[6][7][8] As a speedy fullback for the varsity as a sophomore, he was dubbed "Thunder Ray" after his first Battle of the Palouse game[9][10] the first Vandal victory over neighboring WSU in a decade.
[11] (Idaho repeated over the Cougars in Pullman in 1965 for the first time in forty years,[12][13] and would've swept three straight, but lost a late lead in the Moscow mud in 1966).
[16][17] At an imposing 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and 248 lb (112 kg), he was the dominant player in the Big Sky Conference, and was the leading rusher for Idaho in all three years of eligibility (1964–66), averaging over 100 yards rushing per game for his collegiate career.
He was also a Big Sky Conference Champion in the shot put (1965 - 56'0.75"/17.09m , 1966 - 56'6"/17.22m) and discus[20][21] (1965, 169'7"/51.69m) and was a national-class hurdler on the Vandal track team.
[24] McDonald was selected in the first round of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft by the Washington Redskins, as the 13th overall pick, a personal choice by owner Edward Bennett Williams.