Tobias Francis McDonald (April 30, 1951 – January 24, 2025) was a Canadian curler, curling

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and lawyer from

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Ame ...

Biography

McDonald was born in 1951, the son of Mary ( Power) and Tobias McDonald. At the national level, he won the 1976

Macdonald Brier The Brier ('), known since 2024 as the Montana's Brier for sponsorship reasons, is the annual Canadian men's curling championship, sanctioned by Curling Canada. The Brier has been held since 1927, traditionally during the month of March. The w ...

, as a member of the first-ever team from Newfoundland and Labrador to win the Brier. The team represented Canada at the 1976 Air Canada Silver Broom World Championship, finishing in 9th place with a 2–7 record, Canada's worst ever finish at the

World Men's Curling Championship The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and mixed doubles championships, as well as men's an ...

. McDonald returned to the Brier in 1979, playing third for Jeff Thomas. At the Brier, the team went 3–8. McDonald skipped his own rink at the Brier in 1981. He led his rink of Jim Miller, John Allan and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

to a 3–8 record. He didn't return to the Brier until

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

as the alternate for Newfoundland, skipped by

Glenn Goss Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement i ...

. There, the team finished 6–5. McDonald was back to skipping at the Brier in 1998. He led his team of Wayne Hamilton,

Lloyd Powell Lloyd Powell (22 August 188825 March 1975) was an English, later Canadian pianist and teacher. Career Lloyd Ioan Powell was born in Ironbridge, Shropshire in 1888.''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', 5th ed (1954), Vol. VI, p. 901 His ...

and Paul Withers to a 4–7 record. McDonald made his final Brier appearance

in 2002 IN, In or in may refer to: Dans * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independen ...

, as the alternate for

Mark Noseworthy Mark Noseworthy is a Canadian musician and composer based in Los Angeles. He is a member of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and has a solo project called Terri Terri. He is also a composer for television and film, including ''I'm Dying Up H ...

rink. Noseworthy led the team to a 4–7 record. McDonald coached the Canadian men's curling team at the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...

where they won the gold medal.

Personal life

McDonald was a graduate of the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

, and earned an honorary doctorate of Laws from

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a Public university, public research university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook ...

. McDonald was married to Shelly ( Keough) for 35 years before she died. He went on to remarry Noreen Byrne. He had two children. He died on 24 January 2025, at the age of 73.

Teams

Record as a coach of national teams

Awards

* Ross Harstone Sportsmanship Award: . * Member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, appointed 8 December 2006.

References

External links

* *
Toby McDonald – Curling Canada Stats Archive
* * * * * * 1951 births 2025 deaths Canadian male curlers Brier champions Canadian curling coaches Members of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador Lawyers in Newfoundland and Labrador University of New Brunswick alumni Curlers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Place of birth missing {{Canada-curling-bio-stub