Mike Donahue

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mike Donahue
Michael "Iron Mike" Donahue
Michael "Iron Mike" Donahue
Title Head Coach
Sport Football
Born June 14, 1876
Died December 11, 1960
Career Highlights
Overall 123-54-8
Coaching Stats
College Football DataWarehouse
School as a player
1899-1903 Yale
Position Quarterback
Coaching positions
1904-06
1908-22
1923-27
Auburn
Auburn
LSU
College Football Hall of Fame, 1951

Michael "Iron Mike" Donahue (June 14, 1876 - December 11, 1960) was a head coach in a variety of sports at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Donahue was a college football quarterback for Yale University, where he graduated in 1903. As a head coach, Donahue was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.

Immediately upon graduating college, Donahue became the ninth Auburn football coach beginning with the 1904 season. His coaching career saw immediate success, as his first team went undefeated at 5–0. Iron Mike's Auburn teams were retroactively awarded three national titles during his tenure (1910, 1913, 1914) and were known for their big linemen, strong defense and power offense. His 1913 and 1914 teams went undefeated, with the 1914 squad allowing zero points to be scored all year (outscoring opponents 193-0). From 1913 into 1915, Donahue went 22 consecutive games without a loss. His 1920 team averaged 36.9 points per game. In 18 seasons at Auburn, Coach Donahue amassed a record of 100–35–5 (his 73.2% win rate is still highest in Auburn history, surpassing fellow Tiger coaches including Heisman, Jordan, Dye, Bowden, and Tuberville)[1] and had three squads go undefeated with four more suffering only one loss. During his tenure, 38 players were named as All-Southern Conference.

Donahue also served as Athletic Director, basketball coach, baseball coach, and track coach while at Auburn.[2] The school's first official varsity basketball team (1906) was started by him and went 3–1–1, including victories over Georgia Tech and Tulane, a two point loss to the Columbus (Georgia) All-Stars and a tie with the Birmingham Athletic Club. Under Donahue, basketball practice was a contact sport; a former player once lamented "He never bothered calling fouls-said it slowed up the game".[3]

Season Won Lost
1905-06 5 1
1906-07 4 2
1907-08 6 5
1908-09 4 3
1909-10 4 3
1910-11 4 3
1911-12 4 3
1912-13 4 3
1913-14 4 3
1914-15 4 3
1915-16 4 3
1916-17 4 3
1917-18 4 3
1918-19 4 3
1919-20 4 3
1920-21 4 3

†Source - AuburnTigers.com [1]

Donahue went on to become the seventeenth head football coach of LSU in 1923 and had a 23–19–3 record over 5 seasons before retiring from coaching after the 1927 season. Donahue also served briefly as the head men’s tennis coach (1946-1947 0-7) as well as the Tigers baseball coach (1925-1926 15-15-3).

Preceded by
W.S. Bates
Auburn University Head Football Coach
1904-1922
Succeeded by
Willis Keinholz
Preceded by
Branch Bocock
LSU Tigers Head Football Coach
1923-1927
Succeeded by
Russ Cohen
Preceded by
Charles Diel
LSU Tigers Head Men's Tennis Coach
1946-1947
Succeeded by
Dub Robinson
Preceded by
"Moon" Ducote
LSU Tigers Head Baseball Coach
1925-1926
Succeeded by
Harry Rabenhorst


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