Donald Minnegan more commonly known by his nickname Doc, is a former coach

Coach (sport)

In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

 and athletic director

Athletic director

An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...

 at Towson University

Towson University

Towson University, often referred to as TU or simply Towson for short, is a public university located in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S...

. He is most notably known for coaching two championship soccer teams at Towson.

Career

He received his teaching degree at a teachers college in Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 in 1923 and he graduated in 1927 from Springfield YMCA College

Springfield College

Springfield College is a private, coeducational university located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield College is most famous as the site where the sport of basketball was invented...

. Minnegan came to the Maryland State Normal School in 1927 as the men's soccer coach and was best known for coaching championship soccer teams, but he was also athletic director, and coached baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, track, and basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 and was also responsible for developing Baltimore County's

Baltimore County, Maryland

Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...

 recreation program.

Minnegan coached through one name change (Maryland State Normal School became Maryland State Teachers College) and two presidents (Lida Lee Tall

Lida Lee Tall

Lida Lee Tall was the sixth principal/president of State Teachers College at Towson .-Early life and education:...

 and M. Theresa Wiedefeld) until 1941, when World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 began. Even though the war shipped off most of his team, he still found ways to coach them even overseas.

Because of this, the U.S. State Department

United States Department of State

The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...

 and U.S. Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 recognized his "strong philosophy toward physical fitness

Physical fitness

Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...

 and his proven expertise in the field" and sent him to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 to establish a physical fitness program, with an emphasis on soccer, for American servicemen.

Overall, Minnegan won 152 games during his 29-year tenure as the Tigers'

Towson Tigers

The Towson Tigers, formerly Towson College Knights, are the athletics teams of Towson University. All of the major athletic teams compete in the Colonial Athletic Association with 20 Division I athletic teams The Towson Tigers, formerly Towson College Knights, are the athletics teams of Towson...

 coach.

Recognition and awards

• Minnegan was inducted into Towson's Athletic Hall of Fame as a coach in 1992.

• His plaque is displayed in the National Soccer Hall of Fame
  National Soccer Hall of Fame
  The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
  
   in Oneonta, New York
  Oneonta, New York
  Oneonta is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, had a population of 13,901. Its nickname is "City of the Hills." While the word "oneonta" is of undetermined origin, it is popularly believed to mean "place of open rocks" in the Iroquois language...
  
  .

• Towson renamed their mascot "Doc" in his honor, along with their football
  College football
  College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
  
   field at Johnny Unitas Stadium
  Johnny Unitas Stadium
  Johnny Unitas Stadium at Minnegan Field is a multi-purpose, football and lacrosse stadium in Towson, Maryland.-History:The stadium was completely renovated in 2002 to accommodate a Division I team, and now seats 11,198. Towson University hosts its home football and Lacrosse games at the stadium...
  
  .