Chisholm's long-time basketball coach Bob McDonald, who is 12 victories shy of 1,000 for his career, suffered broken ribs on Thursday night in a traffic accident, according to a report in the Duluth News-Tribune.
The newspaper's web site reports that McDonald, 79, "was alone in his 2006 Dodge minivan southbound on Highway 169 in Hibbing when he came upon a front-end loader traveling the same direction. McDonald rear-ended the loader, driven by Michael B. Lastovich, 19, of Hibbing. Lastovich was not injured. The accident occurred on dry pavement just after 6 p.m. The State Patrol listed McDonald in serious condition."
Four of McDonald's children currently coach high school or college teams in the state. One of them, Hibbing boys' coach Joel McDonald, went to the hospital to see his father. Joel told the News Tribune: "I ran up to the hospital to see him before our game last night... but he told me I had to go back and coach."
You can read the complete story here.
Two years ago, WCCO's Mike Max profiled McDonald to mark his 50th year of coaching the Chisholm Bluestreaks. Known for his team's clean-cut look and high-scoring (when he has the right talent) style, McDonald said: "I've never had a drink in my life. I've never had a cigarette in my life, and I've never had a techical."
