Donnie Cole attended Prairie View A&M University on a track scholarship. When a leg injury required physical therapy, his coach recommended that he try powerlifting. In 1981, he earned a fifth-place finish in the state competition. Cole went on to win the state championship at the University of Texas at Arlington campus in 1983. By 1985, he had advanced to the national level, competing in events sponsored by the American Drug-Free Powerlifting Association and finishing third at Nationals. A year later, he reportedly set an American record squat of 705 lbs at the University of Texas at Austin and finished second at Nationals.

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Shortly afterward, Cole teamed up with Gene Rodgers in a two-person deadlift exhibition, reportedly setting a world-record lift of 1,103 lbs. Not long after, a devastating knee injury sidelined him for almost two years. Following extensive rehabilitation, he returned to powerlifting with renewed determination, joining the newly formed Natural Athletes Strength Association (N.A.S.A.) in 1990. Cole capped his comeback by winning N.A.S.A.’s national competition that year. He also competed internationally for the U.S. team, earning World Titles in the 181-lb division in both the Soviet Union and Finland.

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His lifetime achievements are considerable: six national championships, two world titles, and multiple Athlete of the Year honors, according to local and federation records. As recently as 1997, Cole set both Masters American and World Records in the 198-lb division with lifts of 614 lbs (squat) and 705 lbs (deadlift), for a combined total of 1,649 lbs.

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Donnie Cole was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Sports Hall of Fame in June 2001.