Anne Donovan
(1961-2018)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1995
Card Shown:
2009-10 Panini Hall of Fame
Famed Signatures
Position: C
Height: 6’8″
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Anne Donovan, at 6’8″ tall, was a dominant inside player in the 1980s. Donovan was recruited by over 200 colleges but chose to play basketball at Old Dominion University. During her college career, Donovan averaged 20.0 points, 14.5 rebounds, and an incredible 5.9 blocks per game. The Lady Monarchs compiled a record of 116-20 during her four years at the university and she led the team to one championship and two other Final Four appearances during her four years at the school.
After her college career, Anne played professional basketball internationally and then returned to the United States to coach at the college, national, and professional levels. The list of teams that Donovan coached after her playing career ended include Team USA, East Carolina University, Seton Hall University, and five teams in the WNBA (Charlotte Sting, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm).
Awards and Honors
- Anne led her Old Dominion team to the AIAW title and a 37-1 record as a college freshman in 1980.
- During her time at Old Dominion, Donovan was an All-American three times from 1980 through 1982.
- Anne was an Academic All-American twice, in 1982 and 1983.
- Donovan was a three-time Olympian. In 1980, when the USA boycotted the Moscow games, Team USA still decided to participate in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Bulgaria. The team, including Hall of Fame players Donovan, Denise Curry, Carol Blazejowski, and Lynette Woodard, rolled to a 6-1 record and won the tournament before withdrawing from the Olympics. In 1984, Team USA won the Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles. In addition to Donovan, Curry, and Woodard, Cheryl Miller and Teresa Edwards had joined the team. In 1988 in Seoul, the United States again won the gold medal in women’s basketball with a team that included Donovan, Edwards, Katrina McClain and Cynthia Cooper.
- Anne was honored with the inaugural women’s Naismith Player of the Year Award in 1983.
Points of Interest
- Anne was part of a large family that possessed exceptional height. She had seven brothers and sisters who stood between 5’11” and 7’1″ tall.
- Donovan spent time, after her college basketball career, playing professional basketball overseas. She played six years in Japan and Italy.
- As a coach, Anne led Team USA to the Olympic gold medal victory over Australia in Beijing in 2008. On that team Donovan coached Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, and Katie Smith. Dawn Staley was an assistant coach.
- Donovan later coached the Seattle Storm to a WNBA championship in 2004. She became the first female coach to win a WNBA title and also the youngest coach to accomplish this feat at the age of 42.
- Anne was also inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999 and the FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.