Baker Mayfield’s 3-year stint with the Cleveland Browns may have ended in 2021 but there were moments that were worth the attention and praise. 2018, his rookie season, Baker surpassed Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson with the highest passing touchdowns (27). Moments like this and many others would have meant next to nothing if it weren’t for the voice that was around since the team’s expansion rebirth in 1999. That voice is no more.

Mayfield’s entry with the Browns was a moment of the team’s longtime search for a franchise QB. Despite the lean, losing years, Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Famer would bank on moments to celebrate. Take the Browns’ December 9, 2018 game against the Panthers. Coming off from a 29-13 loss to the Texans the previous week, the comeback match saw Mayfield come all guns blazing. Besides his clinical performance, going 18-for-22 (82 percent) for 238 yards and a 126.9 passer rating, the highlight of the game was a 51-yard touchdown to Receiver Jarvis Landry to tie the game at 14 in the second quarter. And who was there to translate the excitement of the moment? Beloved radio play-by-play announcer, Jim Donovan. Although health conditions forced him to retire in August this year, life certainly came full circle in 2020.

Brown Bombers clinched their first playoff berth in 18 years after they beat the Steelers at home. The pandemic had kept the Dawg Pound at bay but not Jim Donovan. Rising to this iconic comment, “The only thing that’s missing? All of you!” Since his cancer kept him off game-day duties, Donovan wrote a special letter which was possibly the last attempt to connect with the Browns fans.

“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 said.

Donovan passed away at the age of 68, after a long battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a strain of the disease that starts in white blood cells and affects bone marrow. He was first diagnosed with the disease in 2000. He underwent a successful bone marrow transplant in the summer of 2011 and continued to monitor the disease in the following years. But in May 2023, Donovan announced the disease had relapsed and would need to undergo a more aggressive treatment.

Mayfield took the somber occasion to rekindle his unsevered connection with the Browns with a touching Instagram post. “Saddened to hear the news of Jim’s passing. So many great memories of Jim and his iconic voice calling our games. One of my all-time favorites in my story. Sending love to the Donovan Family…RIP Jim.”

He also shared the screenshot of ESPN Cleveland post on the story, recalling the great memories spent together, as he captioned it, “Legendary Man.” One of Mayfield’s stories also highlighted one of the best callings of Donovan, back in March 2021, which he tagged as “One of my all time favorite calls by Jim.”

“This is an incredibly difficult day for us and the entire Cleveland Browns organization. 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,” Cleveland Browns Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. To mark the love the Browns did everything they could.

The Browns were introduced as a team on Sunday to keep the focus on Donovan. Before they kicked off their game against the Ravens, the team played a tribute video with some of the late broadcaster’s most memorable calls of his career. The Dawg Pound played their part, giving a standing ovation to honor Donovan. This was followed by a moment of silence. The team also placed a heartfelt memorial to the announcer in the press box, which Donovan called home during his tenure as the voice of Cleveland’s games. But this was just one half of their tribute. The other heartfelt half was created after the Browns’ win.

For many, this win, breaking a 5-game losing streak, was for Jim. “I told you I would love nothing more than to give this game ball to the family of Jim Donovan. Jim loved the Cleveland Browns, he loved you guys, we will be here for his family. This one is from Jim,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game, as he met in the locker room with his players holding the game ball. Stefanski and General Manager Andrew Berry personally presented the game ball to Jim’s wife, Cheryl, and his daughter, Meghan, after the game.

“We got the win for Jim,” the Cleveland Browns tweeted after Sunday’s big game. The new voices of Browns Radio, Nathan Zegura and Andrew Siciliano, have apparently impossible shoes to fill. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Donovan used to turn down the volume of the television and practice calling games by watching the broadcast while growing up. Donovan was a 1978 graduate of Boston University and began his career as a sports director for WJON radio in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

He first joined 3News in 1985 as a weekend sports anchor. He then became the weeknight sports anchor in 1986, a position he held until his retirement in 2024. Donovan also held multiple national roles including play-by-play for NBC Sports’ NFL coverage from 1987-97, swimming and soccer play-by-play in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics, and World Cup Soccer in 1994. But nothing can override his role as the ‘Voice of the Cleveland Browns.’

Jim Donovan: A blend of expertise with emotions

Donovan was named as the radio “Voice of the Cleveland Browns” in 1999, when the franchise returned from a three-year hiatus, and completed his 25th season in 2023. Over this long period, Donovan had some of the most iconic calls that have become a part of the Browns history.

From his “Run, William, run” call in 2002 during RB William Green’s 64-yard touchdown run in a playoff-clinching win against the Falcons to his “Is this how it feels?” call when the Browns defeated the Jets in Week 3 of the 2018 season to the team’s first victory in 635 days, Donovan’s commentary is studded with gems.

Donovan’s calls told the story of the Browns, that became synonymous with clinching a playoff berth on Thursday Night Football in 2023 against the Jets. As the final seconds ticked down, Donovan screamed, “That’s it! The Browns are going to the playoffs! The postseason is back in Cleveland!”

Browns player Joel Bitonio correctly pointed out, “A lot of my memories as you hear him making the calls, you know what I mean? Going to the playoffs, chubb, chubba wubba against Atlanta. All those plays could go back to his voice, and I’ve only been here 11 years. I know a lot of people have had him for 25.” 

With all those contributions, Donovan was inducted into the 2024 Class of Browns Legends on September 22, alongside K Phil Dawson, who was the person to inform Donovan of the news shortly before the ceremony. Donovan’s daughter, Meghan, accepted the Browns Legends jacket on behalf of Donovan during the ceremony.

“He kept it real, but he kept a positive tone to it. 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,” Dawson said of Donovan’s calls.

As the Browns returned to the winning track in week 8, cheers were loud. But what was the only thing that was missing? It was the iconic voice that defined the franchise over the years.