LOS ANGELES -- William Donovan ('50), who led LMU to its first conference championship in men's basketball and is the winningest coach in program history, died on Monday, Sept. 8 of natural causes at his residence in Newport Beach, Calif. "Bill" was 86 and was honored at a funeral service today, Monday, Sept. 15 at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach.

Donovan, who graduated Loyola High School in 1946 and then Loyola University in 1950, became the first Lion to reach a 1,000 points in his career as a player. He set the school record with 1,375 points and held the top spot for over 11 years. Following a period serving his country in the US Air Force, Donovan became head basketball coach of the Lions at just 24, which at that time made him the youngest Division 1 coach ever. In eight years coaching, he became the winningest coach in the university's history with a record of 107-101. His 107 wins is still the most in school history. He coached from 1953-61 and later served as Director of Athletics for the University.

In 1958-59, he led the Lions to a share of the conference championship with a 19-8 record, going 9-3 in the West Coast Athletic Conference (now just the West Coast Conference). They would fall to Santa Clara in a one-game playoff to determine the conference championship. The next year he would led the Lions to a 10-2 mark in conference, winning the program's first-ever conference title and first-ever trip to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. They would finish 20-7 overall, defeating USC in the NCAA Far West Regional, 69-67. They would fall to Utah in the second round.

Donovan was inducted into the LMU Athletics' Hall of Fame during the inaugural class of 1986. There are four of his former players in the Hall of Fame, including Brian Quinn, Garnette Brown, Jerry Grote and Tom Salvino.

William Joseph Donovan was born on June 4, 1928 in Los Angeles, CA to Robert Emmett and Alice Bennett Donovan from Nebraska. In 1955, he married Elana Haidinger Donovan and they went on to have seven children, six of which were boys, and 20 grandchildren. They were married 59 years.

Throughout California, Donovan is best known for his success in golf. In addition to playing basketball at LMU, he played golf for the Lions, as did three of his sons (William, Jr. '87, Michael '83, Dan '97). Following his tenure in athletics, he established a career as a stock broker and later a builder. He founded Donovan Golf Management where he owned and/or managed a number of golf courses along with partners including Western Hills Golf Course.

His ties with golf courses started with Willowick (where he won the Santa Ana City Championship at least twice while in his early twenty's), a municipal course in Santa Ana which his descendants still manage to this day. Donovan built Southern California's largest family-owned and operated golf course management business. Today, they manage numerous golf courses throughout California.

As an amateur, Donovan was Club Champion eight different times at several different clubs including Irvine Coast (now Newport Beach Country Club), The Reserve and The Valley Club where he last won at 74 years of age.

He is survived by his wife, Elana, and his sons and their wives Tom and Joanne Donovan and their three children, Matthew and Gabriella and their three children, Mike and Doris and their four children, John and Rebecca and their child, Bill and Lynda and their five children and Dan and Julie and their child and his daughter and her husband Alana and Jerry McGee and their three children.