Larry Donovan
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
March 30, 1941 Scottsbluff, Nebraska |
| Alma mater | University of Nebraska |
| Playing career | |
| 1960–1962 | Nebraska |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1967–1971 | South Dakota (assistant) |
| 1972–1975 | Washington State (assistant) |
| 1976–1978 | Iowa (assistant) |
| 1979 | Kansas (assistant) |
| 1980–1985 | Montana |
| 1986–1987 | BC Lions (DL/ST) |
| 1987–1989 | BC Lions |
| 1990–1991 | Saskatchewan Roughriders (LB/ST) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 25–38–1 (college) 14–12 (CFL) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Big Sky (1982) 1 West Division (1988) |
|
Larry Donovan (born March 30, 1941) is a former head football coach for the Montana Grizzlies and BC Lions.
A 1964 graduate of the University of Nebraska, Donovan served as an assistant at South Dakota, Washington State, Iowa, and Kansas before becoming Montana's head coach on December 15, 1979.
In his six seasons as head coach of the Grizzlies, Donovan had a 25–38–1 record and only one winning season. On November 25, 1985, athletic director Harley Lewis announced that the contracts of Donovan and eight of his assistants would not be renewed. Donovan believed that he had been unjustly fired and blamed the antiquated Dornblaser Field for his lack of success in recruiting. His requests for a new stadium resulted in the construction of Washington–Grizzly Stadium, which opened in 1986.
Donovan's next coaching job was as the defensive line coach for the BC Lions. On October 30, 1987, head coach Don Matthews was fired and Donovan was named interim head coach. The Lions went 4–0 after the coaching change and finished the season in first place in the West Division. In his first full season as head coach, the Lions had a 10–8 record and made it to the Grey Cup, losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 22–21. The Lions struggled in 1989 and Donovan was fired after an 0–4 start.
Donovan was an assistant coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1990 and 1991. He traveled to Japan to coach the Japanese X League Hurricanes sponsored by Hitachi Limited and Renesas Technologies from 1992 until 2007. He was a training camp coach and consultant for the Asahi Beverage Challengers in Osaka, Japan in 2010.
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