Hockey Player Turned Business Program Administrator at University of Windsor

By Amos Johnson

A former hockey star is now the program administrator for the school of business at the University of Windsor.

Born and raised in Tecumseh, Ryan Donally started playing hockey at age five and was drafted into the Windsor Spitfires at age 15. By the time he was 18, he had been drafted to the Calgary Flames and retired at 24.

“Hockey wasn’t something that I voluntarily retired from. It was as a result of injury. I had suffered a number of concussions,” said Donally. “The doctors recommended that I didn’t go back to hockey and then I made the final decision to retire. My next stage in life was going back to school.”

Donally achieved his undergraduate degree from the University of Windsor and enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program. Afterwards he went on to manage internal communications at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

Former Spitfire Marco Maggio is working in the restaurant industry. He had some advice for Donally on leaving professional sports.

“Donally and I both played for the Spitfires. He was a little older than me, but he was a role model and I looked up to him,” Maggio said.“Keep trying to achieve your goals and always have a positive attitude when working towards it.”

Donally is 31 and now the MBA program administrator for the Odette School of Business at the university of Windsor.

“If I would have played another year of hockey or another game, perhaps the next concussion would have happened and then I wouldn’t be on the current path that I am on now,” Donally said.