Posted on: Saturday, July 20, 2002

Donovan likely to leave UH position

Advertiser Staff

All signs point to Jim Donovan leaving the University of Hawai'i after more than 20 years to become the first executive director of the new ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl.

ESPN Regional Television (ERT), owner and operator of the game that will debut Christmas Day at Aloha Stadium, has called a press conference for this morning for what has been termed "several major announcements."

Herman Frazier, UH athletic director designate, said Donovan, who has been associate athletic director at UH for six years, told him he plans to leave the school to pursue another "opportunity in sports." Frazier said he believed the Hawai'i Bowl was that position.

Frazier said he had offered Donovan a job within the athletic department, but it wasn't known if it was the No. 2 post he currently holds.

Pete Derzis, senior vice president of ERT, this week said the bowl was in talks "leading to a deal" for its executive director but said it was "premature" to comment until the press conference.

Donovan, who was a candidate for UH athletic director, declined comment.

Donovan, 42, played on the UH offensive line for two seasons, 1981 and '82, before becoming a graduate assistant football coach and earning a degree in geography. He later earned a master's degree in business administration from UH and served as Rainbow Stadium manager, marketing director and an assistant athletic director.

The bowl game, which fills the void left by the departure of the Aloha and O'ahu bowls after the 2000 season, will match representatives from the Western Athletic Conference and Conference USA. UH is assured a bid to the inaugural game if it wins at least seven of its 13 games this season, Derzis has said.