Mt. Rushmore: Art Donovan

by Brian Favat on Feb 24, 2009 7:56 PM EST

We continue our profile of Boston College sports greats to arrive at our BC athletics make-believe Mt. Rushmore...

Name: Arthur "The Bulldog" Donovan
Born: June 1925 (age 83)
Sport: Football (defensive tackle)
BC Era: 1946-1949

Standings: Finished in 13th place with 4% of the vote, ahead of only Mike Mottau (3%)

Why He's In

Four year letterman for the Eagles as defensive tackle from 1946-1949
His teams went a combined 19-14-3 in his four years on the team
In his last game as an Eagle, the team defeated Holy Cross 76-0 ... which is A-OK in our book. I mean, it is no Georgia Tech over Cumberland, but we'll take it.
Inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1970, and one of seven players to have their jersey retired by the school
Yes, this honor was for his professional career (which we said wouldn't count), but this is impressive nonetheless: Donovan is one of only two Eagles to be inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1968 (the other is Ernie Stautner)

Maybe Not?

The best he could do at Boston College was second team all-New England
Teams weren't all that good ... 6-3 as a freshman, 5-4 as a sophomore, 4-3-2 as a junior, and 4-4-1 as a senior. But then again, how much influence does a DT have on a game?
Never played in a bowl game ... played during the bowl-less streak between 1942-1982
Lack of college football statistics from back in the day make it hard to understand his impact on the field
Known more for his dominance in the NFL, which included two NFL Championships with the Baltimore Colts (1958 and 1959)

X-Factors

"I was 17 pounds when I was born. My mother couldn't walk for about three weeks."
Badass extracurricular activity. Donovan was also guest commentator for the WWF's 1994 edition of King of the Ring alongside Gorilla Monsoon and "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

YouTubage ... Heeeeeeeeere's Johnny!

You wouldn't deny a guy who's nicknames are "The Bulldog" and "Fatso" now, would ya?

Yeah, we agree. Kinda weak case.

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