Donahue attended L.A. Valley College for a year prior to getting here at UCLA as a 197-pound walk-on who didnt play one snap all season.Tommy Prothro, then UCLAs coach, didnt even understand Donahues name, calling him Donny Donovan. “Ill trade a protective tackle for a quarterback anytime,” Prothro quipped.But Donahue would gain more than regard over his final two seasons as one of Prothros gutty little Bruins.
Donahues first job was in 1967 as an unsettled assistant under Rodgers at Kansas, where Donahue received just a movie pass to every theater in town as well as an invite to consume with the football gamers. He made ends meet by handling an apartment building.
On the day that Donahue was set to announce his plans, unpredictability lingered. Marc Dellins, UCLAs sports information director, prepared two press release, one stating Donahue would leave and another saying he would remain. Not up until the words left Donahues mouth that he was retiring to take a broadcasting job with CBS was his choice authorities.
He later acknowledged it was the wrong choice.” Theres no doubt in my mind that I gave up too early,” Donahue informed the Los Angeles Daily News in 2015, alluding to unspecified differences with UCLA athletic officials that he stated prevented his effectiveness and resulted in his departure.Born on June 24, 1944 in Los Angeles, Donahue matured as one of 5 bros in North Hollywood. He played football at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High however was not a desired prospect, causing one dissatisfied season as a walk-on at San Jose State.Donahue returned house to Southern California and put his pugnacious streak to utilize– as a fighter.
” But Donahues new pursuit was put to a quick end by his daddy, Dr. Bill Donahue, who was concerned for his well-being.” If you want to live in my house and consume my food,” the older Donahue stated, “you will not box.”.
UCLA football coach Terry Donohue gives a thumbs up throughout a practice at the Rose Bowl in 1995.( Los Angeles Times).
The next season, Rodgers put his young assistant on staff, paying him $7,500 each year. Donahue followed Rodgers to UCLA as an offensive line coach when Rodgers got the head task before the 1971 season and stayed under Dick Vermeil when Rodgers departed for Georgia Tech 3 years later.Donahue was about to get his big opportunity. Vermeil resigned after the 1975 season to end up being coach of the NFLs Philadelphia Eagles at a time when the Bruins were on the eve of the duration when high school seniors had to declare their college loyalty. Fearing an exodus of employees must he hire an outsider, UCLA athletic director J.D. Morgan tabbed Donahue as Vermeils follower.
” I assured J.D. I would stay and construct the program,” Donahue stated on the day he revealed his retirement in 1995. “I feel Ive satisfied my dedication.” Donahue flirted with 3 NFL coaching jobs, only to remain at UCLA. He seriously considered offers from the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys and likewise considered taking control of the Los Angeles Rams task in 1994 before discovering the group was headed for St. Louis.He finally did make it to the NFL in 1999, working as director of gamer personnel and later basic supervisor of the San Francisco 49ers. Donahue held the latter post for 4 seasons prior to returning to the broadcast booth.He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2000. In his final years, Donahue stayed a regular inside the Rose Bowl press box that was relabelled the Terry Donahue Pavilion in his honor before the 2013 season.
” I d hate to leave this location,” Donahue once stated of UCLA, “even for paradise.”.
UCLA coach Terry Donohue embraces a sideline companion during a game against USC on Nov. 26, 1977 in Los Angeles.( Associated Press).
Terry Donahue won more football games at UCLA than any other coach, establishing a blue-and-gold requirement for sustained success over his 20 seasons at the school.None of it would have been possible without what may have been his two biggest accomplishments: getting to bet and coach the Bruins.As an undersized defensive take on at first passed over by the school, prompting stops at San Jose State and L.A. Valley College, he went from designated practice dealing with dummy to two-year starter and member of the schools very first Rose Bowl championship team.As a coach, he rose from an untested 31-year-old to universally esteemed veteran, his 151 victories more than doubling the overall of anyone else in school history. His 98 Pacific 10 success still stand as the most in conference history.
Donahue, the constantly tanned, apparently ageless and self-effacing coach who guided the Bruins to their longest run of football glory under a single coach, passed away Sunday night at his home in Newport Beach surrounded by family after a two-year fight with cancer, the school announced. He was 77. UCLA had announced in May 2019 that Donahue went through surgery for an undisclosed kind of cancer and was beginning chemotherapy. Donahue is survived by his spouse Andrea and three children, Nicole, Michele and Jennifer, in addition to three sons-in-law and 10 grandchildren.Under Donahue, UCLA won 4 Pac-10 championships and connected for another. Donahue became the first coach to win a bowl video game in seven straight seasons, and his groups finished ranked in the top 10 nationally five times.It was a dizzying run of prosperity for somebody whose humble beginnings in the sport briefly triggered him to contemplate a profession as a boxer.
” I am an overachiever,” Donahue said after going 9-2-1 in 1976 throughout his very first season as UCLAs head coach, “and extremely, extremely … ah, average. In his first game as coach, the Bruins upset third-ranked Arizona State and legendary Sun Devils coach Frank Kush, 28-10, in Tempe, Ariz., but only after Pepper Rodgers, Donahues UCLA predecessor, relieved the antsy novice coach.
” Donahoo,” Rodgers said, purposefully teasing his protégé with the mispronunciation, “you and Kush arent playing. Your gamers are.”
Donahue routinely got the better of the Pac-10s leading coaches, consisting of Washingtons Don James and USCs John Robinson. Donahue won his last 5 games versus the Trojans, part of a UCLA-record streak of dominance in the rivalry that ultimately reached eight video games under follower Bob Toledo.Donahues early UCLA groups were understood for a plodding, ground-oriented attack that won video games, not to discuss a legion of critics over what was derided as an excessively conservative approach.But after the Bruins went 5-6 in 1979, Donahue chose that a few of the criticism was required. He hired Homer Smith, a Harvard-educated offending organizer who brought with him an aerial attack that highlighted the skills of quarterbacks Troy Aikman, Steve Bono, Jay Schroeder, Tommy Maddox and Tom Ramsey. UCLA mixed in a scattering of technique plays, specifically against teams considered exceptional in talent, to spectacular results.The Bruins went 9-2 in 1980 however were disqualified for a bowl video game since of scholastic improprieties. The following season started a run of eight consecutive bowl berths that ended with 7 straight triumphes, consisting of 4 in a row on New Years Day. UCLA won the 1983 and 84 Rose Bowls, the 85 Fiesta Bowl, the 86 Rose Bowl, the 86 Freedom Bowl, the 87 Aloha Bowl and the 89 Cotton Bowl.
” He was a fantastic guy,” said Scott Altenberg, who played for Donahue long after his dad, Kurt, captured the game-winning touchdown to beat USC as Donahues colleague in 1965 as part of a Bruins group that went on to win the Rose Bowl.” Donahue finished his UCLA profession with a 151-74-8 record, not to discuss some regrets after what was commonly thought about an early retirement in December 1995.
Donahue is made it through by his other half Andrea and three daughters, Nicole, Michele and Jennifer, in addition to three sons-in-law and 10 grandchildren.Under Donahue, UCLA won 4 Pac-10 champions and tied for another. Donahue won his last five games versus the Trojans, part of a UCLA-record streak of supremacy in the rivalry that eventually reached eight games under successor Bob Toledo.Donahues early UCLA teams were known for a plodding, ground-oriented attack that won games, not to discuss a legion of critics over what was derided as an overly conservative approach.But after the Bruins went 5-6 in 1979, Donahue chose that some of the criticism was called for.” Theres no doubt in my mind that I gave up too early,” Donahue informed the Los Angeles Daily News in 2015, alluding to undefined differences with UCLA athletic authorities that he stated hindered his effectiveness and led to his departure.Born on June 24, 1944 in Los Angeles, Donahue grew up as one of five bros in North Hollywood. Donahue attended L.A. Valley College for a year before showing up at UCLA as a 197-pound walk-on who didnt play one snap all season.Tommy Prothro, then UCLAs coach, didnt even understand Donahues name, calling him Donny Donovan. In his final years, Donahue remained a routine inside the Rose Bowl press box that was renamed the Terry Donahue Pavilion in his honor prior to the 2013 season.
