What started as a 3-0 record-setting start to a season for the Seahawks (Mike Macdonald became the franchise’s first-ever coach to start tenure with three wins on the trot), is now stuck in a playoff bubble with 5-5. It’s not bad, but since Mike Macdonald said: “We can be better,” the team has not responded.

But it’s not every day you see the NFL’s youngest head coach channeling his father, Hugh’s grit in LA. The Seahawks are scrapping for every point like it’s fourth-and-goal with the game on the line. And honestly, that fighting spirit? It just runs in the Macdonalds. So, let’s dive into the Macdonald legacy and get to know Mike’s dad and his war-hero roots a little better.

Who is Hugh Macdonald?

Never address Hugh Macdonald as Mike’s big man… Oh, that’s for rookies. Read and we’ll spill his identity, that’ll make you salute him… He’s a West Point grad and a former Army engineer who played sprint football for the Black Knights. Imagine suiting up to rebuild Europe after World War II; that’s the kind of grit Hugh brought to the table long before Mike was even born.

“My dad was, like, 50. He got stationed in Germany,” Mike shared, painting a picture of his father’s time in post-war Europe, helping repair the damage from a conflict that ended nearly three decades earlier.

Fast-forward to Mike’s childhood, and Hugh had traded the uniform for a business suit. With a master’s degree from Boston University, he founded SalesScope, Inc., diving into the business world while raising Mike and his two older sisters, Kate and Maggie. By then, the family had settled in Georgia, where Mike navigated grade school and sports as a scrappy football linebacker and golfer at Centennial High in Roswell.

One thing always stuck with him—his dad’s lessons. “The first thing is just respect for our men and women in the Armed Services,” Mike said, reflecting on the military discipline that shaped their household. Speaking of family, well, you can make an educational guess by now that Hugh wasn’t the only war hero among the Macdonalds.

How has Mike Macdonald’s veteran family background shaped his NFL career?

Mike Macdonald didn’t grow up watching his dad march in uniform, but you’d better believe Hugh Macdonald’s military influence was front and center. I mean, if a West Point dad (screams: strict) wasn’t enough, his aunts served as nurses during Vietnam, and his grandfather fought in World War II. That’s a veterans Hall of Fame, stacked!

So, you can understand why Mike walks the talk when it comes to honoring the military. As head coach of the Seahawks, he’s led the charge for Salute to Service events, partnering with USAA to connect with veterans and active-duty members.

Whether it’s inviting the Blue Angels to share their precision-focused mindset with the team or visiting Joint Base Lewis-McChord to meet soldiers, Macdonald brings military values straight to the sidelines. On top of that, Macdonald makes sure the military’s lessons shape his coaching philosophy.

Well, it should not come as a surprise, as that’s what he has learned throughout his childhood—to be resilient… It’s clear his family’s service has shaped not just his respect for the military, but the way he builds teams.