CLEVELAND — Throughout his 25 years as the radio voice of the Cleveland Browns, Jim Donovan was often referred to as "legendary" for his remarkable play-by-play ability.
This Sunday, that title will become a permanent part of Jimmy's Browns legacy.
The team announced on Thursday that Jimmy has been named to the 2024 class of Browns Legends. He will be honored alongside former Browns kicker Phil Dawson at halftime of Sunday's game against the New York Giants at Huntington Bank Field.
It turned out that Jimmy got the good news from Dawson himself during a surprise phone call.
“I get the honor to inform you that you will be joining me in this year’s class, you will officially be a Cleveland Browns Legend,” Dawson said on the call to Jimmy as relayed by ClevelandBrowns.com. “And I can think of no better honor than to get to make this phone call.”
“Phil, that is unbelievable,” Jimmy said. “That is so great. That is a great honor. What an honor to go in at all, but to go in with you, wow.”
Once he is officially inducted on Sunday, Jimmy will join Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown as the only non-players to be honored as Cleveland Browns Legends.
Jimmy was named the radio "Voice of the Browns" when the team returned to the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1999. Amid the numerous changes in coaches and general managers and despite many more losing seasons than winning ones, Jimmy was always the one constant that Browns fans could look forward to enjoying every Sunday.
After being diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2000, Jimmy began a decade-long battle with the disease that ultimately resulted in a bone marrow transplant in the summer of 2011.
In September of last year, Jimmy stepped away from WKYC and his Browns announcing duties for two months to undergo treatment for leukemia after it relapsed. He made a triumphant return to the booth and was able to call the Browns' remarkable march to the playoffs.
Jimmy retired from WKYC in June after a remarkable 39-year tenure as sports and news anchor, but was back doing Browns games during the preseason. On Aug. 29, he announced that he was stepping down as the radio voice of the Browns because his cancer had returned "very aggressively," requiring him to devote everything he has "to continue the fight."
"Not a day has gone by when I haven't paused and been so proud to be 'The Voice of the Browns,'" Jimmy wrote in a letter to Browns fans. "Cheryl (Jimmy's wife), Meghan (Jimmy's daughter) 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."
A graduate of Boston University, Jimmy first arrived in Cleveland in 1985 when he joined WKYC. In addition to his anchoring and reporting duties for 3News, Jimmy also had multiple national roles including play-by-play for NBC Sports' NFL coverage from 1987 to 1997, swimming and soccer play-by-play in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics, and World Cup Soccer in 1994.
After WKYC acquired the local, over-the-air television rights to the Cleveland Indians, Jimmy served as play-by-play announcer from 2006–2008. In 2012, he expanded his duties at WKYC, becoming the anchor of 3News' "Front Row" 7 p.m. newscast, while continuing his role as sports anchor.
Jimmy has won many awards during his spectacular career, including multiple Emmys, the Cleveland Press Club All-Ohio Best Sportscaster, the Cleveland Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Press Club Journalism Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, among others.