CLEVELAND (AP) — Jim Donovan, the beloved radio play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Browns and a TV sports fixture for more than four decades, died Saturday. He was 68.
Donovan retired from his broadcast career earlier this year and stepped away from his game-day duties with the team before this season while battling cancer. He had called Cleveland's games since the team's expansion rebirth in 1999.
"This is an incredibly difficult day for us and the entire Cleveland Browns organization,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. “His impact as the Voice of the Browns for 25 years is immeasurable as he touched the lives of our fans each and every Sunday with his love for the Browns and his brilliance at his craft.
“He will be greatly missed, but he cemented a legacy that will live on forever. The only thing that outweighed his love for this city and this team was the love he had for his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Cheryl, his daughter, Meghan, and everyone who was fortunate enough to call Jimmy family or friend.”
A Boston native known to everyone as “Jimmy,” Donovan endeared himself to Cleveland fans with his passion, sense of humor and professionalism. He was a stickler for detail, spending countless hours preparing for game broadcasts.
Donovan had recently been inducted into the Browns' Legends Club and the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. He had been too ill to attend the events.
When he was forced to step down in August, Donovan wrote a letter to Browns fans expressing his gratitude for their support.
“I have called Browns games for 25 years. Not a day has gone by when I haven’t paused and been so proud to be ‘The Voice of the Browns,’” he wrote. “Cheryl, Meghan and I thank you for all the love, support and prayers during my rough patches. It’s like having a huge family around us. And that’s what makes the Cleveland Browns so special. You do.”
Donovan had to step away as sports director at WKYC-TV last fall for several months to undergo treatment for leukemia. He returned to the broadcast booth in time to call the team's late-season run to the playoffs.
He had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2000 and underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2011.
A graduate of Boston University, Donovan got to Cleveland in 1985. Along with doing local reporting of the city's three professional sports franchises, Donovan also had several national network assignments and was part of NBC's coverage team at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
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FILE _ Cleveland Browns radio broadcaster Jim Donovan stands on the field prior to an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013 in Cleveland. The Browns won 37-24. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers' last road trip of the regular season was a successful one.
The Niners clinched a playoff spot while in their hotel on Sunday, beat the Indianapolis Colts 48-27 on Monday night and returned home knowing they now have a chance to go on a Super Bowl run without hitting the road again until next season.
San Francisco (11-4) finishes the season with games at home against Chicago and Seattle. With wins in both of those, the 49ers would clinch home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs and would be two wins away from playing in the Super Bowl in their home stadium on Feb. 8.
“I think that’s obviously the reality of what could happen if we just take it one game at a time,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “But for us, once we get in the playoffs and everything too, that’s going to be a brawl in itself. So, that’s a whole other road for us, man. We’ve got to go put on a good showcase and win the game on Sunday against Chicago.”
The 49ers were tested for a while against 44-year-old Philip Rivers and the banged-up Colts but a nearly flawless offensive performance led by Purdy and a late pick-6 by Dee Winters let them pull away for the comfortable win.
The competition will be tougher the next two weeks, but if Purdy and the offense can maintain this level they have a chance in any game. Purdy became the first San Francisco QB to throw at least five TD passes in a game since Steve Young had six in Super Bowl 29 against the San Diego Chargers in a signature performance.
“He’s playing pretty consistent in how he’s played,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. "I think Brock has played a pretty high level since he got in this league, and I honestly think, I think he’s playing very well, but I think he’s always played pretty good.”
Christian McCaffrey ran for 117 yards and caught two TD passes in one of his most productive games of the season.
That kept punter Thomas Morstead on the sideline for the second straight week as San Francisco went back-to-back games without punting for the first time in franchise history.
Passing game. Purdy was nearly perfect against the Colts outside of a late interception when he threw high over the middle in the fourth quarter. He finished 25 for 34 for 295 yards, throwing touchdown passes on San Francisco's first three drives of the game. Purdy has thrown 13 TD passes in five games since returning from a toe injury, leading the Niners to wins in all five.
Shanahan's replay challenges. Shanahan fell to 1 for 4 on replay challenges this season when he threw the flag following a completion to Michael Pittman in the third quarter. The initial replays made it look like a clean catch and the call was upheld, costing San Francisco a timeout. Shanahan then didn't challenge a potential TD throw to Jake Tonges that was ruled out of bounds even though a replay showed he might have dragged his second foot in the end zone. It ended up not mattering when Purdy threw a TD pass to McCaffrey on the next play.
Rookie defensive linemen. The Niners got the first career sacks from rookies Alfred Collins and C.J. West, raising the team total to an NFL-low 18 on the season. This marked the first time since 2016 that San Francisco got sacks from two rookies in the same game with DeForest Buckner and Ronald Blair doing it in Week 16 that season against the Rams.
Pass defense. San Francisco got carved up for much of the night by Rivers. After throwing for just 120 yards in his first game out of retirement, Rivers threw for 277 yards and two TDs against the Niners, leading the Colts to three touchdowns and two field goals on their first six drives.
TE George Kittle left the game with an ankle injury and didn't return. Kittle said after the game that he believed he avoided a high ankle sprain but the team is uncertain whether he will be able to play this week.
6 — The 49ers became the sixth team in the regular season or playoffs since at least 1960 to go back-to-back games without punting. The Colts did it earlier this season.
The 49ers host Chicago on Sunday night.
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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walks near the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs past Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) and defensive tackle Grover Stewart (90) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, foreground, celebrates after scoring against the Indianapolis Colts during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) passes against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
