Legendary Southern Football Coach Chuck Donohue Sr. Steps Down After 52-Year Career
Southern legend Chuck Donohue Sr., a Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Famer, has decided to call it a career after 52 seasons coaching at four different programs.
His retirement was announced on Instagram on Saturday by his son, Southern athletic director Chuck Donohue Jr. The younger Donohue said his father wasn’t immediately available for comment on Saturday but reflected on his amazing legacy.
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“I think it was a decision that’s been thought about for a while now,” Donohue Jr. said. “I’m really proud of him and really excited for him for the next chapter. I can’t see him ever going away from the game of football, I’m sure he’ll be around it no matter what. He’s just going to take a step back and enjoy some other things in life that he hasn’t been able to enjoy.”
Donohue Sr., 77, finished his career with a record of 290-214-4, which gives him the third-most wins of any coach in Shore Conference history, although not all of them came in the Shore Conference. The grandfather of five is the first and believed to be only head coach in New Jersey history to take four different programs to a state sectional final: St. Joseph’s-Hammonton, Haddon Heights, Buena and Southern.
He has been Southern’s head coach since 1998 and finished 151-131 with the Rams. He led them to a sectional final in 2008 with a 10-2 record and again in 2012 during a nine-win season. Those are the only sectional final appearances in Southern history.
Southern also won four division titles under Donohue Sr., including the Class B South crown this past season. The Rams started 7-0 for the first time in program history in 2025 and reached the sectional semifinals in a 9-2 season. Donohue Sr. was voted the Class B South Coach of the Year by his peers in the division.
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His first season as a head coach was at St. Joseph’s-Hammonton in 1974, and he went 44-20 with four playoff appearances, a Parochial B state title and two sectional final appearances between 1974-1980. He was the head coach at Haddon Heights from 1981-85, where he went 26-20-1 and took them to a sectional final in 1985.
Donohue Sr. folllowed that by going 69-43-2 at Buena from 1986-1997, winning a pair of division titles and leading them to an 11-0 season in 1988. He then took over at Southern in 1998, leading the Rams to 14 state playoff appearances during his tenure and coaching some of the Shore’s legendary players like star Rutgers tight end and longtime NFL longsnapper Clark Harris, former Penn State star linebacker Glenn Carson and current Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki.
For his career, his teams made 24 state playoff appearances, seven sectional final appearances and won two state sectional titles. His teams also won a total of nine division titles.
Donohue Sr. was inducted into the South Jersey Coaches Hall of Fame in 2012, the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame in 2013 and the New Jersey Football Coaches Assocation Hall of Fame in 2017.
“What more can you say?” Donohue Jr. said while holding back tears. “He’s been very successful and won everywhere he’s been. And I think he’s been a father figure for thousands of kids. I’m just really proud to call him my dad.”
The Rams went a combined 15-6 in Donohue Sr.’s last two seasons and won back-to-back division titles. Southern also returns a host of talent, including quarterback Carson Abbato, twins Niko and Lukas Iliescu and receiver Chris Raub.
“We had a great year this season, and that really springboarded off a solid season last year,” Donohue Jr. said. “I think the program is in a good state.”
Donohue Sr. also has one more game to coach, as he will serve as the head coach of the Ocean County all-stars in this year’s All-Shore Gridiron Classic in July.
His retirement leaves Southern as the only open head coaching job in the Shore Conference. Veteran defensive coordinator Matt Abbato, the father of the team’s rising senior quarterback, is a top candidate from the current staff.
Donohue stepping down also makes Lacey head coach Lou Vircillo, the only head coach in the program’s history, the longest-tenured coach in the Shore. He is entering his 46th season with the Lions this fall and is second all-time in Shore Conference history with 316 wins, behind only late Brick legend Warren Wolf, who had 364.
Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.
Email: scottstump25@gmail.com
