John C. Donohue

John attended Mt. St. Joseph's (Md.) High School, where he was an outstanding athlete and winner of ten varsity letters. After he graduated in 1931, he attended St. John's College, where he played on their National Collegiate co-champions of 1935 and was also an All-State football and basketball selection while at St. John's. He was selected as a first team All-American midfielder in 1935.

After graduating in 1935, he became the head football and lacrosse coach at St. John's until 1939. John played for the Baltimore Athletic Club during the 1939 and '40 seasons. He then served as Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Amphibious Force during WWII in the Asiatic-Pacific area. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Following his service commitment, John returned to lacrosse at the U.S Naval Academy as assistant lacrosse coach from 1948-1952. He continued his activity in sports by officiating in football, basketball, and lacrosse, serving as president of the Maryland Board of Officials Association in each sport. He was also a referee in the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Officials Association, and worked as the Orange Bowl referee in 1958.

John was extremely active in various civic organizations, serving as chairman of the Maryland Heart Fund, United Fund and National Football Foundation. He entered the life insurance business in Annapolis in 1939, was appointed general agent for Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company in Baltimore in 1956. John was selected to the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame, received the Service to Football award by the Greater Baltimore Chapter National Football Foundation, the Civic Achievement Award presented by the Engineering Society of Baltimore and George S. Robertson award for service in the best interest of the Life Insurance Industry.