Muhlenberg will pay tribute to former football head coach Mike Donnelly with two events this weekend.
 
On Friday, the College will host its annual bone marrow registry drive in conjunction with Be the Match and the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, and on Saturday, a plaque honoring Donnelly will be unveiled at Scotty Wood Stadium.
 
The most successful coach in Mule football history, Donnelly compiled a record of 143-76 from 1997 to 2017. Taking over a program that won eight games in the five seasons prior to his arrival, Donnelly transformed Muhlenberg into a perennial title contender. The Mules won or shared seven Centennial Conference championships between 2001 and 2010 and earned postseason bids 14 of 18 seasons between 2000 and 2017.
 
Donnelly was diagnosed with acute monocytic leukemia in the spring of 2017 and began treatment at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. Following a series of tests, doctors determined that he needed a bone marrow transplant as soon as possible.
 
Donnelly passed away at the age of 65 on October 4, 2017, but an important part of his legacy is his advocacy for leukemia and blood diseases.
 
Muhlenberg held its first bone marrow registry drive – in which individuals aged 18-44 join the national registry – in 2017, and in the six years since, several Muhlenberg students have donated their blood after they were found to be matches for patients who needed transplants. Included in that group are current Mule players Tony Merchlinsky and Isaiah Williams, and last week former Mule lineman Bobby Burke '22 donated his stem cells to a woman in Michigan with leukemia. 
 
The bone marrow registry drive will be held in Seegers Union on the Muhlenberg campus on Friday from 11:00am to 2:00pm.
 
The plaque honoring Donnelly will be displayed in the southeast corner of Scotty Wood Stadium, at the top of the ramp leading from the football team's locker room to the field.
 
The text of the plaque is as follows:
 
MIKE "DUKE" DONNELLY
 
Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator 1997-2017
 
Career Record 143-76
 
7 CC Championships, 13 Postseason Appearances
 
"FIND A WAY TO WIN"
 
Members of Donnelly's family will be on hand to participate in a ceremony prior to Muhlenberg's Alumni Weekend game against Salisbury, followed by the installation of the plaque.