Hovland, born in Beloit, Wisconsin, started his sports promotion career as a member and manager of the barnstorming House of David basketball team in the 1930s and 1940s.
Hovland was an advocate for women and minorities equal access tin sports participation before the Civil Rights Bill during rampant segregation .
The colorful sports commentator Heywood Hale Broun travelled with the team, documenting the life of young women living on the road in a profession dominated by males.
Eddie Gottlieb was instrumental in securing games for Hovland's female Texas Cowgirls on the National Basketball Association schedules.
Her career with the team included sharing courts with Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers such as Bob Cousy, Ed Macauley, Dolph Schayes, and George Mikan.