Mike Donahue

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Mike Donahue

"Iron Mike" Donahue
Date of birth	June 14, 1876
Date of death	December 11, 1960
Sport	Football
Title	Head Coach
Overall Record	123-54-8
Coaching Stats	College Football DataWarehouse
School as a player
1899-1903	Yale
Position	Quarterback
Schools as a coach
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.

[edit] Auburn University

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]

[edit] Louisiana State University

Donahue went on to become the seventeenth head 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 as the head men’s tennis coach at Louisiana State University from 1946-1947, recording an overall record of 0-7. He was succeeded as head coach by Dub Robinson.

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

Auburn Tigers Head Football Coaches
Petrie • Balliet • Harvey • Hall • Heisman • Watkins • Kent • Bates • Donahue • Keinholz • Pitts • Morey • Bohler • Floyd • Wynne • Meagher • Voyles • Brown • Jordan • Barfield • Dye • Bowden • Oliver • Tuberville

LSU Head Football Coaches
Coates • Simmons • Jeardeau • Chavanne • Gregg • Boreland • Killian • Wingard • Pritchard • Mayhew • Dwyer • McDonald • Bible • Sutton • Pray • Bocock • Donahue • Cohen • Jones • Moore • Tinsley • Dietzel • McClendon • Rein • Stovall • Arnsparger • Archer • Hallman • DiNardo • Saban • Miles