Arthur J. Donovan

Arthur J. Donovan

Arthur J. Donovan (Arthur James Donovan, Jr.) was born on June 5th, 1924. Arthur passed away August 4th, 2013 at 89 years old. Arthur J. Donovan was born in The Bronx, NY, USA. Donovan attended the University of Notre Dame and Boston College.

Arthur J. Donovan was a defensive tackle that played for 3 NFL teams, primarily the Baltimore Colts (also the New York Yanks and Dallas Texans). He played from 1950-1961. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles. In 1968, he got inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

During his first 3 professional seasons, he played for a team that wound up going out of business. He began with the first Baltimore Colts, who folded after his rookie season in 1950. Players that were on the Colts roster got dispersed throughout the league through the 1951 NFL draft, which got redrafted by the Browns with the final pick of the 4th round.

He spent 1951 with the Yanks, and their successor, the Dallas Texans in 1952.

Once the Texans folded, many of their players went to Baltimore when they were awarded a new franchise in 1953, and became the Colts again. He became one of the stars in an outstanding defense and got selected to 5 straight Pro Bowls, from 1953 to 1957. The Colts won back-to-back championships in 1958 and 1959. He was runner up as best defensive tackle on the NFL 50 Anniversary All-Time Team.

Fatso: Football When Men Were Really Men. Arthur, who weighed in at 340 pounds and sporting a severe crew cut, is the definitive retired football hero, arguably the greatest defensive tackle that ever played the game. He starred with the Colts, a 4 time All Pro, played in 5 Pro Bowls, and won 2 championships. He was elected into the Hall of Fame just 6 years after he retired. Here is his story. Art started at the bottom in the NFL, as a member of the Colts, the lousiest team in football. He, along with his coach Weeb Ewbank and his team, they rose to stardom during the tough and gritty era of the 50s.

Art relishes the anguish and pain of football the old-fashioned way. The book is full of tales of irreverence and mayhem from a bygone era of football, however it’s also a biting commentary on how the game has changed in recent years.

Art lets loose a barrage of commentary on the game, and nothing’s sacred. Coaches, contracts, players, booze, drugs, and agents. Even our current star QBs are shown from his shrewd and amusing perspective. He addresses seriously the dramatic change which has come over the sport with TV coverage, turning it from a down-to-earth and hard-fought romp in the dirt to a glittery show.

Related Authors

Fans of Arthur J. Donovan also enjoy these authors:

1. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
2. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
3. Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch Series.
4. Sue Grafton, author of the Kinsey Millhone Series.
5. Clive Cussler, author of the Dirk Pitt Series.

Arthur J. Donovan: F.A.Q