[1] He attended Inverness Royal Academy where he played cricket, tennis, and rugby.
[1] Macdonald attended the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a medical degree in 1884.
[1] He also played for Scotland in an exhibition game against a group of American tourists, the Gentlemen of Philadelphia, in June 1884.
[1] He was captain of the University side throughout 1884 and scored over 1,000 runs that year.
[1] He continued his involvement in both cricket and football - captaining local team Northern Counties and representing a North of Scotland XI in the former, and becoming a Patron of the Highland League in 1932 in the latter.