Kevin Thomas Donnalley (born June 10, 1968) is an
American football coach and former player. He played professionally as a
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
in the
National Football League (NFL) for the
Houston/Tennessee Oilers,
Miami Dolphins, and
Carolina Panthers. He is currently the Director of the Koman Game Plan for Success, a position that focuses on athlete development, for his alma mater,
North Carolina.
Playing career
Donnalley played high school football at
Athens Drive High School, from which he graduated in 1986. He played
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 ...
at
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan†...
for his two years before transferring to the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to finish his college career.
Donnalley was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Donnalley was a member of the
Houston/Tennessee Oilers from 1991-1997, a member of the
Miami Dolphins from 1998-2000, and a member of the
Carolina Panthers from 2001-2003.
Donnalley was part of the offensive line for the
Carolina Panthers in 2003. He anchored the Panthers offensive line that allowed only 26 sacks in 2003, a team record for fewest sacks allowed in a season, and helped Panthers rush for a team-record 2,091 yards, including a team-individual mark of 1,444 yards by
Stephen Davis.
Coaching career
When the
Charlotte 49ers football team restarted their football program in 2013, Donnalley was working in strength and conditioning initially with the plan to move to player development. But in August 2015, the program experienced an unexpected loss when offensive line coach, Phil Ratliff, passed away and Donnalley stepped in to replace him for the season.
Once the season ended, a new offensive line coach was hired and Donnalley was finally able to move to player development. From 2016-2020, Donnalley was the director of student-athlete development for the
Charlotte 49ers football team.
On March 23, 2020, he was named director of high school relations for the
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...
.
In 2022, Donnalley was named Director of the Koman Game Plan for Success. His new position focuses on student-athlete development away from football and Donnalley coordinates "initiatives in leadership, career development, and community service.
An alumnus of the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Donnalley serves under his former coach,
Mack Brown
William Mack Brown (born August 27, 1951) is an American college football coach. He is currently in his second stint as the head football coach for the University of North Carolina, where he first coached from 1988 until departing in 1997, whe ...
.
Personal life
Donnalley and his wife, Erica, also a North Carolina alumnus , have three children: Kayla, Thomas, and Matthew.
He is the younger brother of former NFL player and fellow UNC alum
Rick Donnalley
William Frederick Donnalley (born December 11, 1958) is a former American football Center (gridiron football), center in the National Football League (NFL). Donnalley was selected in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of the University ...
.
Heavily involved in charity work, Donnalley served on the national advisory board for the
Make a Wish Foundation for seven years as well as helping found another charity March Forth With Hope Foundation that supports families with children battling life threatening medical conditions.
He appeared on the television show
Fluffy's Food Adventures
Gabriel Jesús Iglesias (born July 15, 1976), also known as Fluffy, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He has produced a number of stand-up specials for television outlets such as Comedy Central and Netflix, including ''I'm Not Fat… I ...
season 2 episode 7. Comedian
Gabriel Iglesias visits
Charlotte and then
Carolina Panthers coach
Ron Rivera.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donnalley, Kevin
1968 births
Living people
American football offensive guards
Carolina Panthers players
Charlotte 49ers football coaches
Davidson Wildcats football players
Houston Oilers players
Miami Dolphins players
North Carolina Tar Heels football players
Tennessee Oilers players
Athens Drive High School alumni
Players of American football from Raleigh, North Carolina
Players of American football from St. Louis