Donahue to call it a career

Another era is coming to an end. Kevin Donahue, who has taught, coached and served as athletic director at Serra for the past 30 years, informed the school administration he will be retiring at the end of the school year. "It feels right," said Donahue, who will turn 65 in June. "It's time to move on to another phase (in my life)." Donahue came to Serra in 1979 after 10 years at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland. Primarily a basketball coach for 17 years, he gave up coaching in 1985. He took over the athletic director job in his second year at Serra and gave up teaching in the classroom about nine years ago to handle the athletic director chores full time. "The job is a full-time position. To do it properly, It's a full-time position," Donahue said. "I really appreciate the (Serra) administration for recognizing that." During his time at Serra, Donahue has witnessed the rise of the Padres' athletic programs into one of the best in Northern California, if not the state. He has seen his share of memorable moments: He coached the basketball team to an upset win of a then-undefeated St. Ignatius team in 1982. Then there was the Padres run to the basketball state championship game in 2005. The football team breaking its 33-year losing streak to St. Francis was another big moment and the baseball team winning a Central Coast Section championship last spring in manager Pete Jensen's last game. The thing Donahue is most proud of, however, is the high level of success all the Padres teams have enjoyed. "Every (varsity) team has won a league or CCS championship, which shows balance in the program," Donahue said. "I don't think all the balance was there (when I first came on board). We've developed more consistency in all our programs." Despite all that success, Donahue said the main goal at Serra is not about winning. "We don't stress winning," Donahue said. "We emphasize being competitive." And while Donahue takes satisfaction in seeing Serra athletics do well, he doesn't take any credit for the success. "My job is to support the coaches and give them the tools they need to succeed," Donahue said. "I don't take credit for one win." Donahue said he doesn't have any plans -- right now -- for retirement. He has several grandchildren involved in sports, so he anticipates spending a lot of time watching them compete. After a lifetime in sports, he's not about to give it up now. "I love watching the kids compete," Donahue said. *** In an effort to mimic "The Jungle Game" -- the basketball game at Serra between the Padres and St. Ignatius, the Notre Dame-Belmont and Presentation girls' basketball squads have come up a catchy nickname for their annual matchup in Belmont: Saturday is the fifth annual "Cat Fight" between the Notre Dame Tigers and the Presentation Panthers. The freshmen teams tip off at 4:30 p.m. and the junior varsity is scheduled for 6 p.m. The main event -- the two varsity squads -- square off at 7:30 p.m. *** The Capuchino baseball program is holding a dinner/dance fundraiser Feb. 20. Event organizers are looking for donations to be used as silent auction/raffle items, or food and beverages. All donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact coach Matt Wilson at msw9090@aol.com or 834-0256. *** The Kelly Shea Gallo Foundation will host its second annual dinner and silent auction fundraiser March 27 at the Millbrae Recreation Center. Shea Gallo is the former Mills High School girls' basketball coach who succumbed to breast cancer in 2004. Event organizers are looking for donations for the auction, or are seeking to sell advertising space in the program. Last year, funds raised were donated to cancer foundations, the Millbrae Girls' Softball Association and sent over 30 children from the Millbrae Elementary School District to outdoor education. For more information, contact Tracy Montserrat at tmontserrat@comcast.net or 692-6039. Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117.