A graduate of Houlka High, Itawamba Junior College and Mississippi State, McDonald is a championship girls' basketball and baseball coach at Houlka and Kossuth. He started the baseball program at Houlka and led the Wildcats to the state title in 1973, along with 12 district crowns, 2 North state titles and a state runner-up finish. He also paced the Houlka girls' hoops squad to state titles in 1975 and 1977, including the 1975 Grand Slam Championship. His baseball teams had a record of 375-260, while his girls' and boys' basketball teams have a combined total of over 1,500 wins during his 40-year career.