JACK McDONALD Director of Athletics and Recreation Jack McDonald is entering his 17th year as Director of Athletics and Recreation at Quinnipiac University. This fall, McDonald was selected to serve on the NACDA Division I Executive Committe and the NCAA’s Committe on Women’s Athletics. McDonald has guided Quinnipiac University into a broad-based Division I athletics program that consists of 21 men’s and women’s varsity sports. McDonald has been one of the driving forces during nine successful campaigns as a Division I member. Sixteen teams have won conference championships, with 12 qualifying for the NCAA Tournament during that time. Along with its full membership in the Northeast Conference, Quinnipiac also competes as a member of ECAC Hockey for men’s and women’s ice hockey, and as a member of Lacrosse America for men’s lacrosse. The last three academic years were of equal success for the Bobcats under McDonald’s guidance. Over the past two years, the Bobcats posted their highest department-wide grade-point averages in concurrent years as well as the largest number of student-athletes with a GPA of 3.0 or higher from one year to the next. In 2006–07 McDonald assisted the University in the grand opening of the TD Bank Sports Center, a 185,000-square-foot facility that cost $60 million to construct. He also helped secure NCAA certification for Quinnipiac, its first since moving to Division I, and assisted in the successful men’s basketball coaching search that culminated with the hiring of former University of Connecticut associate head coach Tom Moore. In addition, nearly 140 student-athletes and five teams were honored by their respective leagues and organizations for academic excellence. An active member of National Governance, McDonald was recently named president of NACDA’s IAAA Association. McDonald was also on the NCAA Championships and Competition Cabinet (1998–2002) and chair of the NCAA Ice Hockey Committee, where he championed bracket expansion from 12 to 16 teams. He also has been a member of the NACDA’s I-AAA executive committee since 2002. During the 2007–08 academic year, McDonald also was named president of Great Western Lacrosse. He is currently president of the New England ICAAA, the regional governing body of men’s track and field. Previously, McDonald was on the ECAC board of directors. Over the past few years, McDonald assisted in the development of a successful television, radio and Internet broadcasting package
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for Quinnipiac athletics. In 2006–07, Quinnipiac televised 15 games on local and regional outlets and broadcast nearly 200 additional games and sporting events via live radio, audio and/or video streaming and iTunes podcasts. McDonald and his staff oversaw the expansion and renovation of the Athletic Center in Fall 2002. He founded the Faculty Athletic Board and instituted “Positive Play” programs with the Captains’ Council. McDonald is a 1973 graduate of Boston College. He earned a master’s degree from Springfield College in 1984. During his college career, McDonald ran and coached track. He set the New England indoor mile record (4:00.9) and, as a coach, was selected Big East, New England and NCAA District I Coach of the Year in both 1984 and 1987. A native of Braintree, Mass., McDonald and his wife, Linda, live in Cheshire, Conn., with their four sons: Brian, Jim, Jack and David.
BILL MECCA Senior Associate Athletic Director A member of Quinnipiac’s athletic department since 1978, Bill Mecca is in his 11th year as Senior Associate Athletic Director, after being promoted from associate athletic director. In 2008–09, Mecca was inducted into the Quinnipiac University Athletic Hall of Fame. He is responsible for all internal operations of the department, including supervision of scheduling, facilities, game officials, game operations and sports medicine. Mecca has fulfilled a variety of roles in his 33-year tenure at Quinnipiac. From 1978–91, he was an assistant men’s basketball coach, head men’s tennis coach and assistant director of athletics under the legendary Burt Kahn. In 1991, Mecca was named head men’s basketball coach and served five seasons before being promoted to his current role. In addition to his administrative duties, Mecca is the founder of the highly successful Bill Mecca Roundball Golf Tournament, which has generated more than $100,000 in contributions to the athletic department over the past 17 years. Mecca also provides radio and television color analysis for the Quinnipiac men’s and women’s basketball games on AM 1220 WQUN and NESN. A 1978 graduate of Niagara University, Mecca earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration while playing four years of basketball under former Utah Jazz president Frank Layden.