The California Showcase, the annual free one-day combine for overlooked high school and junior college football players seeking to play at the next level, was Terry Donahue’s baby.
He felt it was as important to his legacy as his win-loss record during 20 years as UCLA’s head football coach, as important as having the Rose Bowl pavilion named in his honor, as important as any of the many other honors he received.
“Football has been very good to me and my family,” he used to say. “This is one way for me to give something back to a game I love.”
In 2011, Donahue learned about the showcase concept, founded by a Houston high school coach named Phil Camp in 2008. Camp created a showcase on a small scale because he believed an all-state guard on his team, overlooked by Division I schools, could play at a Division II, III or NAIA school.
Donahue, assisted by his younger brother Pat and others, plus sponsors and the National Football Foundation, brought the concept west and expanded it. The first two editions of the California Showcase were held at the then-StubHub Center in Carson in 2013 and ’14. Then the site was moved to its current home, Orange County Great Park in Irvine.
The ninth California Showcase, following a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, was back in full swing last weekend, with more than 300 participants chasing their dream of playing college football – and getting a four-year college degree.
There were the usual morning drills conducted by mostly past college and pro football stars. Among former players volunteering their time were Frank Stephens, Cade McNown, John Sciarra, Paco Craig, Matt Stevens, Michael Young and Wayne Cook.
Former Bishop Amat, UCLA and Philadelphia Eagle quarterback John Sciarra gives individual attention to one of the combine attendees at the California Showcase on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at Orange County Great Park in Irvine. (Photo by Larry Stewart)
It is now called the Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase. The presence of Donahue, who died July 4 following a long battle with cancer, was felt throughout the day Saturday.
Starting things off was an emotional and beautiful speech about her father by Michele Donahue Hull, who was there with her mother Andrea and her two sisters and their families.
“My dad coached many highly successful athletes during his career,” Donahue Hull, 46, told the gathering of young men. “He walked alongside his players through the ups and downs of football and life. If he were here today, he would walk over to each one of you, look you square in the eyes, put his hand out and say, ‘Terry Donahue, UCLA.’”
Donahue Hull, just like her father used to do, then walked over to three participants, offered a firm handshake, and said, “Terry Donahue, UCLA.”
After the morning drills, the players met with coaches and representatives from some 60 small colleges.
As the proceedings were winding down, Michele’s older sister, Nicole Donahue Ianni, was spotted talking to two young men from Gardena High.
In giving them a “chase-your-dream” speech, Donahue Ianni said her father, after graduating from UCLA, drove the family car from Los Angeles to Lawrence, Kansas, seeking a non-paying coaching position under Pepper Rodgers at the University of Kansas. The point being, Terry Donahue was driven to succeed and do whatever it takes.
The two young men listened intently, then, before walking away, said, “Thank you.”
Donahue Ianni then turned to a reporter and said, “You know, I think I have heard the words ‘Thank you’ more today than any other time in my life. With everything that is going on in our society today, the politeness of these young men restores your faith in our country’s future.”
Wayne Cook’s wife, Sue, one of the many volunteers working the event, also commented on how polite the players were.
Wayne, besides working on UCLA football radio broadcasts, is an eight-grade teacher in Temecula. Sue Cook teaches third grade.
Wayne invited Showcase alums Chasen Gempler and Zach Hunter to this year’s event. The two have been close friends since playing for Temecula’s Chaparral High – Gempler as a quarterback and Hunter as a linebacker – and attended the 2014 event in Carson.
California Showcase alums Chasen Gempler and Zach Hunter of Temecula served as volunteers at the California Showcase on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at Orange County Great Park in Irvine. (Photo by Larry Stewart)
Gempler, who played at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, Calif., before transferring to Kansas Wesleyan, is now a coach and special education teacher at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix.
Hunter, an Occidental graduate, among other things plays professional football from May to October in Paderborn, Germany. He plans to eventually get into coaching.
Asked what the California Showcase meant to them, they simultaneously said, “Everything!”
Another alum present Saturday was Isai Fernandez, a former receiver and defensive back from San Gabriel High who attended the first California Showcase in 2013. That resulted in Fernandez getting a scholarship to the University of Saint Mary, an NAIA school in Leavenworth, Kansas. He graduated with a degree in psychology.
Fernandez was there Saturday representing Santa Ana College, where he is the football team’s receivers coach. He also works as campus supervisor at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton.
“California Showcase provided me with a platform that allowed me to continue playing football and also get a college education,” Fernandez said.
Pat Donahue, Terry Donahue’s younger brother, addresses players at the California Showcase on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at Orange County Great Park in Irvine. (Photo by Larry Stewart)
Pat Donahue, who addressed the players after the morning drills much like his older brother used to, pointed out that each Showcase costs $200,000 to host. He said the money comes from more than a dozen sponsors, including Bank of America, Toyota, Rockefeller Capital Management and Enterprise.
Event coordinators Norm Anderson and Bob Field also addressed the players. Another speaker was Charger guard Matt Feiler. He told his story about coming from Bloomsburg University, a Division II school in Strasburg, Pa. His journey includes getting cut as a freshman in high school, to going undrafted after graduating with a degree in history from Bloomsburg in 2014, to getting cut by the Houston Texans, to playing six seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now starting for the Chargers. He is in the middle of a three-year, $15-million contract. He encouraged the players to stay focused, no matter what.
The players, as usual, came from far and wide.
Christian Canales, a four-year starting defensive lineman, made the long trek down from Strathmore, a tiny farming community in Tulare County. He was accompanied by his father and younger sister.
Strathmore High is a small school powerhouse in the San Joaquin Valley. In 2017, Strathmore defeated Orange High to win a lower division state championship and finish 16-0.
This past season, Canales had 48 tackles and five sacks for a team that finished 11-1.
Asked his reaction to the showcase, Canales, who carries a 3.9 grade-point average and wants to major in business, said: “It was even more thrilling than I thought it would be. And everyone was very polite. I really enjoyed getting to know some of the other players and working with the staff coaches.”
On Saturday, Calvin Toliver, the new head coach at Rockford University, a Division III school in Rockford, Ill., had his eye on Canales during the workouts. When Toliver met Canales in the afternoon meet-and-greet sessions, the coach told the player he was impressed by what by what he saw.
The next day, Canales received an offer from Toliver.
Another player from a small school who was impressive during morning workouts was quarterback Julian Martinez, a three-year starter at Big Bear High.
Among the players from local large schools was quarterback Isaiah Dunn of St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs, who completed 169 of 245 passes for 2,342 yards and 26 touchdowns this past season.
Toward the end of the day, Dunn, who has a 4.0 GPA, said: “This event opens up opportunities and provides a great way to get your name out there. I am not sure what I am going to do, but I now have so many more options to consider.”