Boots Donnelly

Boots Donnelly

Biographical details
Born	(1942-10-15) October 15, 1942 Nashville, Tennessee
Playing career
1962–1964	Middle Tennessee
Position(s)	Defensive back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1967–1973	Father Ryan HS (TN) (assistant)
1974–1975	Father Ryan HS (TN)
1976	Vanderbilt (offensive backfield)
1977–1978	Austin Peay
1979–1998	Middle Tennessee
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2000–2005	Middle Tennessee
Head coaching record
Overall	154–94–1 (college) 21–2 (high school)
Tournaments	7–7 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
5 OVC (1977, 1985, 1989–1990, 1992)
Awards
4× OVC Coach of the Year (1977, 1983, 1985, 1989)
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2013 (profile)

James F. "Boots" Donnelly (born October 15, 1942) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Austin Peay State University from 1977 to 1978 and at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) from 1979 to 1998, compiling a career college football coaching record of 154–94–1. Donnelly was inducted into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame in 1993! He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2013.

Playing career

Donnelly was a defensive back at MTSU; his playing career culminated with an MTSU victory in the 1964 Grantland Rice Bowl.

Coaching career

Donnelly began his coaching career at his alma mater, Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tennessee. He served as the head football coach there from 1974 to 1975, tallying a mark of 21–2. His 1974 team went 13–0 and won the Tennessee Class AAA title. In 1976 Donnelly joined the football staff at Vanderbilt University, coaching the offensive backfield under head coach, Fred Pancoast. Donnelly went on to be the head coach at Austin Peay for two seasons, and at MTSU for twenty seasons.

Later life

After the conclusion of his coaching career, Donnelly served as athletic director at MTSU for several years. In 2006, he became CEO of Backfield in Motion, an organization dedicated to fostering academic and athletic abilities among inner city youth. In October 2015, a statue of Donnelly was unveiled on the MTSU campus.

Head coaching record

College

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Austin Peay Governors (Ohio Valley Conference) (1977–1978)
1977	Austin Peay	8–3	6–1	1st
1978	Austin Peay	6–4	3–3	4th
Austin Peay:		14–7	9–4
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (Ohio Valley Conference) (1979–1998)
1979	Middle Tennessee	1–9	1–5	6th
1980	Middle Tennessee	2–8	2–5	T–6th
1981	Middle Tennessee	6–5	4–4	T–4th
1982	Middle Tennessee	8–3	4–3	T–3rd
1983	Middle Tennessee	8–2	5–2	T–2nd
1984	Middle Tennessee	11–3	5–2	T–2nd	L NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal
1985	Middle Tennessee	11–1	7–0	1st	L NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal
1986	Middle Tennessee	6–5	4–3	T–3rd
1987	Middle Tennessee	6–5	4–2	3rd
1988	Middle Tennessee	7–4	4–2	T–2nd
1989	Middle Tennessee	9–4	6–0	1st	L NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal
1990	Middle Tennessee	11–2	5–1	T–1st	L NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal
1991	Middle Tennessee	9–4	6–1	2nd	L NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal
1992	Middle Tennessee	10–3	8–0	1st	L NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal
1993	Middle Tennessee	5–6	4–4	T–4th
1994	Middle Tennessee	8–3–1	7–1	2nd	L NCAA Division I-AA First Round
1995	Middle Tennessee	7–4	6–2	3rd
1996	Middle Tennessee	6–5	4–4	T–4th
1997	Middle Tennessee	4–6	2–5	6th
1998	Middle Tennessee	5–5	5–2	T–2nd
Middle Tennessee:		133–80–1	93–48
Total:		147–87–1
National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

Further reading

• Cleary, Rafferty (December 6, 2013). "MTSU's hidden architect: James "Boots" Donnelly". InThe BINN. Retrieved February 12, 2017 – via YouTube.

External links

• Boots Donnelly at the College Football Hall of Fame
• Boots Donnelly photo playing in the 1964 Grantland Rice Bowl
• Backfield in Motion homepage