Jim Donovan, longtime radio voice of the Browns, the man who for decades sat as the sports anchor of WKYC-TV 3, passed away on Oct. 26 after losing his courageous battle with lymphocytic leukemia. Donovan was 68 years old. The leukemia hounded Donovan for more than 20 years, yet through it all his spirit remained strong until the very end. “This is an incredibly difficult day for us and the entire Cleveland Browns organization,” Cleveland Browns Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jim Donovan. 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.” On May 25, 2011, Donovan announced on Channel 3’s 11 p.m. newscast that he had been battling leukemia for 10 years and had reached the point where he needed a bone marrow transplant. The transplant was successful, and by Sept. 11, 2011, Donovan was back in the radio booth to do the play-by-play of the season opener between the Browns and Bengals. In September of last year, during the broadcast of the season opener with the Bengals, Donovan announced he would have to step aside for more medical treatment, but he was back in the booth by Nov. 11 and had this call when the Browns beat the Jets, 37-20, on Dec. 28 to clinch a playoff spot: “That’s it! The Browns are going to the playoffs! The postseason is back in Cleveland!” Donovan did the play-by-play for all three Browns preseason games this summer, but five days after the Browns played the Seahawks in Seattle on Aug. 24, Donovan wrote an open letter to Browns fans. “I have called my last Browns game and that’s why I’m writing to you,” he wrote. “As many of you know, I have been dealing with cancer for many years. I’ve gone through every treatment imaginable. But my cancer is a defiant opponent and has returned and very aggressively. This will require me to devote everything I have in me to continue the fight and my family and I are committed to doing that.” On Sept. 22 of this year, Donovan and former Browns kicker Phil Dawson were inducted into the Browns Legends. Donovan was too ill to attend the ceremony. He was represented by his wife Cheryl and daughter Meghan. “He kept it real, but he kept a positive tone to it,” Dawson said about the way Donovan called a Browns game. “He just always could find that balance — authentic, real, accurate, but he was still supportive, even when there wasn’t a whole lot to support. “And I know the players appreciated that. I know I certainly appreciated that. He was always quick to try to provide context, rather than letting people just focus on an individual moment. He just really had a knack for seeing the big picture. It was always ‘Go Browns,’ yet he kept it real and accurate, so that everybody understood what was going on.” Donovan was born in Boston. The NHL Bruins were his favorite team, aside from the Browns. Andrew Sicilliano replaced Donovan in the radio booth beginning with the season opener Sept. 8 against the Cowboys.