Senator Angus King congratulated former Houlton girls coach John Donato of Smithfield for his achievements in coaching over the past 45 years in a Congressional letter presented at a full staff meeting at Lawrence High School, where he now teaches and coaches.
“His hard work for girls’ basketball teams across the state led to an impressive 500th win this past December, placing him in an exclusive club of extraordinary coaches,” said Sen. King. “The season finished on a high note for his Lawrence High School team with a state championship win, marking his fifth state championship title over the course of his career.”
Donato’s coaching record is stunning. While he passed the 500 mark for basketball wins in December and now has 514, he has a grand total of 1,247 wins across all sports. His longest winning streak with a basketball team was an incredible 88 games, while in Houlton.
Donato has a long history of excellence in sports, from playing at Boston Garden in semifinals games as a shooting guard in high school to bringing teams to wins as a coach at Houlton, Messalonskee, Mount View, Hall-Dale and Lawrence high schools.
After attending Ricker College, Donato spent an impressive 18 years coaching basketball and 25 years coaching baseball at Houlton alone. While he was coach, the Houlton girls’ basketball team won nine Eastern Maine Class B titles in 11 years and four state championships in six years. They had 261 wins overall. On top of that, his baseball team won two Eastern Maine titles, with 324 wins overall, and the golf team won two state championships.
Donato then moved to central Maine, and after a year coaching at Hall-Dale High School, he went to Messalonskee High School. There his team went 17-1 during his first season, a major turnaround from their 5-13 run the previous year. He would spend eight years at Messalonskee, followed by four years at Mount View High School, and then began coaching girls’ basketball at Lawrence in 2010. The girls’ state championship victory this year marks their first in 21 years.
“Fortunately I am not the first to recognize Mr. Donato’s great achievements,” Sen. King said. “He was the McDonald’s All-Star Coach of the Year 12 times, Eastern Maine Class B Coach of the Year eight times, Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Coach of the Year four times and state of Maine Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year five times.”
Donato is not only a coach, but also a teacher and former business owner, now in his 15th year teaching science at Lawrence High School. In each respect, he has proven a strong commitment to his community.
“Whether in the gym or the classroom, Mr. Donato brings knowledge of leadership and team building that is invaluable for our students,” said Sen. King. “I am proud to represent people like coach Donato, an outstanding citizen of Maine. On the occasion of his 500th win and fifth state championship title, I extend my congratulations to him and the teams he has coached over the years.”
