John R. McConathy (April 9, 1930 – April 19, 2016) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and educator, originally from

Bienville Parish Bienville Parish (french: link=no, Paroisse de Bienville, ) is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,981. The parish seat is Arcadia. The highest natural point ...

North Louisiana North Louisiana (french: Louisiane du Nord), also known locally as Sportsman's Paradise, (a name sometimes attributed to the state as a whole) is a region in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The region has two metropolitan areas: Shreveport-Bossier Ci ...

. McConathy was selected in the 1951 NBA draft by the

Syracuse Nationals The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances. 1946– ...

after a collegiate career at

Northwestern State Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Univer ...

Natchitoches, Louisiana Natchitoches ( ; french: link=no, Les Natchitoches) is a small city and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named ...

, in which he was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n player. He played for the

Milwaukee Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

in 1951–52 and averaged 1.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per contest in 11 games.

Background

McConathy was born in

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

Sailes near Gibsland in Bienville Parish. He maintained a farm in Sailes.

Career

After graduation from Northwestern State University and his brief professional basketball career, McConathy was employed by the

Bienville Parish School Board Bienville Parish School Board (BPSB) is a school district headquartered in Arcadia, Louisiana, United States. The district serves Bienville Parish. In 2012 the superintendent replaced the principals of five of the district's eight schools aft ...

at Gibsland and Ringgold and then the

Bossier Parish School Board Bossier Parish School Board is a school district headquartered in Benton, Louisiana, United States. The Superintendent of Bossier Schools is, as of 2019, Mitch Downey. The district serves Bossier Parish. History The first school built by Bos ...

. His Bossier High School basketball team won a state championship in 1960. He was the Bossier superintendent from 1972 to 1983. In this capacity, he was a driving force behind the establishment of

Bossier Parish Community College Bossier may refer to: * Bossier City, Louisiana * Bossier Parish, Louisiana * Pierre Bossier Pierre Evariste Jean-Baptiste Bossier (pronounced Boh Zhay) (March 22, 1797 – April 24, 1844) was a Planter (American South), planter, soldier and pol ...

, at which his oldest son, Mike McConathy, was the basketball coach from 1983 to 1999. Mike McConathy then became basketball coach at Northwestern State University,LA Tech Hall of Famer: Mike McConathy
Retrieved on February 6, 2013. a position which he still fills. After he retired as school superintendent, McConathy worked for two decades as an agent for the

New York Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company in the United States, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and is ranked #67 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States ...

. He was a founding member of Citizens National Bank, of which he was a former board chairman for twenty-five years and remained a bank director at the time of his death.

Personal life and death

McConathy was married to the former Corene Floyd (born March 1933). There are four McConathy children: coach Mike McConathy and wife Connie, of Natchitoches, Bill McConathy and wife Anne, of Haughton in south Bossier Parish, Pat McConathy and wife Suanne, of Bossier City, and Melinda McConathy Guest and husband Greg, of Bossier City, and eleven grandchildren. McConathy was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Bossier City. McConathy died in his sleep at the age of eighty-six. Pastors Brad Jurkovich of First Baptist and Justin Haigler of The Simple Church officiated on April 23 at his funeral at First Baptist Bossier. Former pastor

Fred L. Lowery Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico R ...

officiated thereafter graveside at Williamson Cemetery in Sailes, at which his parents are also interred.

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

References

External links

Forgotten Legends: John McConathy
{{DEFAULTSORT:McConathy, John 1930 births 2016 deaths American men's basketball players School superintendents in Louisiana Baptists from Louisiana Basketball players from Louisiana College men's track and field athletes in the United States Forwards (basketball) High school basketball coaches in the United States Insurance agents Louisiana Democrats Milwaukee Hawks players Northwestern State Demons basketball players People from Bienville Parish, Louisiana Sportspeople from Bossier City, Louisiana Syracuse Nationals draft picks 20th-century Baptists