Tobias Francis McDonald (April 30, 1951 â January 24, 2025) was a Canadian curler, curling coach and lawyer from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
McDonald was born in 1951, the son of Mary ( Power) and Tobias McDonald. At the national level, he won the 1976 Macdonald Brier, 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 2âÂÂ7 record, Canada's worst ever finish at the World Men's Curling Championship.
McDonald returned to the Brier in 1979, playing third for Jeff Thomas. At the Brier, the team went 3âÂÂ8. McDonald skipped his own rink at the Brier in 1981. He led his rink of Jim Miller, John Allan and Neil Young to a 3âÂÂ8 record. He didn't return to the Brier until 1992 as the alternate for Newfoundland, skipped by Glenn Goss. There, the team finished 6âÂÂ5. McDonald was back to skipping at the Brier in 1998. He led his team of Wayne Hamilton, Lloyd Powell and Paul Withers to a 4âÂÂ7 record. McDonald made his final Brier appearance in 2002, as the alternate for Mark Noseworthy rink. Noseworthy led the team to a 4âÂÂ7 record.
McDonald coached the Canadian men's curling team at the 2006 Winter Olympics where they won the gold medal.
McDonald was a graduate of the University of New Brunswick, and earned an honorary doctorate of Laws from Memorial University of Newfoundland. 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.