard-working and high-scoring.

In 2000, the Wolves fell a game short of the state tournament but captured both the Section 7A title and a trip to state in 2001.

Since then, the Wolves have regularly competed well in Section 7A despite an almost annual lack of size. “We never have any size,” said McDonald. “There are years when never have anybody over six-foot, but my Ely teams have worked really, really hard. I think I get the most out of the. They can’t jump. They’re not tall, but they work really, really hard.”

Joel McDonald agreed and in his nomination letter said his older brother “always seems to get the maximum commitment and performance from this players.”

McDonald credited his longevity in part to his late father, who coached for decades at Chisholm and had the most wins of any Minnesota prep basketball coach. “My father instilled in all of us that basketball is important, but basketball isn’t everything,” he said. “There are other things in life that are way more important than basketball.”

McDonald, who remains a social studies teacher at the high school, is credited with instilling life lessons to his players through basketball.

“Whether they realize it or not, the impact Tom has had on his players and the student body is unquestioned,” said Omerza.

McDonald credited assistant coaches such as Omerza along with his wife Kathy during his brief acceptance speech.

Kathy McDonald, along with the couple’s four adult children, were among the family members in attendance at the ceremony.

“It’s important to have an understanding wife,” said McDonald. “You don’t raise your kids the whole year. From November to March there were a lot of times she was on her own and there are many long lonely nights.”

McDonald also recognized school administrators and parents “who have been very good and allowed me to do my thing.”

At a small school such as Ely, McDonald said he gets to know his players “from the time they are out of diapers to the time they graduate.”

He also joked that “it’s important to have a dog. After a long trip when you lose a game, the dog is always happy to see you. They don’t know you coached poorly or your team played poorly. They’re just happy to see you.”

The recognition came as McDonald is about to begin his 35th season in Ely.

He conceded that his career is winding down and said “I’ll coach this year and we’ll see after that.”

McDonald also stepped back in time, decades ago, when he watched his father be inducted into the same hall of fame.

“I was at this banquet watching my dad get inducted and I though he really deserved to be here,” said McDonald. “Now here I am and I hope I made my dad proud.”

McDonald joins both his father as well as his older brother Mike, who coaches at Cambridge, in the hall of fame.

• Also recognized over the weekend by the basketball coaches’ association was Elyite Paul McDonald, Tom’s older brother and retired head coach at Vermilion Community College and current St. Louis County Commissioner.

Paul McDonald was inducted into the coaches’ association “hall of honor” for his contributions to Minnesota high school basketball as a longtime official.