FAYETTEVILLE -- Niall O'Shaughnessy blazed a trail for the Arkansas cross country and track and field teams that have won a combined 41 NCAA championships.
"Niall lit the fire that started it all for us," said John McDonnell, who coached the Razorbacks to 40 national titles. "He was the man with the torch, and he helped us get red hot."
O'Shaughnessy, the first of 185 cross country and track and field All-Americans McDonnell coached from 1974 to 2008 before retiring, died Tuesday night at his home in suburban Atlanta after a two-year bout with brain cancer. He was 59.