- Name
- Jim McDonald
- Position
- Guard-Forward
- Class
- SR
- Hometown (Last School)
- Louisville, KY (St. Xavier)
- Ht
- 6'3"
- Wt
- 195
- Seasons
- 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62
- Birthday
- February 17, 1940
Jim McDonald was born James F. McDonald on February 17, 1940, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Matthew and Irene F. Schmidt McDonald.
McDonald attended St. Xavier high school in Louisville where he helped the Tigers win the 1958 state championship in basketball.
McDonald played for the Wildcats from 1958 to 1962 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp. Here are some highlights of his college career:
- 1958-59 Season: Freshman season. McDonald started 7 of 9 games played and averaged 10.5 points per game.
- 1959-60 Season: McDonald played in 23 games, starting 8 and averaging 3.9 points per game.
- 1960-61 Season: He played in 19 games, averaging 0.7 points per game.
- 1961-62 Season: McDonald played in 21 games, averaging 1.5 points per game.
McDonald was a member of the Delta Tau Delta social fraternity. He earned two degrees from Kentucky: a bachelors in electrical engineering and a masters in electrical engineering.
After graduating from Kentucky, McDonald pursued a successful business career. He joined the IBM Corporation as an associate engineer in the Office Products Division soon after college and remained with the company for 21 years, filling several managerial positions.
In 1980, he was promoted to General Manager of Manufacturing Systems Products. He left IBM in 1984 to serve as President, CEO and Director at Gould Inc., a manufacturer of computers and electronic products used in defense, industrial, and scientific applications. He managed the company’s restructuring and subsequent sale to Nippon Mining Inc. and remained through 1988 as the Chairman and CEO of Gould Navcom Systems, Inc., a trust set up to manage and divest Gould Inc.’s defense related operations after its sale to Nippon Mining.
In 1989, he became President and CEO of Prime Computer, Inc. A year later he was elected Vice Chairman and CEO of the company. In 1991, he became partner in J. H. Whitney and Company, an organization which invests equity capital to companies in varying stages of development.
In 1993, he became President and CEO of Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., a cable television electronics and satellite-based communications industry.
He is the holder of two U.S. patents, one regarding image printing and the other dealing with communications.
He is the youngest man ever to be named a CEO of two Fortune 500 companies.
He is or has been a member of the board of directors of the UK Development Council, the UK Business Partnership Foundation, Northwestern University Technology Advisory Board, the Northwestern University Development Council, Burlington Resources, the DataBeam Corporation, and a past Director of Sprint.
In terms of professional society memberships, he is or has been a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Chicago Club and the Electrical Manufacturers Club. He is also active in various civic and charitable activities including serving on the development council of Good Shepherd Hospital. He is a past co-chairperson of the United Way – Northwest Division. He remains interested and involved with his high school alma mater – St. Xavier in Louisville.
James McDonald was named to the University of Kentucky’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni on April 21, 1995.
“I learned a lot about focus and pushing yourself to succeed from Coach Rupp,” says McDonald. “You’ve got to be prepared if you want to win. And I’ve always believed that you can’t lead if you don’t know where you’re going.”
