Terry Donahue’s presence at the California Showcase – Orange County Register

California Showcase, the annual free one-day combo show for overlooked middle and high school football players looking to take play to the next level, is the child of Terry Donahue.

He feels it’s as important to his legacy as his win-lose record during his 20 years as head coach of the UCLA soccer team, just as important as having the Rose Bowl booth named in his honor. him, is as important as any other title he receives.

He once said: “Football is very good for me and my family. “This is a way for me to give something back to the game I love.”

In 2011, Donahue learned of the referral concept, founded by a Houston high school coach named Phil Camp in 2008. The camp created referrals on a small scale because he believed a team of guards statewide on their team, omitted by Division I schools, may play at a Division II, III, or NAIA school.

Donahue, with the support of his brother Pat and others, along with sponsors and the National Football Foundation, took the concept west and expanded it. The first two editions of the California Showcase were held at the then-StubHub Center in Carson in 2013 and ’14. The site was then moved to its current home, Orange County Great Park in Irvine.

The ninth showcase in California, after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, returned to life last weekend, with more than 300 participants pursuing their dreams of playing college football – and earning a four-year college degree.

There are the usual morning drills performed by most of the past college and professional football stars. Among the former players who volunteered their time were Frank Stephens, Cade McNown, John Sciarra, Paco Craig, Matt Stevens, Michael Young and Wayne Cook.

It is now known as the Terry Donahue California Memorial Gallery. The presence of Donahue, who passed away July 4 after a long battle with cancer, was felt throughout Saturday.

Starting things off was a beautiful and emotional speech about her father by Michele Donahue Hull, who was there with her mother Andrea and her two sisters and their families.

“My father coached a lot of successful athletes in his career,” Donahue Hull, 46, told the gathering of young men. “He has been with his players through the ups and downs of football and life. If he were here today, he would walk up to each one of you, look you in the eye, reach out his hand and say, ‘Terry Donahue, UCLA.’

Donahue Hull, like her father had done, then walked up to the three participants, gave a firm handshake and said, “Terry Donahue, UCLA.”

After morning practice, the players met with coaches and representatives from about 60 small colleges.

As the proceedings were drawing to a close, Michele’s older sister, Nicole Donahue Ianni, was spotted talking to two young men from Gardena High School.

In her “follow your dreams” speech, Donahue Ianni said her father, after graduating from UCLA, drove the family car from Los Angeles to Lawrence, Kansas, looking for a coaching position. unpaid under Pepper Rodgers at the University of Kansas. The point is, Terry Donahue is driven to succeed and do whatever it takes.

The two young men listened attentively, then, before walking away, said, “Thank you.”

Donahue Ianni then turned to a reporter and said: “You know, I think I’ve heard the words ‘Thank you’ more than ever today in my life. With all that is going on in our society today, the courtesy of these young men will restore your faith in the future of our country. ”

Wayne Cook’s wife, Sue, one of the many volunteers working on the event, also commented on how polite the players were.

Wayne, in addition to working on UCLA football radio shows, is also an eighth grade teacher in Temecula. Sue Cook teaches third grade.

Wayne invited Showcase alums Chasen Gemler and Zach Hunter to this year’s event. The two have been close friends since playing for Temecula’s Chaparral High – Gempler as a midfielder and Hunter as a defender – and attended the 2014 event in Carson together.

Gempler, who played at the College of the Redwoods in Eureka, California, before moving to Kansas Wesleyan, is now a coach and special education teacher at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix.

Hunter, an Occidental graduate, among other things plays professional football from May to October in Paderborn, Germany. He plans to eventually get into coaching.

When asked what the California Showcase meant to them, they simultaneously said, “Everything!”

Another alum in attendance Saturday was Isai Fernandez, a former admission and quarterback from San Gabriel High School who attended California’s First Intro in 2013. That led to Fernandez’s admission received a scholarship to Saint Mary’s College, an NAIA campus in Leavenworth, Kansas. He graduated with a degree in psychology.

Fernandez was there Saturday, representing Santa Ana University, where he is the collection coach of the soccer team. He is also superintendent at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton.

“The California Showcase provided me with a platform that allowed me to continue playing football and also go to college,” said Fernandez.

Pat Donahue, who spoke to the players after morning practice just like his brother used to, pointed out that each Showcase costs $200,000 to organize. He said the money came from more than a dozen donors, including Bank of America, Toyota, Rockefeller Capital Management and Enterprise.

Event coordinators Norm Anderson and Bob Field also spoke to the players. Another speaker is Charger Guard Matt Feiler. He tells his story of coming from Bloomsburg College, a Division II school in Strasburg, Pa. His journey included being a freshman in high school, becoming useless after graduating with a history degree at Bloomsburg in 2014, to being dropped out of Houston Texans, playing six seasons for Pittsburgh Steelers, and now start for the Chargers. He’s in the middle of a three-year, $15 million deal. He encourages the players to stay focused, no matter what.

The players, as usual, came from far and wide.

Christian Canales, a defensive midfielder who started four years ago, has made the long haul from Strathmore, a tiny farming community in Tulare County. He went with his father and sister.

Strathmore High School is a small school in the San Joaquin Valley. In 2017, Strathmore beat Orange High to win the lower division state championship and finished 16-0.

Last season, Canales had 48 tackles and five pitches for a team that finished 11-1.

When asked about his reaction to the showcase, Canales, who has a 3.9 GPA and wants to major in business, said: “It was even more thrilling than I thought. And everyone is very polite. I really enjoyed getting to know some of the other players and working with the staff coaches. ”

On Saturday, Calvin Toliver, the new head coach of Rockford College, a Division III school in Rockford, Ill., kept an eye on Canales during practice. When Toliver met Canales for the afternoon meet and greet, the coach told the player he was impressed by what he saw.

The next day, Canales received an offer from Toliver.

Another player from a small school who impressed in the morning gym session was quarterback Julian Martinez, who just started three years at Big Bear High.

Among the players from major local schools is St. Paul High of Santa Fe Springs, who completed 169 of 245 2,342-yard passes and 26 touchdowns this past season.

At the end of the day, Dunn, who has a 4.0 GPA, said: “This event opens up opportunities and provides a great way to get your name out there. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but now I have a lot of other options to consider.”