No Goal Rush

Terry Donahue’s former team has lost four in a row, was shut out by USC, its star player was suspended, and the quarterback has problems too.

His current team is 7-2, coming off its third overtime victory of the season.

Think Donahue, a native Southern Californian, is enjoying life in the Northern California?

“I love it up here, I really do,” the general manager for the San Francisco 49ers said. “The people in this organization are great, from top to bottom.”

Donahue, who spent 20 years as the head coach at UCLA and became the winningest coach in Pacific 10 Conference history, has a different life now.

For one thing, instead of pacing the sidelines in a stressful state, he, his wife Andrea and a few invited guests watch home games from the comfort of a suite, where there is plenty of food, waitress service and an open bar.

“He eats a lot better,” Andrea said. “He used to not be able to eat before games, and if he lost he couldn’t eat after games, either.”

Donahue is six years removed from UCLA. He spent three years as a college football commentator for CBS and is now in his third season with the 49ers. The team’s former director of personnel, he was promoted to general manager in May, replacing Bill Walsh, who selected and groomed him for the job.

“It’s different than coaching,” Donahue said. “We plan the battle, the coaches fight it.”

Donahue won’t say that he is definitely through with coaching.

“You never get coaching totally out of your system,” he said. “In this job that I have now, there are highs and lows. But the highs and lows are not as extreme as the highs and lows in coaching.

“It is the highs that you remember the most, and the kind of highs you get in coaching you can’t get anywhere else. But I really enjoy what I’m doing now.”

At one time, there was speculation that Donahue might someday succeed Peter Dalis as athletic director at UCLA. The speculation arose again recently, when Dalis announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the school year.

Dalis, a guest on the “McDonnell-Douglas Show” on KSPN (1110), was asked by Joe McDonnell if Donahue was still interested in the job.

“He was until he found out what it pays,” retorted Dalis.

“That’s true,” Donahue said, smiling.

The UCLA athletic director makes just under $250,000. Donahue reportedly makes about four times that with the 49ers.

A topic Donahue does not like to talk about is his relationship with his successor at UCLA, Bob Toledo. People close to the pair say he and Toledo no longer speak.

Donahue hired Toledo as an assistant coach and promoted him to offensive coordinator over Rick Neuheisel. Toledo became head coach when Donahue retired after the 1995 season, his 20th as head coach, and took an offer from CBS.

Donahue, sources say, didn’t like some of Toledo’s statements after taking over. For instance, Toledo was quoted as saying the Bruins, under a new coach, were an entirely different team, that they were no longer the “gutty little Bruins,” a term first coined during the Red Sanders era.

Donahue apparently felt Toledo was disparaging the past and not appreciative of what had been accomplished.

As for the “we’re no longer the gutty little Bruins” comment, Toledo said he never meant to offend. “[Lineman] Andy Meyer came to me and said, ‘Coach, we don’t want to be called the gutty little Bruins anymore. We’re big and physical and don’t like the connotation.’ It was the kids who didn’t like the name, so that is where that came from.

“I’ve got nothing bad to say about Terry. He gave me the opportunity to come here, he did a great job while he was here and was the winningest coach in Pac-10 history.”

Donahue, when asked about the relationship, said, “I love UCLA. I was there for 28 years as a player, an assistant coach and head coach.

“I’m on two boards there, the Children’s Hospital and the Campaign Cabinet.

“But when I left UCLA, I made a conscious effort not to hang around and look over anybody’s shoulder.

“I still have a lot of friends at UCLA, and a lot of friends in the athletic department. I just don’t have a relationship with Bob Toledo. But it’s no big deal.”

Donahue, who would not get into specifics about Toledo, had no problem talking about Dalis.

“I love Pete Dalis,” he said. “I will always be grateful for all that he did for me.”

Since leaving UCLA, Donahue has been inducted into four hall of fames--the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the UCLA Hall of Fame, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and the Orange County Hall of Fame.

He and Andrea bought a house in Los Gatos but have also kept the dream house they built on Balboa Island in Newport a few years ago. Donahue spent Thanksgiving there with family and friends. He will be in Indianapolis on Sunday, when the 49ers play the Colts.

Oldest daughter Nicole, who turned 30 Nov. 8, and her husband Tayt Ianni, a former UCLA and professional soccer player, are expecting their second child in January. Ianni is the president of National Funding Limited, a mortgage company.

“You can call him NFL president,” Andrea quipped.

Middle daughter Michele, 26, is working in marketing for Adidas, and Jennifer, 22, is due to graduate from UCLA next month and plans to get into social work.

Donahue enjoys spending time at the Balboa Island home, but he also likes the Bay Area. And the Bay Area seems to like him.

He’s respected by the media, the fans can’t complain about a 7-2 record for a team that is supposed to be rebuilding, and Walsh, the man who hired him, can’t say enough good things about him.

“Terry was my No. 1 choice,” Walsh said. “He has a dynamic personality, he’s very intelligent, he has great leadership qualities, he’s a hard worker, he was a great coach and he managed one of the most complete programs in the country.”

Although Donahue seemed entrenched at UCLA, he had a few pro offers during his tenure there. He says he turned down offers from Atlanta, the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas.

He also turned down the Cowboys three years ago after he and owner Jerry Jones couldn’t come to terms.

He was set to remain with CBS, having agreed to a contract extension that would pay him $400,000 for working 12 Saturdays a year.

But then Walsh called.

“Bill’s call came out of the blue,” Donahue said. “We talked, and the more we talked the more interested I became. With an opportunity to learn under Bill, a true legend, I mean how could I pass that up?”

Walsh is still around as a consultant to help with player personnel decisions and John McVay, the director of football operations, negotiates contracts.

Walsh and Donahue share a suite during games.

After punter Jason Baker, who had shanked an earlier punt in a recent home game against New Orleans, got off a 64-yard boomer, Walsh said, “Hey Terry, maybe we’ll have to keep him after all.”

They both laughed.

Donahue laughs and smiles a lot these days. There are other signs that things have changed.

Donahue seems to enjoy a warmer relationship with the media than he did at UCLA, where he was dubbed as “the wizard of worry.”

“I learned a lot about the media when I was part of the media at CBS,” Donahue said. “You both have a job to do, and it helps both sides if there is a good relationship there.”

Last weekend, while in Charlotte, N.C., Donahue found a sports bar and watched UCLA lose to USC, 27-0, much to his chagrin. Donahue was 10-5-1 against USC during his last 16 years at UCLA.

Donahue’s mood improved the next day, when the 49ers won an overtime thriller.

It was just one more thing Donahue could be thankful for on Thursday.