| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 29, 1904 Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 1989 (aged 84) Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Gonzaga University, 1929 |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1923–1926 | Gonzaga |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Basketball | |
| 1933–1942 | Gonzaga |
| 1946–1949 | Gonzaga |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1939–1942 | Gonzaga |
| 1946–1949 | Gonzaga |
Claude F. McGrath (March 29, 1904 – February 24, 1989)[1] was a college basketball coach and athletic director at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He was the head coach of the Bulldogs from 1933[2] to 1942. McGrath served in the military during World War II and returned to Gonzaga in 1946 for three seasons.[3] His overall record as head coach stands at 129-133 (.492).[4]
Born in Spokane in 1904, McGrath was a four-sport athlete at North Central High School and graduated in 1923.[2] He initially attended the University of Idaho in Moscow to play college football as a quarterback for the Vandals under head coach Matty Mathews.[5] He soon returned to Spokane and enrolled at Gonzaga, where he played football under head coaches Gus Dorais and Clipper Smith.[5]
McGrath graduated in 1929 and taught at Mead High School, where he became principal and later the superintendent of the school district.[6] He coached multiple sports at both Mead High and Gonzaga University and became the Bulldogs' head basketball coach in 1933[2][7][8] and added the duties of athletic director in 1939.[9] McGrath spent over three years in the U.S. Army Air Forces as an athletic trainer in the Second Air Force and was discharged as a major. He returned to Gonzaga in 1946, then resigned both positions after three seasons in April 1949 to work in the private sector.[3]
McGrath later became a purchasing agent for the Spokane school district in the late 1950s,[10] and retired in 1969. He died in Spokane at age 84 in February 1989.[6]