Don Donoher

Don Donoher (1932-2024)

Teams coached: Dayton Flyers
Dayton record: 437-275 (.614)
Overall record: 437-275 (.614)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  0  (Runner-up in 1967)
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  8  (1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1984, 1985)
• NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  5  (1965, 1966, 1967, 1974, 1984)
• NCAA Tournament Final Four:  1  (1967)
• NIT Championships:  1  (1968)
• NIT Appearances:  7  (1968, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986)

Awards:

• National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2015)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1964-1989	Dayton
1963-1964	Dayton (asst)

Don Donoher Facts

• Donald Donoher
• Born January 21, 1932
• Died April 12, 2024
• Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
• Alma Mater: University of Dayton (BA, 1954)
• Attended Central Catholic HS in Toledo before going on to play for Tom Blackburn at Dayton
  • After graduating in 1954, Donoher enlisted in the US Army and served for two years
  • Returned to Dayton, where he worked part-time with the basketball program
  • Became an assistant coach for Blackburn in 1963, the first full-time assistant the program had ever had
• Blackburn was forced to step aside in 1964 due to his deteriorating health and Donoher was named his successor
  • Coached the Flyers for 25 seasons, winning 437 games during his tenure and reaching eights NCAA Tournaments and seven NITs
  • Finished as the runner-up in the 1967 NCAA Tournament and the following year won the 1968 NIT
    • Reached the Sweet Sixteen five times and had an overall postseason record of 20-16 (.556)
  • Fired in 1989 after three straight losing season; left with an 437-275 overall record
• Was an assistant to head coach Bob Knight with Team USA during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
  • The Americans, led by college stars like Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, cruised to a gold medal
• Spent one season (1989-90) as an assistant at Indiana under Knight before retiring from coaching in 1990
• In addition to the National Collegiate Basketball HOF, Donoher has also been inducted into Toledo Area High School HOF, Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association HOF and University of Dayton HOF
• In his retirement, Donoher continued to reside in Dayton and helped out at Bishop Fenwick HS where his grandchildren attended
• Donoher passed away in April 2024 at the age of 92

Don Donoher Coaching Tree

• Johnny Davis (Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers)
• Anthony Grant (Dayton, Alabama, VCU)
• Dan Hipsher (Wittenberg, Stetson, Akron, UTPA/UTRGV)