Coach Jack Donahue

“The Moose”

Thanksgiving 1943
  • NQHS Football 29 Seasons 1932-1960
  • 128W – 95L – 20T
  • Massachusetts Football Coaches Hall of Fame (1967)
  • Quincy/North Quincy Football HOF
  • East Bridgewater High School (Head Coach 1928-1931)
  • Semi Pro: University of Peabody and Pere Marquette
  • Pro: Providence Steam Roller (NFL)
  • Peabody High School
  • NQHS Golf Coach

The Player’s View:

Coach Donahue is a legend.  Big, tall, blustery, red faced when angry and he let you know it.  In my junior year I played middle linebacker in a practice scrimmage.  The first team was kicking field goals.  I blitzed and the snap was poor to the holder.  It rolled this way and that and right by the feet of The Moose.  If you let up in practice he got angry so I pursued the ball and proceeded to knock The Moose over backwards.  He was embarrassed but practice went on.
Later that week as I entered the locker room I kicked the door open with my foot as The Moose was reaching for the handle on the other side.  I crunched his fingers.  He was not happy.
Finally  Thanksgiving Day came and we were losing to Quincy 18-0 partly as a result of Noel Balducci’s superb running for Quincy.  Late in the game the Moose sent me in to quarterback in this losing venture.  Perhaps I would be the quarterback next season.  He told me to call the B 84 long pass and then the B Jump Pass Lateral.  As I went on the field he called me back and told me to run the jump pass first.  I did and the pass and lateral went about 65 yards to the 10 yard line.  I could not throw the B84 long now there was no room.  So I called the Jump pass again and completed it with no lateral .  We were on the 2 yard line and he pulled me out of the game.  He grabbed my face mask and shaking my head up and down he asked me why I threw the same pass twice in an angry voice.  I said “it worked, didn’t it?”.  He smashed the side of my helmet in front of the crowd.  We scored with the first team QB running a play.
The Moose told me I was his nemesis.  I had no idea what that meant.  He also told me I didn’t have the brain of a gnat.  What was a gnat?  I had just turned 16.  I loved him and consider Jack Donahue alias The Moose one of the most influential persons in my life.  When he retired and I was returning from college to a Thanksgiving game I thanked him.  Did he remember his nemesis?  I’ll never know.

Ron Zoia – NQHS 1959