Terry Donahue event helps disadvantaged players reach college

Late UCLA football coach Terry Donahue continues to help others in his beloved sport.

The annual Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase that connects underprivileged football players with college opportunities will return to Irvine on Saturday. More than 400 high school players — roughly 45% on government assistance — will get a free opportunity to meet with recruiters from 50 four-year colleges and 15 junior colleges.

Last year, one in three attendees at the event — many of them first-generation college students who otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to keep playing football — earned a spot on a college roster. 

Since its inception, the showcase has hosted more than 1,300 players and resulted in $46 million in financial aid packages at more than 160 colleges. Among the success stories is defensive end C.J. Ravenell, who attended the showcase in 2018 and played for Missouri Western State before signing with the NFL’s Ravens.

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“These are young people who truly need this opportunity,” said Pat Donahue Sr., Terry’s brother and co-founder of a showcase that is now in its 13th year. “They’re not pampered athletes who already have their future secured. With the transfer portal and the changing landscape of the game, this showcase has become more important than ever. Our vision is a four-year college degree for these student-athletes. Football is the vehicle.”

Terry Donahue was the winningest football coach in UCLA and Pac-12 history, his 151 victories with the Bruins and 98 in conference play over his 20-year career remaining a blue-and-gold standard. Under Donahue, UCLA won seven consecutive bowl games — including three Rose Bowls, a Fiesta Bowl and a Cotton Bowl — from the 1982-88 seasons.

Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000, Donahue announced that he was battling an undisclosed form of cancer in 2019 and died two years later at age 77.

The Donahue brothers conceived of the idea of a showcase 15 years ago during a dinner discussion about giving back with two executives from the National Football Foundation. The NFF holds four annual showcases that are expected to connect more than 1,200 high school seniors with coaches from more than 100 colleges and universities across all levels. More than 250 scholarships are expected to be awarded for participants this year.

About 4,250 football players who participated in the showcases since their start in 2009 have enrolled in college.