HOMEPAGE for this issue: February 1, 2012 // Download PDF Version // Click to install/update Adobe Reader on your computer

Famed Catholic coach discusses faith on field

By Nissa LaPoint

In his 26 years of coaching in Major League Baseball, Donnelly has strived to bring his Catholic faith onto the field no matter how others perceive him, he said.

A traumatic loss in his life swung him back to his devout Catholic beginnings and reminded him of the importance of eternity. From selfish pursuits to living a life of charity, his story has reached people across the nation.

“I think actions speak louder than anything you can say,” Donnelly told the Denver Catholic Register from his home in Steubenville, Ohio. “That’s what I’ve learned through all of this.”

Donnelly, former third-base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers who was once on the Colorado Rockies’ coaching staff, will share his faith journey and life experiences at All Souls School’s fundraiser Feb. 4 at the Pinehurst Country Club in Denver titled “Faith on the Field.”

His message is a perfect fit for the Englewood school that has instituted Christian values into the student athletes’ games, said Darilyn Bixenman, event co-chair and parent of three students at All Souls.

The school’s athletic director, Tom Saucer, was the impetus for the fundraiser because of his inspirational leadership practicing faith in sports, which includes prayer before games and ensuring all students get equal playing time, Bixenman said.

The fundraiser will include a short video of Donnelly’s story, featured in the film “Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition,” an award-winning movie about the intersection of sports and faith in Major League Baseball.

“I was brought up the strictest Catholic you could ever imagine,” he said.

But his 20s and 30s were a time of selfish pursuits, when fame and sports were what mattered, he said.

“I used to think that my whole life revolved around me and revolved around sports and revolved around the game and nothing else was as important,” Donnelly said.

While in spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates in March 1992, he got a call from his daughter, Amy, that changed his life. She told him she had a brain tumor.

A short time later, 17-year-old Amy fell into a coma and died from cancer.

“When she went into a coma, as each day went on, my faith got stronger every day from where it was when I was young,” Donnelly said.

In her final days, his daughter exemplified Christian living, which became a source of inspiration to him, he said.

As Donnelly and his family cleared out her hospital room, they found a $500 check from her and a note that said “Dear Dad, make sure every kid has their own wagon.” The children in the cancer ward, who all wanted wagons to play on, were her primary concern while on her deathbed, he said.

It was a wake-up call for Donnelly.

“You can’t get much more Christian than that,” he said. “She showed me how to live and she showed me how to die. She didn’t do it by talking. She did it by her actions.”

Unbeknownst to Donnelly, one question his daughter asked him while she was battling the brain tumor became a significant moment in his faith journey.

When watching her dad crouch down, cup his hands and give direction to a runner during a game, she asked, “What are you saying? The chicken runs at midnight?” Donnelly recalled.

The unusual comment became the family motto and was later placed on her tombstone.

Four years later, her prophetic words came true when the Florida Marlins, whom Donnelly was coaching, won the World Series. The winning run was made at the stroke of midnight by Craig Counsell, nicknamed “Chicken” because of the unusual way he raised his elbows.

Donnelly believes it was a message from Amy in heaven, he said.

Since that time, whether he’s coaching baseball players or walking past the stadium janitor, he makes an effort to say a kind word, act fairly and make good moral choices, he said.

Bringing one’s faith on the field is not a new thing, Donnelly said, but some athletes may hesitate for fear of judgment.

“In our society athletes have been afraid to say anything about religion and a relationship with God,” he said.

Quarterback Tim Tebow, known for his praying pose during football games, has shown a genuine example that should be inspirational to others, he said.

“Don’t live your life worrying about what other people think of you because that deters you from what you actually believe,” Donnelly said. “Just do what you think is right and go straight ahead. That’s the way you should be in sports.”

Following Donnelly’s speech at the fundraiser will be a performance by the Hazel Miller Band.

For more information about the fundraiser, visit www.allsoulsschool.com.