[1] McConathy was selected in the 1951 NBA draft by the Syracuse Nationals after a collegiate career at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana, in which he was an All-American player.

[4] In this capacity, he was a driving force behind the establishment of Bossier Parish Community College, at which his oldest son, Mike McConathy, was the basketball coach from 1983 to 1999.

Mike McConathy then became basketball coach at Northwestern State University,[5][6] a position which he still fills.

After he retired as school superintendent, McConathy worked for two decades as an agent for the New York Life Insurance Company.

Former pastor Fred L. Lowery officiated thereafter graveside at Williamson Cemetery in Sailes, at which his parents are also interred.