![]() ![]() He became one of the stars in an outstanding defense and was selected to five straight Pro Bowls, from 1953 through 1957. After the Texans franchise was moved to Baltimore in 1953 and became the second Baltimore Colts, Donovan played with that team. He started out with the first Baltimore Colts, who folded after his rookie season in 1950, followed by the New York Yanks in 1951, and their successor, the Dallas Texans, in 1952. In each of his first three seasons, Donovan played for a team which went out of business. After the war, he completed his college career at Boston College. Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame, the first pro football player so honored. His earned citations, which included the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the Philippine Liberation Medal, and would later earn him a place in the U.S. He also served as an ammo-loader on a 40mm gun on the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto and as member of 3rd Marine Division. He took part in some of the conflict's fiercest engagements, such as the Battle of Luzon and the Battle of Iwo Jima. He served four years, to include service in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He received a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame in 1942 but left after one semester to join the United States Marine Corps, enlisting in April 1943. ART DONOVAN TVHe owned the Valley Country Club in Towson and often appeared on TV and in the area as a speaker.Art Donovan, born June 5, 1924, was the son of Arthur Donovan, Sr., a boxing referee, and the grandson of Professor Mike Donovan, the world middleweight boxing champion in the 1870s.Īrt attended Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx. The 6-foot-2, 275-pound Donovan simply used the nickname his Colts teammates gave him for the title of a book he wrote - “Fatso.” ![]() His self-deprecating humor also was a plus. He became a great speaker and often showed up in various ways on television. Donovan had a knack for telling stories - funny stories - in a funny way. He told stories of the chicken-eating contest, the way certain players liked to party, and everyone would laugh. ![]() But Donovan often appeared with people such as David Letterman and Johnny Carson to spin some of his hysterical stories. NFL players often get on nightly talk shows to discuss the Super Bowl or some kind of big-time issue. That defense, combining with quarterback Johnny Unitas (also in the Hall of Fame) and others, was a big reason the Colts were tough for many years.īut Donovan became even more famous after his playing career ended in 1962 and grew into a legend in the Baltimore area - and was well known nationally because of his sense of humor. They had players such as Big Daddy Lipscomb with them and became one of the NFL’s toughest defenses. He played with Gino Marchetti, the defensive end who also earned Hall of Fame honors. The world is not as bright tonight because we lost someone who could make us all smile.”ĭonovan became the first Colt picked for the Hall of Fame. ![]() “Baltimore is now without one of its best and someone who was a foundation for the tremendous popularity of football in our area. “We lost a friend, one of the finest men and one of the greatest characters we were fortunate to meet in this community and in this business,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement. He earned All-NFL honors five straight seasons, from 1954-1958, and played in five consecutive Pro Bowls - even though his pro career didn’t begin until Donovan was 26 because of military duty. 4 at the age of 89.ĭonovan’s father was a famous boxing referee (who also had the same name), and his son grew into one of the NFL’s top defensive linemen during the 1950s and played a big role in helping the Baltimore Colts win back-to-back league titles in 19. Art Donovan, one of the most popular football players ever to play in Baltimore, died Aug. ![]()
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