Don came to the Poet campus to coach the 1957, 1958 and 1959 Football seasons. He achieved a 23-5-1 (.821) record, the best for any Whittier College coach. The teams under his coaching won three SCIAC conference championships and in 1959, a number one ranking among U.S small colleges in total offense and passing.
In 1960, Don went to U.S.C. as offensive backfield coach, moving to San Diego in 1961 as head coach of the San Diego State Aztecs.For the next twelve years he produced several great Aztec teams, winning 25 games in a row from 1965 through 1967. He then went on to win a total of 31 games without a defeat. Don was named College Division District Coach of the Year in 1963, 1966, 1967 and 1968.
Moving on to professional football, Don coached the St. Louis Cardinals for the next five years, winning division championships in 1974 and 1975. He was named 1974 National Football League “Coach of the Year” with the Cardinals. In 1978 he became Head Coach for the San Diego Chargers where he remained for nine seasons, winning three division championships. He again won NFL “Coach of the Year”” honors in 1979. His overall record is 110-76-1 (.591). He is the only coach in history to win 100 games on both professional and college levels.
Don and his wife Aliisa live in El Cajon. They have a son, Mike and daughter, Mindy.
