LOS ANGELES -- Terry Donahue was the Pac-12 Conference's winningest coach and UCLA football historian. He later served as the general manager for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. He was 77 years old.After a two-year battle with cancer, he was declared dead at Newport Beach, California.Donahue is the Pac-12's most successful coach with 98 wins and the UCLA record holder with 151 victories. From 1971 to 1975, he coached the Bruins as an assistant to Dick Vermeil and Pepper Rodgers, before becoming head coach at 31. He served as a coach from 1976 through 1995. He was an assistant coach at Kansas Rodgers for one season, his first job after college.Donahue was the only player, assistant coach, and head coach to make it in a Rose Bowl match. During his tenure as a coach, the Bruins won New Year's Day in 1983, 1984, and 1986. From 1983 to 1989, he was the first college coach ever to win bowl games in seven consecutive seasons.Terry Donahue during a 2019 UCLA-Oklahoma game at the Rose Bowl. Photo by Jevone Moor/Icon SportswireTerrence Michael Donahue was born in Los Angeles. He graduated from Notre Dame High, Sherman Oaks, California before going on to UCLA. In 1965, he was a walk-on defense lineman on the football team. In 1966, he led the Bruins to their first ever Rose Bowl victory against Michigan State.His UCLA coaching record was 151-74-8 and his Pac-12 play record was 98-51-5. During Donahue’s tenure, the Bruins won or shared five league championships. Donahue coached future Hall of Famers like quarterback Troy Aikman and safety Kenny Easley, as well as offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden.Donahue was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame (2000 induction). In 1997, he was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. The Rose Bowl's press box was named in his honor in 2013.Chip Kelly, current UCLA football coach said that Kelly "exemplifies everything you should be as a coach as well as a person." He's been a great mentor since the moment I first stepped foot on campus. He's one of the most genuine, humble, and toughest men that I've ever known. He loved UCLA with all his heart, and I cannot express how much his friendship and guidance have been to me.Donahue retired from coaching and worked as a broadcaster for CBS, Fox, and the NFL Network calling games.From 2001 to 2005, he was the 49ers' director for player personnel (1999 and 2000) and the team's general manger (2001 through 2005).Donahue declined a coaching position with the Dallas Cowboys. This would have allowed him to reunite with Aikman from 1998.Andrea, his wife of 52 year; Nicole, Michele, and Jennifer; as well as 10 grandchildren, are his survivors.
