Mark Donovan laced up his first pair of wrestling shoes in 1981 to wrestle for the Tewksbury Redmen, who were then coached by George 'Jock' Patterson. Little did Mark realize that, by his junior year, he would be wrestling for a head coach who bore a more familiar surname - his brother Al Donovan. Together, the Donovan brothers perpetuated and enhanced Tewksbury's rich wrestling tradition.

After captaining the Tewksbury wrestling team in his senior year of high school, Mark competed on the Massachusetts Junior National Team. Looking for an opportunity to stay involved in the great sport of wrestling, Mark applied for the head wrestling position at Shawsheen Valley Technical High School when former coach Bob Kanellas moved into an administrative position with the school. Prior to the 1985-1986 season, Athletic Director Ron Nowakowski wisely selected Donovan to lead Shawsheen's wrestling program; he would not regret this decision.

Since his inaugural year, Mark has earned broad respect not only as a head coach but also as a role model for young athletes. Donovan's competitive intensity and work ethic are matched only by his desire to develop young athletes into productive citizens and successful adults. Mark's drive to work with youth - to shape their behavior through constructive activities such as interscholastic athletics - was no doubt influenced by both of the full-time positions that he held for more than two decades.

During the day, Donavan served as the Assistant Dean of Students at Shawsheen Tech - a position that he still holds to this day. During the evening (after football and wrestling practice), Mark served as a deputy sheriff for the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office at the Billerica House of Correction. In 2010, Donavan retired from the sheriff's office as a captain after 23 years of extraordinary service to Middlesex County. At long last, Mark had settled into the comfort of only one full-time position, in addition to his beloved 'part-time' coaching duties.

As if he wasn't already busy enough, Mark continued to compete on the wrestling mat throughout much of his adult life. At one time or another, Donovan trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado and competed in several national tournaments in freestyle and Greco-Roman. During the 1990s, Mark won both a gold and a silver medal at the World Police and Fire Games.

Meanwhile, Coach Donovan was building a high school wrestling dynasty in Billerica. His Shawsheen wrestlers are renowned for their peak conditioning, solid technique, and hard-nosed style. These are traits that reflect the personalities of Coach Donovan and his long-time assistant Doug Pratt, who both brought their 'Tewksbury-Tough' mentality to Shawsheen. This attitude is exemplified by the fact that Shawsheen has perennially opted to 'wrestle up' in Division One, even though its school matriculation numbers qualify the wrestling team for Division Two. Never one to shy away from competition, Donovan always seeks out the best teams and toughest tournaments to fill Shawsheen's wrestling schedule.

Everyone in Massachusetts and throughout New England knows that when you wrestle Shawsheen, you had better be in shape and you'd better be ready for a battle. Although his wrestlers always wrestled tough, Coach Donovan didn't put up with any shenanigans. Sportsmanship has always been paramount to Mark; he'd beat you fair-and-square, with clean, hard wrestling. Afterwards, 'Dunny' would look you in the eye and shake your hand. For Mark, there is no other way to compete.

Donovan brought this same mindset to his positions as sheriff and dean of students; this approach was equally effective in those arenas. Arguably, Mark's legendary exploits as a correctional leader and an educator were exceeded only by his record as a high school wrestling coach. Donovan's Shawsheen teams have accrued over 400 dual meet victories and Mark has deservedly been inducted into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Wrestling Coaches Association (MIWCA) Hall of Fame. Donovan has twice been named coach-of-the-year by the Lowell Sun, Boston Globe, and Boston Herald. Along the way, Mark's teams have earned a remarkable 17 league titles. From Coach Donovan's weigh-in sheets have emerged 25 sectional champions, eight Massachusetts state champs, four all-state champs, and one New England champ. In 2010, his Shawsheen team won both individual and team sectional championships while finishing second in the state.

Retirement from his corrections career has not slowed Mark's pace. In addition to coaching, Donovan contributes to the business and culture of Massachusetts wrestling by serving as a state representative in the state coaches association (MIWCA). In March 2014, as Mark was completing his 29th season as Shawsheen's head wrestling coach, he was inducted into the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Meanwhile, Mark has always retained his 'Redmen' roots, continuing to reside in Tewksbury with his infinitely tolerant and beautiful wife Patricia and their two athletic sons Sean and Matthew - both of whom excelled in three high school sports (football, hockey, and lacrosse). The entire Donovan family is proud of Mark's accomplishments and humbled by his latest induction.

In recognition of his many years of service to the sport of wrestling as a coach and mentor, the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is honoring Mark Donovan with its award for Lifetime Service to Wrestling.