BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns are set to hold their 2024 class of Browns Legends induction ceremony on Sunday, where they'll welcome kicker Phil Dawson into the club of standout Browns players. But Dawson will be joined by another Cleveland legend—the longtime voice of the Browns, Jim Donovan.
Donovan, who served as the Browns Radio Network play-by-play announcer for the past 25 years, announced last month that he was retiring to focus on his battle with cancer.
To honor Donovan's legacy with the team, he will be inducted into the 2024 class of Browns Legend, an honor reserved for players who made an unforgettable impact in orange and brown. That honor now includes a man who didn't play, but certainly left his impact within the organization.
Dawson had been named an inductee in June and got to be the one to let Donovan know he would be joining him.
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“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 Donovan. “And I can think of no better honor than to get to make this phone call.”
For Dawson the moment was extra special because he calls Donovan a friend.
"Just when you think this experience can't get any better, then I was informed that not only was Jim going to go in with me—which by the way, I can't think of anyone better to go in with—but that I was going to have the opportunity to be the one to let him know. I mean, I love Jim. He's a friend of mine," Dawson said. "It's not just some other Brown that I would've been honored to go in with. This is a guy I call a friend. This is a guy that I've gotten to know, have a relationship with. Obviously he's going through a lot right now, and on a personal side, my heart goes out to him and his family and pulling for him. But to have the chance to make that phone call and see it bring joy to a friend just takes this thing to a whole new level."
Donovan and Dawson will be inducted on Sunday during the Browns' game against the New York Giants inside Huntington Bank Field.
