 Instead, Dayton formed an informal home-home scheduling alliance with peer programs such as DePaul, Marquette, and Notre Dame during the early-mid 1980s in an effort to fill their schedules with quality opponents.Dayton was approached as early as 1978 to join what would eventually become the Horizon League, but avoided league affiliation until the 1987–88 season when the school began play in the future Horizon League, then the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.Following three successive losing seasons, Donoher retired after the 1988–89 season.