Indianapolis -- Olympic race walker, coach and official Bruce MacDonald, passed away | 2020-08-28 23:26:47 (Visits: 656 Times) |  | | MacDonald was a three-time Olympian as an athlete, finishing 16th in the 20k walk in 1956, 23rd in the 50k walk in 1960 and 26th in the 50k in 1964. Among dozens of roles in the sport, he was an assistant men's manager for Team USA at the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games, officiated at the 1996 Olympic Games and was a radio operator for the 20k and 50k race walks at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.From 1957 to 2002, MacDonald served as the head coach of varsity track and field and cross country at Schreiber High School.He attended Bayside High School in Bayside, New York in 1947 where he was captain of the indoor and outdoor track team, won the county championship and NYC 120-yard high hurdles championship in 1996 and placed sixth at the Indoor National H.S. Championship in the 60-yard high hurdles at Madison Square Garden. After high school, he studied at New York University earning his Bachelor of Science in health education in 1951 and a Master of Arts in Safety education in 1957. While at NYU, MacDonald was a member of the varsity track and field team for four years. MacDonald was a driver education (1947-91) and health teacher (1970-73) at Schreiber High School and was inducted into the high schools’ Hall of Fame 1995 for coaching track and field. In addition he taught at Hofstra University and at the Graduate Center for Safety Education at NYU.He was a pioneer and driving force in the TAC/USATF race walking community both domestically and internationally. MacDonald organized and coached many of the first American race walk national teams, including the first of many men’s and women’s race walking dual meets with Canada. In 1974, he organized the first U.S. women’s team to compete in the Women’s World Race Walking championships held in Stockholm, Sweden where the American women placed second overall with Sue Brodock winning with a 5k world record. In 2010, Bruce was the first recipient of the Lori Maynard Award, an award given to an official who best exemplifies the qualities of a truly dedicated race walk official, organizer and administrator. In 2002, he was honored by USATF Long Island for his lifetime contribution to race walking with more than 60 years of service as an athlete, coach, official, 5-time Olympian, administrator, high school and club coach, and member of IAAF Panel of race walking Judges.
Services are pending. |
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