A 1976 graduate of Hillsdale College, McFarland served as an assistant coach at several schools in the late 1970s and 1980s.
[1] A native of New Carlisle, Ohio, McFarland attended Tecumseh High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball.
After graduating in spring 1976, he spent training camp with the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders before starting his coaching career the following year.
Another of his players, Brian Schmack, went undrafted but later pitched in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers.
[7][8] After the 1997 season, McFarland left Northern Illinois to become the head coach at James Madison.
He replaced Kevin Anderson, who had resigned following allegations that he overstated spending on team meals.
After receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the third seed in the Columbia Regional, they went 1-2, getting a win against VCU in an elimination game.
In 2010, the team won the regular season title but lost in the tournament; McFarland was named the CAA's Co-Coach of the Year.
CAA award winners include Players of the Year Eddie Kim (2002 and 2003), Kellen Kulbacki (2006), and Jake Lowery (2011).
Rich Thompson, Dan Meyer, and Ryan Reid went on to appear in Major League Baseball.