Former Head Football Coach Terry Donahue- “Welcome Home”

While he had many accomplishments on the field, he was a significant inspiration that lead me back to my Catholic faith.

Despite being raised by two devout Catholic parents, receiving the sacraments, and going to Mass every Sunday, I left the Church as many unfortunate souls do in my teenage years. It would not be until my mid-twenties when I attend a business seminar in which the presenter encouraged the attendees to consider their spiritual life that I would even consider faith and its effect on my life. The presenter was a born-again Christian, and I will be forever grateful to him for planting a seed. I stumbled around for a few years, going to Mass from time to time and reading about different Christian denominations. Still somewhat confused, I nonetheless grew in my faith. One day I came across a program offered at a local Catholic Church given by Tim Staples, a renowned Catholic apologist that explained many of the myths anti-Catholics espoused. I immersed myself in more reading and study, but it was in meeting then head football coach at UCLA, Terry Donahue, that sealed the deal.

The business meeting that would change my life

UCLA head coach Terry Donahue shakes hands with quarterback Troy Aikman (8) after defeating Stanford 27-17 at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

A business client referred me to Coach, and we met at his house one evening going over some paperwork. I knew little about football and, quite frankly, didn’t initially know who Terry Donahue was. However, there was a presence that Terry had that till this day that can not be properly articulated, only to say I felt a certain amount of peace and gentlemanliness when we met.

Several days later, back in my office, an associate approached me and said, “Hey, I hear you are doing business with UCLA football coach Terry Donahue. I said yes. Then the associate proceeded to tell me that while he was a USC guy, UCLA’s crosstown rival, he admired coach Donahue. He went on to tell me that a good friend of his saw coach Donahue at Mass every morning in Church near UCLA campus St. Paul, the Apostle. He added, he is always with this other Italian-looking guy.

That Italian-looking guy was Angelo, my client who first introduced me to coach Donahue. At that moment, I knew I was headed in the right direction and formally reentered the Catholic faith. Angelo would later be the best man at my wedding, and we have been close friends for almost 30 years now. Terry would retire from UCLA a year or two after my first meeting with him, and we enjoyed discussing business and family and stayed in touch until his untimely death on July 4th, 2021.

Terry and his wife of 52 years, Andrea, came to my 50th birthday party hosted by my best man Angelo. At the party, I told Terry how he helped me back to the Church. His response was, “me, what did I do? We never talked about religion?” I said, “no, we didn’t but getting to know you, your family, your devotion to our faith, and how you treat others was an inspiration for me. He smiled and said,

“Welcome home”.

Upon his passing, I came across many coaches’ friends’ who posted thoughts and reflections on Facebook; one stood out that I feel compelled to share. I found it remarkable as it captured the essence of a man who affected so many lives with its succinctness and potency. With the picture of Terry and Andrea, the post read:

“They were a unit that, like for so many, bettered my life forever and always. I have no doubts that Coach Terry Donahue will rest in peace.”