Billy Donovan Biography

Billy Donovan, baby face Billy Donovan, aka Billy the Kid had his glory days as a collegiate basketball player at Providence College playing for then Providence coach, the redoubtable Rick Pitino.

Glory days they were, all Donovan did at Providence was help the Friars to a NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance in 1987, earn Honorable Mention All-American, Big East Conference First Team, was named New England Player of the Year, Providence Male Athlete of the Year, MVP and Captain 1986-1987. As a fitting finale to all this success Donovan, in 1999, was inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame.

Fast forward some 13 years to 2000 when Coach Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators were defeated in the NCAA Tournament championship game by Michigan State in a hard fought contest. The runnersup for the NCAA Championship Florida Gators had come so far so fast even their most ardent fans were stunned.

After graduating from Providence and two forgettable years working on Wall Street, Donovan was fortunate enough to land a job with Rick Pitino, then head coach at the University of Kentucky. Donovan worked with Rick for the next five years. Then, in 1996 accepted the head coaching job at Marshall University.

Donovan, coming from a highly successful program at Marshall University in West Virginia, successful because Donovan made it so, after two years as head coach decided to take the University of Florida's struggling program and attempt to work similar magic for the Gators ailing basketball fortunes.

Against the advice of his former coach and current mentor, Rick Pitino, in the spring of 1996 Donovan accepted the Florida job. Smart enough to know the Gator resurrection was not a one-man job he brought with him his three assistant coaches from Marshall University.

According to the UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley; "We had a lot of work to do at the University of Florida, we were coming off a 12-win season, at that moment in time we had people saying you guys can't get better at Florida." It was obvious Billy and the boys had there work cut out for them. Time, however would show that Donovan and his coaching team were more than equal to the task.

Prior to accepting Florida's offer Donovan was at Marshall University in West Virginia as head coach for two years. It is here at Marshall he began to apply what he had learned at the side of Rick Pitino while being an assistant at the University of Kentucky. All Donovan did at Marshall was be named 1994 National Rookie Coach of the Year, WV College Coach of the Year and Southern Conference Coach of the Year. He and his coaching team were able to transform a lackluster Marshall basketball program into a mid-majors basketball force to be reckoned with.

All Donovan and his team have done, so far, at the University of Florida is coach the Gators to six consecutive 20-wins seasons, six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, two "Sweet 16's" and one championship game.

"His commitment has been relentless," Florida AD Foley said. Continuing on the Gator's Foley says; "His work ethic has been spectacular. That guy has made some huge inroads here, and this is where he needs to be."

In a recent column for ESPN Dick Vitale had this to say, "Look at Billy Ball -- the style of run, press and shoot employed by the Gators. It's the same style Donovan learned as a player under his mentor at Providence, Rick Pitino (currently the head coach at Louisville). Remember when the Friars went to the Final Four in 1987 with Donovan as their on-court leader and Pitino as their coach? Players love being around an upbeat guy like Donovan."

As with most of us there is another side to Billy Donovan one that doesn't get much publicity, hardly if ever is written about and yet transcends Donovan's God given talents in basketball. Billy Donovan has an unshakeable faith in God and his son Jesus Christ. Donovan is not ashamed to focus attention on his faith, he and his families commitment to a Christian lifestyle and his desire to impart to his players a recognition of the supreme being and there is so much more to life than basketball.

Kudos to Billy Donovan for his on court persona and more importantly his off court lifestyle in a world which increasingly shuns what he and his wife stand for.

Billy graduated from Providence College, he and his wife Christine have three children.

Some of his accomplishments are:

NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance as a player with Providence College in 1987
Earn Honorable Mention All-American
Big East Conference First Team
Named New England Player of the Year
Providence Male Athlete of the Year
Providence MVP and Captain 1986-1987 season
Inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame in 1999
Coached Florida Gators to NCAA Tournament championship game - 2000
Coach Gators to five consecutive 20-wins seasons
Coach Florida to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances including two "Sweet 16's"
Named 1994 National Rookie Coach of the Year at Marshall
Named West Virginia College Coach of the Year at Marshall
Named Southern Conference Coach of the Year at Marshall
Graduated from Providence College