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Longtime college football coach Terry Donahue dies at 77

Spenser Davis

By Spenser Davis

Published:

UCLA coaching legend Terry Donahue died at the age of 77 on Sunday night, the school announced. Donahue was battling cancer.

He coached UCLA from 1976-95 and is the winningest head coach in Bruins and Pac-12 history. He finished with a career record of 151-74-8 and won three Rose Bowls and five conference championships.

Donahue also played at UCLA, suiting up at defensive tackle for the Bruins from 1965-66. By 1968, he was coaching defensive linemen at Kansas and was eventually brought back to UCLA to be their offensive line coach in 1971. From there, he didn’t leave UCLA until his retirement in 1995.

He later worked in the San Fransisco 49ers front office from 1999-2005.

Current UCLA coach Chip Kelly released a statement about his passing on Sunday night.

“There aren’t enough words to properly honor Terry Donahue and what he means to the Bruin family and anyone who has had the pleasure of knowing him,” Kelly said. “He epitomizes everything you strive to be as a coach and as a human being. Since the moment I stepped on campus, he’s been an incredible mentor and one of the most authentic, humble and toughest men I’ve ever met. He loved UCLA with all he had, and I can’t express how important his guidance and friendship has been for me. He is an irreplaceable representation of the BRUIN WAY. We will always love and play for TD. Our deepest condolences to Andrea, the Donahue family and everyone lucky enough to know him.”

Spenser Davis

Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.