Donovan's coaching career spanned 52 years, working with teams in the United States, Korea, Canada, and Japan.
There, Donovan's physicality translated to athletic success when he started pole vaulting and setting records in junior high.
[1] He set a state record for a 13-foot [2]pole vault in 1959 when he won a gold medal as an elite athlete in the country for his age group.
In 1982, he established the Conner-Madden Memorial Scholarship with fellow alumni Kendal Early and Bob Peshek.
While in Korea, Donovan served as Forward Artillery in the DMZ, receiving an Army commendation medal for his service; he was also co-coach and player for the undefeated champions of the 2nd infantry division in 1966.
Donovan served as an assistant at South Dakota, Washington State, Iowa, and Kansas before becoming Montana's head coach on December 15, 1979.
[15] On November 25, 1985, athletic director Harley Lewis announced that the contracts of Donovan and eight of his assistants would not be renewed.
[16][17] Donovan believed that he had been unjustly fired and blamed the antiquated Dornblaser Field for his lack of success in recruiting.
In 1988, his first and only 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.
He traveled to Japan to coach the Japanese X League Hurricanes sponsored by Hitachi Limited and Renesas Technologies from 1992 until 2007.