by David Paschall , Chattanooga Times Free Press

Jim Donnan, who coached Marshall to an NCAA Division I-AA national title and guided Georgia to four straight bowl victories, will be inducted this summer into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Donnan led the Thundering Herd to a 64-21 record from 1990 to '95, winning the title in '92 and reaching at least the semifinals in each of his last five seasons. He coached the Bulldogs to a 40-19 record the next five years, highlighted by a 37-17 upset of Florida in '97, but was fired in December 2000 and replaced later that month by Mark Richt.

As Oklahoma's offensive coordinator from 1985 to '89, Donnan helped the Sooners to the '85 national title and to 28 straight wins in Big Eight play.

"It's a situation where for some it's hard to believe because of what happened to me at Georgia," Donnan said Tuesday, "but the thing that means a lot to me is that my peers around the country recognize what I did as a coach. It was a pretty good run. We coached 11 years and won at least eight games in nine of them."

The only seasons in which Donnan failed to win eight games were his first with the Herd and the Bulldogs.

Donnan was elected by National Football Foundation members in his second year of eligibility and will be inducted into the divisional class (I-AA, II, III and NAIA) because his longest stint occurred at Marshall. Former Louisiana Tech and San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Fred Dean and former Missouri Southern State and Denver Broncos receiver Rod Smith also are among the six divisional inductees.

"Each of these men have defined excellence in our sport," NFF chairman Archie Manning said, "and we are happy to reward their careers by inducting them in college football's ultimate shrine."

The ceremony will be July 18-19 in South Bend, Ind.

Georgia had gone three straight years of failing to win more than six games when Donnan was hired on Christmas Day 1995, which was also a week before rivals Florida and Tennessee finished second and third nationally. After a 5-6 debut in '96, Donnan's Bulldogs went 10-2 in '97 before going 9-3, 8-4 and 8-4 his final three seasons.

When Richt went 8-4 in 2001, it marked the first time Georgia had won eight games in five consecutive seasons. That streak is now at 12.

"If you look at Marshall, they didn't lose a game for two years after I left," Donnan said. "Look at what Georgia did after I left. Coach Richt deserves a lot of the credit, but I think we built this thing up pretty good."

Donnan is a 1968 graduate of North Carolina State and was the ACC player of the year in '67. In his final game, he quarterbacked the Wolfpack to a 14-7 win over Georgia in the Liberty Bowl.

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