In the 1980's and 90's, once a male college soccer player was done, pro outdoor and indoor soccer was the norm. Finding teams was interesting as well as teams and leagues were forming and folding...New Jersey Dan Donigan was one of those guys who dealt with those realities. But four years at UConn helped set the stage for pro success.
Dan played at Steinert H.S. in Hamilton Township...where he scored 34 goals in Senior Year while leading his team to the 1984 Group 3 State Championship...And UConn Coach Joe Morrone and his staff were playing attention. Where Donigan chose to attend UConn, a program that had won a National Championship and played in 3 straight Final Fours in recent years. While Donigan had some fine, individual success, Big East Tournament and NCAA Postseason success were tough to come by...
In 1985 after a stellar 16-2-3 regular season, that included a Donigan Foot injury and a 14 game win streak, the Huskies lost to Syracuse in the Big East Final, then were stunned by B.U. in the NCAA Tournament. Donigan's first season in Storrs, He was named Big East "North" Freshman of the Year and an All New England Selection..
The Huskies struggled in 1986 as UConn dealt with a rare 5 game slide, then go unbeaten in 8 (7-0-1) later in the season where they lost in the Big East Semi's. Donigan's success again earning him All New England Honors and 3rd Team All American Status....
The 1987 season the Huskies went 13-7-3, losing again in the Big East Final....But the following week frustrating more so as in front 7,182, UConn lost to Harvard 1-0 in the NCAA's...where the Crimson had yet to lose at 13-0-2. Donigan earning the first of two Big East North Player of the Year Honors and the first of a pair of 2nd Team All American Honors while once again earning All New England for a third straight year...
As Captain in 1988, Donigan led a 14-8-1 Team that lost to Seton Hall in the Big East Final where he was named the Tournament MVP. And again, B.U. got the better of the Huskies in the NCAA's on a rainy day in Storrs 3-1. For Donigan, a 2nd Team All American and Big East North Player of the Year. All New England Selection and Soccer America's National MVP for 1988.. The Year was capped with Donigan earning the Adi Dassler Award as the Nation's Most Outstanding Senior Soccer Player.
In his four years in Storrs, Donigan scored 35 goals (10th) and recorded 40 assists (4th) for 110pts (6th all time) And he was twice chosen as the Team "Squires Award" Winner, recognized as UConn's Consummate Team Player.
Donigan now began the life as a Pro, playing on various Indoor and Outdoor Pro teams in the MISL, APSL and NPSL. Where he scored 171 career professional goals with 7 different teams. His best run coming between 1992 and 94 playing indoor in Milwaukee, where he scored 86 goals in 71 games....In 1994, he starting turning to coaching, where he spent the last three years of Joe Morrone's tenure at UConn Coach as an assistant. Later, Saint Louis of the A-10 where he began as an assistant and later, Head Coach. Earning A-10 Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007...That's when he headed back home to New Jersey as Donigan was named the Head Coach at Rutgers in 2010...where he spent 9 years as the leader of the Scarlet Knights and receiving the Big 10 Coach of the Year in 2015....He was let go after the 2018 Campaign.
Dan Donigan is now Coaching at the High School Ranks...at Notre Dame High School in Lawrence, NJ where his team went 17-4 this past season. New Jersey born and bred, but for four years in Storrs, CT, Dan Donigan became a UConn Legend