Position: Coach
Years: Auburn (1904-06, 1908-22), LSU (1923-27), Spring Hill [AL] (1934)
Place of Birth: County Kerry, Ireland
Date of Birth: Jun 04, 1876
Place of Death: Baton Rouge, LA
Date of Death: Dec 11, 1960
Michael Joseph Donahue brought a biting Irish wit from his native County Kerry, Ireland, and, after a distinguished athletic career at Yale, charmed all of Dixie with his crackerjack coaching methods. While a student at Yale, Donahue lettered in football, basketball, track and cross country, and then moved to the Southland to begin his coaching career. And after 23 seasons at Auburn (1904-1906, 1908-1922) and Louisiana State (1923-1927), Donahue had compiled an overall record of 122-54-8. Donahue drove his teams with a light heart and a gentle lash, often killing his players with kindness instead of push-ups. When a practice was not going well, Donahue would create a witty interlude. However, his charm did have its limits. Despite his willingness to overlook minor flaws, he expected nothing less than total dedication to the game and 100% effort on the playing field. It was the only way a team could survive in those early days of blood-and- guts football. When something went amiss during a contest, the soft Irish roll of his words would take on a rare hardness, and fire replaced the usual twinkle in his eyes. But after the tense moment had passed, Donahue returned to his happy-go- lucky attitude, which in those days, was in sharp contrast with the rough personalities of other major college coaches. Donahue's Auburn teams won the championships of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1913, 1914, and 1919. He was born June 4, 1876, in County Kerry, Ireland, came to the United States in 1888, and died Dec. 11, 1960. He served as director of athletics at Spring Hill College 1929-36, was intramural sports director at Louisiana State 1937-48, and retired in 1949. Donahue Drive, on the Auburn campus, is named for him. His 1914 team was undefeated and unscored upon, finishing 8-0-1 with a tie against Georgia.
