Report: Niners to hire Donahue as GM
Posted: Friday January 15, 1999 02:09 PM
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Donhaue spent 20 seasons as UCLA's head coach AP |
SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- After a year of front office upheaval, the San Francisco 49ers have
apparently turned to former UCLA coach Terry Donahue to lend some
stability.
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting Friday that Donahue will
become the new general manager of the 49ers.
This will be the first NFL job for Donahue, who was a finalist for the
coaching job with the Dallas Cowboys last
season. He spent the last three years as a college football analyst with
CBS.
Donahue is the winningest coach in UCLA history, compiling a 151-74-8 mark
in 20 seasons. But he guided the Bruins to just one New Year's Day bowl
berth this decade, a 21-16 loss to Wisconsin in the 1994 Rose Bowl. During
his final seven seasons, UCLA lost at least four games six times.
It is expected the Niners will name Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh in an
undetermined front office capacity to help Donahue. Walsh led the 49ers to
three Super Bowl titles in the 1980s.
Three days ago, the 49ers signed coach Steve Mariucci to a new five-year
contract. But the deal did not give him final authority on personnel
decisions, which will apparently be handled by Donahue.
The negotiations with Mariucci were handled by John McVay, the team's
interim general manager and the highest remaining front-office executive.
McVay was to oversee club operations until a general manager is named.
San Francisco's front office fell into chaos shortly after owner Edward
DeBartolo ceded control of the team to his sister, Denise DeBartolo York,
in December 1997, when he was targeted in a Louisiana gambling fraud probe.
DeBartolo later pleaded guilty to failing to report a felony crime, was
fined $2 million and has yet to regain control of the team.
Long-time president Carmen Policy resigned last July due to a rift with
DeBartolo and later joined the group that was awarded the new Cleveland
Browns franchise. Four months later, Niners general manager Dwight Clark
left to join Policy in Cleveland.
Larry Thrailkill had been serving as interim chief executive of the 49ers
after Policy left, but resigned last week.
The 49ers also fired personnel director Vinny Cerrato, a member of the
team's front office since 1991, earlier this week.
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