Mr. Donovan: The Art of storytelling

Fifty years ago, Art Donovan lumbered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The first Baltimore Colt inducted, Donovan, a defensive tackle, played 12 years, winning NFL championships in 1958 and 1959. Enshrined on Aug. 3, 1968, he died 45 years later, almost to the day, on Aug. 4, 2013.

Truth be told, Donovan was as good at spinning yarns as he was at stopping runners. Here’s a classic that Donovan shared with The Sun in 1975:

“We used to throw cold buckets of water on each other [in the locker room], and one day [Coach] Weeb Ewbank sent word out that the next guy he caught throwing water, he was going to fine $1,000. So Gino Marchetti says to Carl Taseff, ‘Listen, Gaucho, we’ll throw one more bucket of water and we’ll throw it on ‘The Horse’ [Alan Ameche]. I’ll stand here,’ he says, ‘and when The Horse comes around the corner, I’ll nod and you let him have it.’

“So, anyhow, here comes Weeb out of his office, all dressed up to do his TV show, and he comes around the corner and Marchetti nods and Gaucho lets the bucket of water go and — oh, my God! — he sees Weeb and he goes running after the water with the bucket and Weebis standing there drenched saying, ‘You SOB. You dirty, no good SOB,’ and Gaucho is saying, ‘I’m sorry, Coach. I’m sorry, Coach,’ and the guys are rolling on the floor and crying and laughing, and Weeb is so mad he’s shaking and there’s that poor bastard Gaucho standing there saying, ‘I’m sorry, Coach. I’m sorry, Coach.’ ”