Teams I have played in........ 
Intervista a Eddie Donovan: Ex-Giocatore Football Americano nei Campionati Italiani, Europei, e College Statunitensi (Italian) (PDF) (Word) October 2007 From 1983 to 1994 playing the sport of American Football was my life's greatest passion. Improving myself as a football player provided me with a tremendous sense of purpose and accomplishment. My years playing football are still among of my fondest memories. I think that playing the game competitively especially at the little league, high school, and college levels is a constructive way to begin learning about some of life's most useful abilities: teamwork, dedication, time management, creativity, confidence, perseverance, humility, dealing with adversity, and never letting temporary defeats dissuade one from accomplishing long-term success objectives. The Beginning When I was in seven years old while living in New Jersey my friend Timmy Kroeber introduced me to the game of "Kill-the-Guy-with-the-Ball". From that moment on I was hooked.  1983-1987 Mahwah "Thunderbirds" (NJ)
For more information about Mahwah little league football visit the Mahwah Little League Football site. 
Upon turning nine I was old enough to play the game on the local little league team so I joined the Mahwah "Thunderbirds". I played four seasons. Initially I played defensive back but as I got stronger, tougher, and more experienced I was moved to the inside linebacker position given my ability to follow the ball and tackle people. This would be a trend that would follow me for the rest of my days playing football. We had mixed bag of losing and winning seasons at Mahwah.1986 New Jersey Little League Football - Mahwah vs. Wayne
 1987-1993 Pesaro "Angels" (Italy)
Visit the Pesaro Angels site to view the entire games.  When I turned thirteen I moved to Italy and started playing for the Pesaro "Angels" American football team. The Angels participated in an adult semi-professional league which played all over Italy and sometimes internationally. Each year they would hire coaches and players from the United States some of whom had NFL experience. Given my passion for the game I was "red-shirted" for the first couple of seasons since the team medically insured me for practice but could not extend that coverage to actual league competition due to my age. Initially I trained as a defensive back but as I got stronger, tougher, and more experienced I was moved to the inside linebacker position given my ability to follow the ball and tackle people. I ended up participating in six Serie-A and four Under-21 seasons. The Under-21 league followed a regular fall schedule whereas the Serie-A played from February until June. We played numerous playoff games both in the Serie-A and Under-21 leagues. We had winning records for all four Under-21 seasons. My first three years in the Serie-A from 1988 to 1990 were winning seasons. We had losing seasons in 1991 and 1992. At the age of eighteen during my last Under-21 and Serie-A seasons I was defensive captain and defensive co-captain respectively and had winning seasons in both leagues. 1990 (FIAF Under 21) Pesaro Angels at Ravenna Chiefs
1990 (FIAF Under 21 Round of 16) Fiuggi Lumberjacks at Pesaro Angels - Part 1
1990 (FIAF Under 21 Round of 16) Fiuggi Lumberjacks at Pesaro Angels - Part 2
1990 (FIAF Under 21 Round of 16) Fiuggi Lumberjacks at Pesaro Angels - Part 3
1990 (FIAF Under 21 Quarterfinals) Pesaro Angels at Bologna Towers
 1992 Italian Under 18 National Team
Visit the Italian National Team site to view the entire game.  In 1992 I was rewarded with the privilege of playing for the Italian Under-18 Italian National Team competing in the European National Cup Championship in Toulon, France. I was inside linebacker and team captain. We lost to Finland in the semifinal but managed to win the 3rd place spot by beating England. I was honored to accept the third place trophy on Italy's behalf. 1992 (EFAF Under 18 European Cup) Finland at Italy - Part 1
1992 (EFAF Under 18 European Cup) Finland at Italy - Part 2
1992 (EFAF Under 18 European Cup) Finland at Italy - Part 3
 1993-1994 Boston University "Terriers"
For more information about BU football visit the Boston University Football site. 
During 1993 and 1994 I played for the NCAA Div. 1-AA Boston University "Terriers" football team. Similarly to when I first started playing with the Pesaro "Angels" when I arrived at Boston University I was outmatched in terms of physical ability and experience when comparing myself to some of the fourth and fifth year players on the team. If I was going to become a competitive player like I did at Pesaro it was going to take years of hard work and focused commitment. I played strong safety and aspired to returning to the middle linebacker role once I achieved the necessary size and strength. While at Boston University I experienced two winning seasons. The 1993 season was magical: we went 11-0, won the Yankee conference championship, reached the playoffs, and beat Kurt Warner's Northern Iowa Panthers. It has been considered by many the biggest turnaround in college football history given that the previous year's record was 3-8. Boston University was lucky to have Dan Allen as a coach. He was a truly remarkable man. 1993 NCAA Div. 1 AA Boston University Football - Part 1 1993 NCAA Div. 1 AA Boston University Football - Part 2 1993 NCAA Div. 1 AA Boston University Football - Part 3 1993 NCAA Div. 1 AA Boston University Football - Part 4 1993 NCAA Div. 1 AA Boston University Football - Part 5
The End? My football career ended in 1995 as I had to transition towards starting a career and making a living. Since then I have done my best to keep the spirit that accompanied me during my football years as alive as possible throughout my myriad of life endeavors.  The Comeback?In 2008 I participated in an Air Force Flag Football tournament representing the 12th Medical Group. We went undefeated 11-0 to win the championship. I played cornerback and defensive end.  2008 Pesaro "Angels" (Italy)
During June 2008, after not having donned a helmet and shoulder pads for 14 years, I was invited to rejoin my newly refounded old team in Italy: the Pesaro "Angels". As #20 I played first string linebacker and defensive end in three games of the Serie-A1 regular season against the Firenze "Guelfi", the Naples "Briganti", and the Rome "Marines". To view photographs of the games please click on the picture below. It was an awesome experience...   |
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