Donald Ray Todd (October 10, 1941 — March 2, 2019) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach. He was the defensive line coach and

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

for the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

from 1972 to 1985. He led the Cougars' "Mad Dog" defense to four top ten national ratings, while tutoring such talents as

Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lomba ...

winner

Wilson Whitley Wilson Whitley (May 28, 1955 – October 27, 1992) was a consensus All-American defensive tackle at the University of Houston from 1972–1976 under defensive coordinator Don Todd. He led the Cougars to the Southwest Conference championship in ...

and All-Americans Hosea Taylor,

Leonard Mitchell Leonard Boyd Mitchell (born October 12, 1958) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s. He played college football for the Un ...

and Guy Brown. His defenses were instrumental in the Cougars' achieving national rankings and victories over both

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the 1977 Cotton Bowl Classic and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

in the

1980 Cotton Bowl Classic The 1980 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 44th Cotton Bowl Classic, edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl (stadium), Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday, January 1. Part of the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football se ...

. In 2012, Todd was inducted into the University of Houston Athletic Hall of Honor, making him the only assistant coach in school history to enter the Hall. A native of Plains, Texas, Todd played his

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Sammy Baugh Samuel Adrian Baugh (March 17, 1914 – December 17, 2008) was an American professional football player and coach. During his college and professional careers, he most notably played quarterback, but also played as a safety and punter. He ...

Hardin–Simmons University Hardin–Simmons University (HSU) is a private Baptist university in Abilene, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention). History Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist ...

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...

, where he excelled on both sides of the line.

References

1941 births 2019 deaths People from Yoakum County, Texas Players of American football from Texas Hardin–Simmons Cowboys football players Coaches of American football from Texas High school football coaches in Texas Houston Cougars football coaches {{1970s-collegefootball-coach-stub