REMEMBERING JIM DONOVAN

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.

Wisdom of solomon 3:1

When I began my path toward a vocation in ministry in 2000, I banished the memory of my broadcasting career to the dustbin of “the world will little note nor long remember” category.

But every once in a while, a moment arises that makes me run to that dustbin to revive a treasured recollection.

Such was the case with the passing of WKYC Sports Anchor and Cleveland Browns play-by-play voice Jim Donovan on Saturday, October 26^th. He had been battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia for several years.

In 1985 I was free lancing as a morning sportscaster on a local radio station and doing play-by-play of Cleveland State University basketball on TV, when, out of the blue, I received a call from the News Director at WKYC.

“Would you be interested in auditioning for the weekend sports anchor position?”

My answer was an obvious “yes,” but I asked him, “why me?”

“We just promoted Jim Donovan to weeknights and he suggested that you would be a good hire,” was the reply.

Needless to say, I was stunned. I barely knew Jim at that point. He was relatively new in town and we would run into each other at Browns practices and exchange pleasantries. He asked a lot of questions and I would provide whatever information I could. But that he would think enough of me to throw my name into the ring as his replacement was a shocker.

I didn’t get the job. However, a couple of years later, WKYC was expanding the sports department to add a full time reporter, and again, I was asked to audition. This time the effort was fruitful.

For the next five years, I worked alongside Jim, covering high school, college, and pro sports, occasionally anchoring, and living out my dream. Jim often was gone on network assignments (WKYC was owned by NBC at the time) so I got a lot of airtime as a fill-in.

In 1991, the station was sold. And as usually happens when there’s a change in ownership, the new bosses began cleaning house. I was among the casualties.

When I walked back into the newsroom to share my fate with my co-workers, Jim almost immediately picked up the phone, called the General Manager of the new sports talk radio station in town, and gave me a glowing recommendation.

Jimmy came through again. For the second time he salvaged my career.

On my final day at the station, there was a small gathering to bid me farewell. As a present, I was given a Sony Walkman. The gift was suggested by Jim, who knew how much I loved music. He had an uncanny insight into a person’s character and personality. He seemed to know others sometimes better than they knew themselves.

Though the Walkman has long become obsolete, the sentiment and thoughtfulness will forever endure.

I worked in radio for a few more years, then moved to the baseball team, where I would often run into Jimmy on the field and have some fun conversations.

Eventually, I left all that behind and enrolled in seminary.

In an industry that offers no security, little loyalty, and fleeting friendships, Jim Donovan embodied for me all that was good about broadcasting.

Though my sportscasting career is long in my rear view mirror, I still watch Channel 3 News religiously because of the one person who was my biggest promoter in the business and who always had confidence in me.

The accolades and tributes mourning Jim’s death are pouring in from far and wide, praising his unique announcing, his energetic enthusiasm, his wit, and his love of Cleveland sports.

For me, all that pales by comparison to the fine, outstanding, and decent human being that was Jim Donovan.