[citation needed] He played three years of varsity basketball for coach Tom Blackburn at the University of Dayton, scoring 578 career points in 72 games.
[citation needed] Returning to Dayton after the end of his service, Donoher accepted a part-time basketball scout position offered by Blackburn.
[citation needed] Donoher enjoyed immediate success as a head coach, going 22–7 in his inaugural season and guiding the Flyers to a berth in the NCAA tournament, reaching the Sweet Sixteen.
Donoher served as an assistant to head coach Bobby Knight on the gold medal-winning U.S. men's basketball team at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
[4] On November 20, 2015, Donoher was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame alongside fellow Final Four coach Lou Henson.
[5] In 2017, Donoher received the prestigious Dean Smith Award from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for embodying the spirit and values of the Hall of Fame North Carolina coach.