Upper St. Clair native to lead Team PA at Special Olympics USA Games
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • December 3, 2025
Marc McCarey grew up playing competitive golf and saw firsthand the opportunities and benefits that game can provide.
Now, McCarey is using the game to give back. And he’s about to do so on a national stage.
McCarey, an Upper St. Clair native, was recently named the Head Coach of the Special Olympics’ Team Pennsylvania, which will bring together athletes from around the state to compete in the Special Olympics USA Games this coming spring in Minnesota.
“It’s going to be awesome,” said McCarey. “I've always thought the Special Olympics organization was just a step above a lot of the charitable organizations out there. I mean, it's just pure good.”
McCarey got his start in golf on the suggestion of a childhood friend. He played competitively some on local junior tours and at Upper St. Clair High School before heading off to college. He now works as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley.
“Marc is deeply committed to Special Olympics,” said Andrew Fee, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships of Special Olympics Pennsylvania. “He treats our athletes like the true athletes they are. He pushes them to grow on and off the field, always with patience and respect.
“Marc stands for everything at the heart of the Special Olympics mission: inclusion, sportsmanship, and giving every athlete the chance to shine. That’s what makes him such a powerful mentor and coach and is the reason he was selected to coach our Team PA athletes on the national stage.”
McCarey knew early on that he wanted to have that deep commitment to the Special Olympics. He volunteered during the summer months with the organization, becoming the head coach for the Washington and Greene County chapter of the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania.
He has also assisted Fee, who coaches a team out of the TopGolf location in Bridgeville, allowing year-round training for athletes and giving competitors of all ages and abilities the opportunity to play the game.
“I think people have misperception that the Special Olympics are only for kids,” McCarey said. “It’s not. I have some golfers that are 12 years old and others who are in their 60s. I have some golfers who are phenomenal and can go out and fire scores in the 80s or even the 70s and I have some who are just learning for the first time.”
As the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association continues its core mission of exploring different avenues to grow the game of golf — including into the adaptive golf community — organizations like the Special Olympics, who work year-round in such ventures, are vital. Additionally, having willing host facilities for such adaptive competitions is paramount to the success of growing the game.
“It’s so important to have facilities that are willing to host us,” said McCarey. “Everybody’s been so welcoming. Cedarbrook has been so incredibly easy to work with. They have a driving range, a short game area and access to the course. It’s great during the summer months.
“But where everybody kind of falls off in warmer climates, where you tend to not practice as much, is in the winter months. That’s where the TopGolf opportunity has been such a game changer.”
The mission statement of the Special Olympics is as follows: To provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.
McCarey embraces that wholeheartedly and sees how the Special Olympics impact not just the athletes on the playing surface, but also their families and their lives.
“The Special Olympics are a lifelong program,” he said. “They do so much more than just the sports aspect of it. There’s job placement, nutrition coaching, resources for their families. It’s just an awesome organization that I fell in love with.”
It’s also rewarding to the numerous volunteers, like McCarey, who give their time to grow the game of golf and grow the confidence in his athletes.
“It’s fun to push the athletes to get better and it’s so fun to see them realize that they have that ability to get better at the game and understand the game,” he said. “Seeing them put two and two together and seeing things click when they realize what they should be doing with their swing... Seeing them pick up a club for the first time, seeing their first time getting out on the course and then parring their first hole, it’s just awesome.”
For any media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and nearly 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.