Art Donovan
Art Donovan
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He is the son of Arthur Donovan, a famed boxing referee, and the grandson of Professor Mike Donovan, the world middleweight boxing champion in the 1870s.
Art attended Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx. He spent four years in military service with the United States Marine Corps during WW II before playing college football at Boston College. He graduated in 1950.
He started playing professional football with the Baltimore Colts in 1950, but that edition of the franchise folded. He moved to the New York Yanks in 1951; they became the Dallas Texans in 1952 and finally the Baltimore Colts in 1953. He became one of the stars in an outstanding defense and was selected to five straight Pro Bowls for 1954 to 1958. The Colts won back to back championships in 1958 and 1959.
He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
He published an autobiography, Fatso, in 1987. He was noted as a jovial and humorous person during his playing career and capitalized on that with television and speaking appearances after retiring as a player. He owns and manages a country club near Baltimore. Donovan also appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, telling humorous stories about his old playing days and about other "old school" footballers he played with and against. Letterman wore Donovan's No. 70 Colts jersey in the infamous Super Bowl XLIV commercial with Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno.
Donovan also made a guest appearance in the Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete & Pete in the episode, "Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas." Art also appeared as a bumbling guest commentator at the WWF 1994 King of the Ring, breaking kayfabe and making a mess of the night's storyline.
He was co-host of the popular 1990s program Braase, Donovan, Davis and Fans on WJZ-TV in Baltimore with fellow Colt teammate Ordell Braase. The trio talked more about Art Donovan's fabled stories than contemporary NFL football, but the show held high ratings in its time period.
Alex Agase | Sisto Averno | Dick Barwegan | Ernie Blandin | Monte Brethauer | Joe Campanella | Larry Coutre | Jack Del Bello | Art Donovan | Brad Ecklund | Dan Edwards | Mel Embree | Fred Enke | Tom Finnin | Dick Flowers | John Huzvar | Ken Jackson | Tommy Kalmanir | Tom Keane | Bill Lange | Jack Little | Gino Marchetti | Buck McPhail | Ed Mioduszewski | Bill Pellington | Barney Poole | Bert Rechichar | Ed Sharkey | Don Shula | Art Spinney | George Taliaferro | Carl Taseff | Elmer Wingate | Jim Winkler | Buddy YoungHead Coach: Keith Molesworth
Otto Graham | Bobby Layne | Norm Van Brocklin | Frank Gifford | Ollie Matson | Hugh McElhenny | Lenny Moore | Alan Ameche | Joe Perry | Raymond Berry | Tom Fears | Bobby Walston | Elroy Hirsch | Rosey Brown | Bob St. Clair | Dick Barwegan | Jim Parker | Dick Stanfel | Chuck Bednarik | Len Ford | Gino Marchetti | Art Donovan | Leo Nomellini | Ernie Stautner | Joe Fortunato | Bill George | Sam Huff | Joe Schmidt | Jack Butler | Dick Lane | Jack Christiansen | Yale Lary | Emlen Tunnell | Lou Groza
Art attended Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx. He spent four years in military service with the United States Marine Corps during WW II before playing college football at Boston College. He graduated in 1950.
He started playing professional football with the Baltimore Colts in 1950, but that edition of the franchise folded. He moved to the New York Yanks in 1951; they became the Dallas Texans in 1952 and finally the Baltimore Colts in 1953. He became one of the stars in an outstanding defense and was selected to five straight Pro Bowls for 1954 to 1958. The Colts won back to back championships in 1958 and 1959.
He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
He published an autobiography, Fatso, in 1987. He was noted as a jovial and humorous person during his playing career and capitalized on that with television and speaking appearances after retiring as a player. He owns and manages a country club near Baltimore. Donovan also appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, telling humorous stories about his old playing days and about other "old school" footballers he played with and against. Letterman wore Donovan's No. 70 Colts jersey in the infamous Super Bowl XLIV commercial with Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno.
Donovan also made a guest appearance in the Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete & Pete in the episode, "Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas." Art also appeared as a bumbling guest commentator at the WWF 1994 King of the Ring, breaking kayfabe and making a mess of the night's storyline.
He was co-host of the popular 1990s program Braase, Donovan, Davis and Fans on WJZ-TV in Baltimore with fellow Colt teammate Ordell Braase. The trio talked more about Art Donovan's fabled stories than contemporary NFL football, but the show held high ratings in its time period.
Alex Agase | Sisto Averno | Dick Barwegan | Ernie Blandin | Monte Brethauer | Joe Campanella | Larry Coutre | Jack Del Bello | Art Donovan | Brad Ecklund | Dan Edwards | Mel Embree | Fred Enke | Tom Finnin | Dick Flowers | John Huzvar | Ken Jackson | Tommy Kalmanir | Tom Keane | Bill Lange | Jack Little | Gino Marchetti | Buck McPhail | Ed Mioduszewski | Bill Pellington | Barney Poole | Bert Rechichar | Ed Sharkey | Don Shula | Art Spinney | George Taliaferro | Carl Taseff | Elmer Wingate | Jim Winkler | Buddy YoungHead Coach: Keith Molesworth
Otto Graham | Bobby Layne | Norm Van Brocklin | Frank Gifford | Ollie Matson | Hugh McElhenny | Lenny Moore | Alan Ameche | Joe Perry | Raymond Berry | Tom Fears | Bobby Walston | Elroy Hirsch | Rosey Brown | Bob St. Clair | Dick Barwegan | Jim Parker | Dick Stanfel | Chuck Bednarik | Len Ford | Gino Marchetti | Art Donovan | Leo Nomellini | Ernie Stautner | Joe Fortunato | Bill George | Sam Huff | Joe Schmidt | Jack Butler | Dick Lane | Jack Christiansen | Yale Lary | Emlen Tunnell | Lou Groza
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