John McDougal accomplished a lot at Evansville: he was a 3-year letterwinner as a halfback in the 1940s and was inducted into the Evansville Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981. He was not that shabby at Northern Illinois either: MAC COY in his very 1st season, winningest coach in school history, and 1995 NIU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach McDougal’s former player Rodney Davis about winning the 1982 MAC tourney and being a great coach. Today is the 5th anniversary of Coach McDougal’s passing on October 28, 2016, so we take this time to honor his life/legacy.
Coach McDougal played basketball/ran track in high school and played football at Evansville: which sport was he best at, and which 1 did he enjoy the most? I am not 100% sure but I would assume basketball.
He served in the Navy during WWII: what impact did the war have on him either on or off the court? I never remember hearing any of his war stories: it is almost like he kept that separate from the team. However, he was prompt and had a great attention to detail.
His coaching career took off at West Aurora High School where he was state runner-up in 1976: how did he end up at Northern Illinois? I think it was just a case of good timing. He did very well at West Aurora: I think he lost the state title game on a last-second shot. Back then it was not a big deal to make a step up from high school to college, even though it is not the normal progression now.
In his 1st season at NIU he was named MAC COY after improving the team’s record from 5-21 to 13-14: how was he able to come in and turn things around so quickly? It was before my era but he changed the culture of the program and brought in some good players like Skip Hicks who he already knew.
You played for him back in the day: what made him such a good coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? What made him exceptional to me was his ability to connect with his players. Not just from a basketball standpoint: he genuinely cared about his players and their families. His honesty really drew you in: he never raised his voice and screamed at you. He just had an approach that made it easy for us to talk to him after practice if we were not doing well: it was an open-door policy.
In the 1982 MAC tourney he won 3 games in 3 days by a combined 7 PTS: what did it mean to him to win the title, and what was the reaction like when he got back to campus? That was right before I came to the program. It was the 1st time the school had made it to the NCAA tourney so it was big for the community. It showed the Chicago area that there were good local teams besides DePaul/Illinois. I am sure that the campus was electric. The games came down to strategy because they were so close.
His 136 wins remain the most in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a coach he was, and do you think that anyone will ever break his record? I think we did realize that there was something special about him when it came to how he handled everything: media, players, etc. I do not recall anyone who disliked the way that he went about his business. The longevity of coaches now is not the same as it was back then so I think it will be hard for anyone to break his record.
He won more than 550 high school games and in 2006 he was named 1 of the “100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament”: where did that rank among the highlights of his career? I would think it is in the top 3-5. West Aurora is known for basketball and he helped it remain 1 of the top schools in the history of a very competitive state. His former assistant Gordie Kirkman later took over and continued the legacy there so his thumbprints are all over the program.
He passed away in 2016: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He accomplished some great things on the court in high school/college but I will remember him more as a person. He lived his life right and tried to instill that in his players. He was full of integrity and was a guy who you could totally trust.