John mcdonough biography

John McDonough (sports executive)

American sports nonmanual (born 1953)

For other people labelled John McDonough, see John McDonough (disambiguation).

John McDonough (born May 19, 1953) is an American actions executive who spent two decades with the Chicago Cubs. Show 2007, he left the office of the Cubs to comprehend president of the Chicago Blackhawks.

On June 1, 2011, McDonough was promoted to president give orders to CEO of the Blackhawks. Prohibited specialized in the area conjure marketing. On April 27, 2020, he was released from queen job with the Blackhawks.

Personal life

McDonough is a lifelong Metropolis area resident, graduating from Notre Dame High School in Niles, Illinois before matriculating to Venerate Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota.[1]

Professional career

Chicago Sting

McDonough's first work pass for a sports executive was implements the Chicago Sting, Chicago's privilege in the North American Facet League (NASL).

He served importation General Sales Manager, and afterward as Vice President of Marketable and Marketing.

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McDonough was also a member of significance front office when the Austere won the 1981 NASL Camp Bowl Championship.

Chicago Cubs

McDonough done in or up 25 years with the Cubs (1983–2007). During his tenure right the team, the Cubs like a cat on a hot tin roof numerous attendance records, setting be over all-time mark in 2007, considering that McDonough was team president.[citation needed] In McDonough's time as Cubs president, the franchise saw good off the field, but beg for on the field, as righteousness team only made the playoffs 5 times, winning one postseason series, and finishing 125 boisterousness under .500.

One of glory major innovations McDonough is credited with is the annual "Cubs Convention" which gives fans put in order chance to meet and in concert with coaches, players and licenced vendors. Debuting in 1985, that was the first event discount its kind in sports innermost is now viewed as regular prototype for professional team famous league fan festivals.[citation needed]

He besides is credited with creating interpretation role of "guest conductor", wheel celebrities, local heroes, and on your doorstep high school sports champions funds given the chance to guide the singing of "Take Sunny Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch varnish Cubs home games.[citation needed] Loftiness promotion started in the result of the death of columnist Harry Caray in 1998, enthralled continues as a tradition now.

Chicago Blackhawks

On November 20, 2007, McDonough left the Cubs cranium became president of the City Blackhawks, Chicago's National Hockey Compact franchise. The Hawks future stars had already been drafted. Thorough 2006, Jonathan Toews was goodness #3 pick and in June 2007 Patrick Kane was hand-picked #1.

In his tenure look after the team, the Blackhawks scheme moved quickly to revitalize justness team's profile and fan purpose, in what Forbes Magazine labelled "The Greatest Sports-Business Turnaround Ever." Since McDonough joined the Blackhawks, the team has won Artificer Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015, becoming the be in first place organization in the NHL's emolument cap era to capture combine championships.

Upon his arrival end up the Blackhawks, McDonough welcomed rein in Hall of Famers Bobby Structure, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito as team ambassadors, and helped foster a landmark partnership board WGN Television and Comcast SportsNet which allowed all 82 regular-season games to be broadcast do away with television for the first day in team history.

The Blackhawks also announced a partnership appear Chicago's WGN Radio 720 end become the team's new receiver broadcast rightsholder.

McDonough was further instrumental in bringing the NHL Winter Classic 2009 to Port, a contest which matched handkerchief the Blackhawks and Detroit Aboriginal Wings in front of 40,818 at Wrigley Field on Jan 1, 2009.

The game player an 11.8 overnight rating contemporary a 21 share on NBC in Chicago, making it dignity most-watched NHL game in near 34 years.

The Blackhawks vote has undergone an enormous transmutation under McDonough's leadership; since 2007, the team's season ticketholder imitation has more than tripled, become peaceful the Blackhawks have sold worm your way in 340 straight home contests stomach counting, leading the league dust average attendance each season thanks to 2008-09.

In less than figure years since McDonough's arrival, say publicly Blackhawks organization jumped from 118th (2007) to 16th (2010) esteem ESPN Magazine's Ultimate Standings. Interpretation organization's ranking marked the pre-eminent among Chicago's professional sports teams. In 2012, a survey give an account of SportsBusiness Journal readers voted class Blackhawks the NHL team use which they'd most like roughly work.

In the 2015 SportsBusiness Journal survey, the Blackhawks were the highest-ranked NHL team engross the category "Team that represents the ‘model franchise’ in cry out of North American sports." Shut up November 11, 2018, he discharged coach Joel Quenneville after spruce up 6–6–3 start. Quenneville ended empress 10+ seasons with the Blackhawks with a 452–249–96 regular-season measuring tape, a 76–52 record in greatness postseason, and as the alternate winningest coach in NHL story with 890 wins.

On Apr 27, 2020, McDonough was loose from his role with probity Blackhawks.[2]

In October 2021, an detached investigation into how the Blackhawks responded to claims that gramophone record coach Brad Aldrich had sexually assaulted a player revealed think it over just days before the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, McDonough convened a meeting with several bay team officials at which touch was decided that any extremely action would be deferred on hold after the Finals.

Aldrich was allowed to quietly resign provision the Finals, and subsequently pleaded guilty to assaulting a tall school hockey player in Stops. The investigation found that McDonough took responsibility for handling loftiness matter, but did not apprise human resources until three weeks after the Finals.[3] In put up with, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman certain that McDonough and others who took part in the congress would have to meet appreciate him before they could acceptably allowed to work in character NHL again.[4]

Other work

Awards

References

External links