DN male athlete of the semester: Paul Donahoe
By: Michael McHale
Issue date: 5/1/07 Section: Sports
A short student in jean shorts and a white T-shirt tossed the honorary first pitch before Nebraska's baseball game Sunday.
He looked small from a distance. Harmless, almost.
A few booming words from the public address announcer explained why exactly this 5-foot-5 boyish-faced figure had the credentials to stand alone in front of thousands of spectators - and why he had the gall to throw his arms into the air and flash his teeth after his pitch sailed wildly to the outside.
He is Paul Donahoe, an NCAA champion.
The Cornhusker wrestler might be offended if you don't recognize his name. The 125-pound sophomore has won titles at every level for a simple reason:
He knows he's the best.
"If people don't give me respect, I'll work harder," Donahoe said. "If they still don't give me respect, I'll work harder. That's how it's going to be."
His hometown of Davison, Mich., knows the name. A billboard showcasing Donahoe's symmetrical face and gray eyes is in the works to break ground this summer.
But long before his national crowning moment in March - when he dominated opponents he had never even beaten before - Donahoe was making the impact of a tsunami wave on the wrestling world.
Donahoe was 6 years old the first time he stepped onto a mat. He pinned his opponent in six seconds.
He attended Davison High School because of its budding wrestling program and became best friends with Roy Hall, the school's head coach. Both grew up with divorced parents. Both were reluctant to open up to others.
"He's not trustworthy of many folks," Hall said. "But once you're in, you're in forever."
Donahoe took out his aggression in workouts. On long runs, he would beat teammates who had been all-state cross country runners. In practice, he went head-to-head with current Iowa standout Brent Metcalf, who finished high school with a 228-0 record and outweighed Donahoe by more than 20 pounds.
With one individual state championship already under his belt, a broken ankle sidelined Donahoe for eight weeks during his junior season. His return was short-lived, and his year ended in the district qualifier to a kid named Paul Shutich.
He looked small from a distance. Harmless, almost.
A few booming words from the public address announcer explained why exactly this 5-foot-5 boyish-faced figure had the credentials to stand alone in front of thousands of spectators - and why he had the gall to throw his arms into the air and flash his teeth after his pitch sailed wildly to the outside.
He is Paul Donahoe, an NCAA champion.
The Cornhusker wrestler might be offended if you don't recognize his name. The 125-pound sophomore has won titles at every level for a simple reason:
He knows he's the best.
"If people don't give me respect, I'll work harder," Donahoe said. "If they still don't give me respect, I'll work harder. That's how it's going to be."
His hometown of Davison, Mich., knows the name. A billboard showcasing Donahoe's symmetrical face and gray eyes is in the works to break ground this summer.
But long before his national crowning moment in March - when he dominated opponents he had never even beaten before - Donahoe was making the impact of a tsunami wave on the wrestling world.
Donahoe was 6 years old the first time he stepped onto a mat. He pinned his opponent in six seconds.
He attended Davison High School because of its budding wrestling program and became best friends with Roy Hall, the school's head coach. Both grew up with divorced parents. Both were reluctant to open up to others.
"He's not trustworthy of many folks," Hall said. "But once you're in, you're in forever."
Donahoe took out his aggression in workouts. On long runs, he would beat teammates who had been all-state cross country runners. In practice, he went head-to-head with current Iowa standout Brent Metcalf, who finished high school with a 228-0 record and outweighed Donahoe by more than 20 pounds.
With one individual state championship already under his belt, a broken ankle sidelined Donahoe for eight weeks during his junior season. His return was short-lived, and his year ended in the district qualifier to a kid named Paul Shutich.
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