One of the most decorated Magnolia athletic stars with one of more memorable sports journeys has passed away.
Antonio “Tony” McDonald, a football standout at both Magnolia High School and Southern Arkansas University, died Sunday in Little Rock, according to his obituary. He was 42.
McDonald was one of the key figures in Magnolia’s last state championship football championship appearance. The 1994 Panthers were ultimately defeated at War Memorial Stadium by Alma, but McDonald earned all-state honors at running back after rushing for 1,684 yards and 26 touchdowns as an MHS senior.
His athletics story took a unique journey, leading him from Panther Stadium as a teenager to starting for Southern Arkansas University in the mid-00s — more than a decade after his high school days. McDonald’s story was so unique and such inspiration to others that the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in November 2007 profiled the then 30-year-old collegiate fullback in a piece titled: “Southern Arkansas fullback completes interrupted career.”
The following passages feature portions of that article by Pete Perkins:
MAGNOLIA – Tony McDonald, 30, will complete a three-season career as Southern Arkansas’ fullback Saturday, 13 years removed from leading Magnolia High School to a state championship game at Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium.
He signed with Southeast Missouri State but left and returned to Magnolia — no longer a part of the sport he loved.
Between that event and his reemergence on the field, Tony was out of football for seven years. He eventually overcame substance abuse through dedication to his faith and help from his family, making it back to the gridiron at Southern Arkansas University.
Tony in 2007 was 5-9 and weighed 230 pounds. He weighed 185 from his high school days until he enrolled at Southern Arkansas three years ago, but said he was, pound for pound, as strong as he ever was.
Tony McDonald, after leaving Southeast Missouri State in 1994, walked on at Southern Arkansas in 1997. He lasted three days.
“I wasn’t dedicated,” Tony said in 2007. “I wasn’t ready.”
Southern Arkansas Coach Steve Quinn was an assistant coach at SAU when McDonald made his 1997 appearance.
Quinn remembered Tony when he walked in the second time, more than seven years later, in the fall semester of 2004.
“I kind of knew what was going on with him then, and had an idea of his background when he came into my office,” Quinn said. “We talked a little about that, and how he had changed his life around. I thought, ‘Heck, we don’t have anything to lose.’ We were going to let him come out, and if it didn’t go well, we could always go on down the road.”
“But he came out and we never had an issue. In fact, he really became a very positive spokesperson for this football team.”
Quinn said he decided to give Tony a chance.
“He had a long way to go as far as football conditioning,” Quinn said. “He had to get used to getting hit again, being able to make the moves he used to make. But he never quit, and his work ethic really showed after that first spring that he was serious about what he was doing.”
Tony became Southern Arkansas’ starting fullback as a 28-year-old sophomore in 2005. In three seasons, he has rushed for 1,249 yards and 5 touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards a carry. His platform secured, Tony told his story at schools and to community groups throughout his career at SAU.
His teammates were his friends, having replaced those Tony remembers from high school and his seven-year drift. He took several of them to church each week, and to his grandmother’s for dinner.
Quinn said Tony was a natural leader.
“Tony has brought a lot of maturity,” Quinn said. “He’s been through the bad times. He started out with an opportunity to play college football, and kind of wasted that opportunity. So I think he brings a perspective to our players that lets them know they need to appreciate every day that they have.”
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McDonald’s funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Magnolia’s Youngblood Auditorium. The cause of his untimely death has not been disclosed.