DAYTON,–The University of Dayton men's basketball program's all-time winningest coach, Don Donoher was one of eight new additions to the Dayton Region's Walk of Fame.  The Walk of Fame Class of 2016 was enshrined on Thursday during a luncheon at the David Ponitz Center on campus of Sinclair Community College.

This year's honorees represent accomplishments in sports, the arts, medicine, journalism, education, business and philanthropy.  Joining Donoher on the Walk of Fame this year were actress and entertainer Nancy Cartwright, Civil War officer Dr. Martin Robinson Delany, Hall of Fame sportswriter Hal McCoy, television host Betty Rogge Morse, business leaders Bob and Norma Ross, philanthropists Dr. Benjamin and Marian Schuster and four-star general of the Ari Force Gen. (ret.) Janet Wolfenbarger.

Coach Donoher's citation reads "Donald J. "Don" Donoher is the all-time winningest basketball coach at the University of Dayton, with 437 wins in his 25-year head coaching career.  A 1954 Dayton graduate, and a Flyer team captain and MVP, Don came to UD after an outstanding high school career at Toledo Central Catholic High School. 

He succeeded his coach, the legendary Tom Blackburn, at the helm of the Dayton basketball program in 1964 at the age of 32.  Coach Donoher's first three teams reached the NCAA tournament, and when the Flyers reached the 1967 national championship game, he became the first coach to guide his team to the NCAA finals after appearing in the tournament himself as a player. 

Regarded as one of the great basketball minds of his generation, Don won a gold medal as an assistant coach of the U.S. men's basketball team at the 1984 Olympics.  He was honored for his storied basketball coaching career in 2015, when he was inducted into the National Association of Basketball Coaches College Basketball Hall of Fame. 

At the time of his induction, he was just one of 12 coaches in the NABC Hall whose head coaching career was solely at their alma mater.  In addition to his coaching accomplishments, wherever Coach Donoher traveled as a coach, administrator, executive and scout, he represented the University of Dayton and the city of Dayton with dignity and class."


Wright Dunbar, Inc. sponsors the Dayton Region's Walk of Fame. Starting with the original group honored that included Orville and Wilbur Wright and Paul Lawrence Dunbar in 1996, over 160 outstanding individuals and groups and their contributions to the Miami Valley have been memorialized with granite stones in the Wright Dunbar Historic Business District between Broadway and Shannon.

Those who have been honored include Lucinda Adams, Harry Baujan, Erma Bombeck, Si Burick, Ritter Collett, Bing Davis, Fuzzy Faust, Bro. Raymond L. Fitz, S.M. Milt Kantor, Herbert Woodward Martin, Edwin C. Moses, Mike Schmidt, Martin Sheen, Dr. Hans J.P. von Ohain, Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright and the University of Dayton men's basketball program.