McDonald Calls it a Career
Flashback: McDonald Calls it a CareerCourtesy of San Francisco 49ers public relations
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (July 10, 2000) Tim McDonald, a 13-year veteran of the NFL, has
announced his retirement from professional football.
McDonald joined the 49ers as a free agent in 1993 after spending his first six years as a member of the Phoenix Cardinals. While with the Cardinals, McDonald earned three Pro Bowl selections and recorded a career-high 155 tackles in 1989.
"Tim was one of the greatest performers in contemporary football and there are those who would state flatly that he was the best strong safety to ever play the game," said 49ers general manager Bill Walsh. "He was a great leader, an outstanding performer, a marvelous athlete and a championship athlete. He is a man who commanded the respect of everyone and who people responded to."
Bringing his aggressive style to the 49ers, McDonald enhanced an already solid defensive unit. In 1993, he earned the first of three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances with San Francisco. That season he totaled 91 tackles, 10 passes defensed and three interceptions.
In 1994 he again earned Pro Bowl honors after posting 76 tackles, nine passes defensed, two interceptions and one fumble return for touchdown. In the 49ers Super Bowl XXIX victory over the San Diego Chargers, McDonald drew praise for his team-high nine-tackle performance.
McDonald earned his fifth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl after finishing with 90 tackles, four interceptions and 17 passes defensed in 1995.
"Over the course of my career, I have had the privilege of playing with many great players," offers Panthers cornerback Eric Davis. "None, however, more influential than Tim McDonald. Tim McDonald played with a desire unmatched by many. Never unwilling to aid a teammate, always thinking of the best way to get the job done, even if that meant no glory for himself.
"He played hurt, he played tired, yet he always played well. Tim was one of the great ones who understood that you must have a true passion for football to be a champion and he walks away from the game having earned the highest of accolades for his efforts. Tim earned trips to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors, but most importantly, the respect of each and every player and coach that shared the field with him."
In addition to being one of the game's fiercest competitors, McDonald also is one of its most durable. He missed just four games throughout his career and started in 111 of 112 possible games as a member of the 49ers.
"Aside from being a great football player, Tim was an even better person," said George Seifert. "He presented and passed on to others a unique inner strength to the teams he played for, and provided a role model of excellence for young players and veterans alike. For how well he played and for the manner in which he carried himself, I expect to see him in the Hall of Fame very soon."
Tim, and his wife, Alycia, are the parents of three children: sons Timothy Jr. and Tevin, and a daughter, Taryn. The family lives in Fresno where Tim is active in several charitable causes, including the Boys and Girls Club of the Bay Area for which he has donated $2,000 for every 49ers victory during the past four years. During the 1998 season he opened his first restaurant, World Sports Café, located in Fresno.
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