Hall of Fame
Donnie Day
Thomas Jefferson
Donnie Day never met a person he didn’t like. Okay, we know Will Rogers said that, but Day personified it. He was always teaching, always coaching.
“Athletes of all ages should understand that it’s a privilege to be an athlete. Being an athlete stands for something beyond ability on the playing field. There’s a responsibility to give something back and be a role model,” Day once told CHSAA Hall of Famer Irv Moss.
He was one of the legendary coaches and administrators in Denver Public Schools, and coached baseball, basketball and football at TJHS from 1960 until 1969, serving as head football coach from 1964-69.
He was an administrator for TJHS from 1964-89 and in Douglas County Schools from 1990-2002. But, no matter where he was, he was a Pied Piper and kids just naturally followed him
“He made everyone around him better. I know he did me and I think that who Don was, he made people better,” Chris Day says.
He never looked for the accolades, but when he was nominated, letters from many, many people came in just to tell Donnie Day’s story of helping kids.
Not many knew that he would go to a local recreation center simply to work with special needs kids. That was Donnie Day.
Day also spent 4 years as a high school football official before working in the Western Athletic Conference for 14 years. And, he officiated high school basketball.
A graduate of Denver South, Day played football, basketball and baseball, earning all-state honors in football and baseball twice. As an athlete Day was an all-state quarterback and baseball player at Denver South where he also played basketball.
As a coach, his football teams posted a 56-5 mark, winning two city titles. He guided TJHS to its first ever city football championship and his teams never lost more than one game in a season.