For more than 20 years, Donald McPherson has used the power and appeal of sports to address complex social issues. He has created innovative programs, supported community service providers and has provided educational seminars and lectures throughout North America.
As an athlete, McPherson was an unanimous All-American quarterback at Syracuse University and is a veteran of the NFL and Canadian Football League. As captain of the undefeated 1987 Syracuse football team, McPherson set 22 school records, led the nation in passing and won more than 18 national “Player Of The Year” awards, including the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best player, the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the inaugural Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was second in the Heisman Trophy voting. In 2008, McPherson was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
In his service to the community, which spans three decades, McPherson has delivered school and community based programs addressing issues such as drunk driving, alcohol and substance abuse, bullying, youth leadership and mentoring. Upon retiring from pro football in 1994, he joined Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society as National Director of Athletes in Service to America, an Americorps funded program. In 2002, he founded the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi University, for which he served as executive director until 2007.
In 1995, McPherson turned his focus to the issue of “men’s violence against women,” as director of Sport in Society’s Mentors in Violence Prevention Program, taking over for the program’s founder, Jackson Katz. McPherson has emerged as a national leader and advocate for the prevention of sexual and domestic violence. He has conducted workshops and lectures for more than 200 college campuses, community organizations and national sports and violence prevention organizations. His programs and lectures have reached more than 1 million people.
Don has twice testified before the United States Congress and has worked closely with the U.S. Departments of Education and Defense and, the Pentagon on issues of sexual violence in education and the military, respectively. He has provided commentary on numerous news programs and was featured in O Magazine and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
McPherson has worked as a college football analyst for ESPN, BET and NBC and currently provides regular expert analysis on XM Satellite Radio and is a studio analyst for Sportsnet New York’s coverage of Big East Football. In 2000, while a board member of the Nassau County Sports Commission, McPherson created the John Mackey Award, which recognizes college football’s outstanding tight end.
He has received several honors in recognition of his service, including the Frederick Douglas Men of Strength Award, given by Men Can Stop Rape, Champions for Change, presented by Lifetime Television, The Creative Vision for Women’s Justice, presented by the Pace University Women’s Justice Center, and a Leadership Award from the National Center for Victims of Crime.
McPherson has served in a consulting and advisory capacity for several national organizations and currently serves on an advisory committee for the National Football Foundation and sits on the board of directors of the Ms. Foundation for Women.
