| Terry Donahue Named 2005 Legend of the Sun Bowl |
| Written by Sun Bowl Web Admin | |
| Friday, 09 December 2005 | |
UCLA's Terry Donahue receives the Sun Bowl Championship Trophy from 1991 Association President Nathan Christian.EL PASO, Texas (December 10, 2005) - College Football Hall of Fame coach Terry Donahue has been named the 2005 Legends of the Sun Bowl, announced Sun Bowl Association President Wayne Thornton. "We are extremely honored to have a one of the great minds of the game join the Legends of the Sun Bowl," said Thornton. "Terry Donahue was a part of the fabric that is college football for over 20 years." Donahue, who coached UCLA to victory in the 1991 Sun Bowl, not only joins the Legends of the Sun Bowl as a coach, but also a broadcaster. He served as lead analyst for CBS Sports for a pair of Sun Bowl games - 1995 (Iowa vs. Washington) and 1998 (TCU vs. USC). "I am really fired up. I am honored to be the recipient of this award," said Donahue. "The things I remember most are the hospitality of the people of the Sun Bowl and El Paso. It was a really positive experience for our players, administrators and everyone else. We had been to a lot of different bowl games and the way we were treated and the hospitality in El Paso was second to none." Donahue will be inducted into the Legends of the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29 at 11:30 a.m. at Rotary Sun Bowl Team Luncheon at the Judson F. Williams Convention Center in El Paso. Tickets can be purchased by calling Maxine Johnson at the El Paso Rotary Club at (915) 544-2582 or the Sun Bowl Association at (915) 533-4416. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001, Donahue led UCLA to a 6-3 win over Illinois in the 1991 Sun Bowl, then known as the John Hancock Bowl. The irony of the game was that these two high-powered offenses turned to defense on Dec. 31, 1991, as three field goals decided the contest. UCLA's Louis Perez booted a pair of field goals in the first (32 yards) and fourth quarter (19 yards), while Illinois managed just a 27-yarder by Chris Richardson in the third quarter. UCLA's defense made two key stops in the game, including an interception by the Bruins' Arnold Ale at the goal line in the first quarter and another pick by Stacy Argo in the fourth quarter when the Illini were threatening to score. The Bruins finished the season 9-3 and No. 19 in the Associated Press top 25. It was the first-ever appearance by UCLA in the Sun Bowl. The Bruins returned to El Paso in 2000 for the 67th edition of the Sun Bowl. Donahue, who was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1997 and the UCLA Hall of Fame in 2001, also served as the lead analyst on CBS' broadcast of the 1995 Sun Bowl and again at the 1998 Sun Bowl. A native of Southern California, Donahue played freshman football at San Jose State University, before transferring to Los Angeles Valley College. He then went to UCLA as a walk-on and started two seasons (1965-66) at defensive tackle. After graduating in 1967, he became defensive line coach at Kansas before returning to UCLA as offensive line coach in 1971. He assumed the head coaching position when Dick Vermeil resigned to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976. During his 20-year tenure (1976-95) as the Bruins head coach, Donahue became the winningest coach in Pac-10 Conference history, as well as the winningest coach in UCLA history. Donahue was 151-74-8 (.665) at UCLA and 98-51-5 (.653) in the Pac-10. During his two-decade reign, Donahue built UCLA into one of the top programs in the country. The Bruins finished in the Top 20 12 times and cracked the Top 10 five times under Donahue's direction. He guided the Bruins to 13 bowl games, including four Rose Bowls, and five Pac-10 championships. His 98 wins are the most in conference history, and he posted a winning record against every Pac-10 opponent. Donahue had an 8-4-1 record in bowl games and is one of only two coaches in NCAA history to win eight consecutive bowl appearances. Donahue was a part of six Rose Bowls - one as a player, one as assistant coach, and four as head coach. UCLA produced 34 first-team All-Americans and had 14 players selected in the first round of the NFL draft during Donahue's tenure. After leaving the Bruins in 1995, Donahue became the lead college football analyst for CBS Sports, where he stayed until being named the director of player personnel for the San Francisco 49ers in 1999. In his third season with the 49ers, Donahue was elevated to general manager, a position he held until this past January. Terry and his wife, Andrea, have three grown children - Nicole, Michele, and Jennifer. Previous inductees have included the following: Charley Johnson, Harrison Kohl and Bill Stevens (1994); Johnny Majors (1995); Tony Dorsett (1996); Tom Brookshier and Pat Summerall (1997); Jesse Whittenton (1998); Hayden Fry and Jimmy Rogers, Jr. (1999); Vince Dooley and Derrick Thomas (2000); John H. Folmer and Barry Switzer (2001); Thurman Thomas (2002); Ken Heineman (2003); and Pat Tillman and Alex Van Pelt (2004). The Vitalis Sun Bowl is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 30 at noon at Sun Bowl Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on CBS for the 38th consecutive year. Tickets for the Vitalis Sun Bowl range in price from $15 to $55 and can be purchased by calling (915) 533-4416 or (800) 915-BOWL. For more information, please contact Trenten Hilburn at the Sun Bowl Office at (915) 533-4416 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |