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Wed, Apr. 17th, 2013, 12:06 am
![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif) freezer: Pat Summerall (1930-2013)
George Allen "Pat" Summerall, the football player turned legendary play-by-play announcer, died Tuesday. He was 82.He was best known as a broadcaster for teaming with former NFL coach John Madden for 22 years. Summerall also worked for years alongside former player Tom Brookshier and became the voice of the NFL in the 1970s and 1980s, calling most of the league's signature games.
Summerall called games for CBS, Fox and ESPN and worked more than 10 Super Bowls.
As a player, he was a placekicker and played 10 seasons for the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants from 1952 to 1961. He scored more than 500 points as an NFL player.
Summerall died Tuesday of cardiac arrest, said Jeff Carlton, a spokesman for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Summerall and Madden were pretty much THE TV sports broadcast team during their run (The only team on their level, IMNSHO, was the classic Monday Night Football lineup of Howard Cosell, Don Meredith and Frank Gifford). The man had one of those "Could listen to him read a phone book" voices, whether it was calling the NFL, The Masters or shilling for True Value Hardware. And he did most of it struggling with alcoholism, which he was pretty open about. RIP, Mr. Summerall.
Mon, Nov. 7th, 2011, 10:00 pm
rosehiptea: Joe Frazier, former heavyweight champ
Sat, Oct. 8th, 2011, 03:51 pm
freezer: Al Davis 1929-2011
Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis dead at 82Interesting thing about Davis: He was only majority owner of the Raiders, as opposed to GM/Minority Owner, since 2005. Many current and former Raiders call him "Coach Davis," even though he was only the head coach from 1964-1966 (Resigning to become the AFL Commissioner for the league's last four seasons). It's a testament to how much the man meant to the National Football League that so many still had so much respect for the man, despite the utter train wreck the Raiders have been over the last ten years. Commitment to Excellence, forever.
Fri, May. 20th, 2011, 12:50 pm
cygnia: RIP: "Macho Man" Randy Savage
http://www.tmz.com/2011/05/20/randy-savage-car-accident-macho-man-dead-dies-died-killed-wwe-wrestler-florida/Florida Highway Patrol tells TMZ ... Savage was driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler when he veered across a concrete median ... through oncoming traffic ... and "collided head-on with a tree."
Savage was transported to Largo Medical center, where he died from his injuries.
Savage's wife was a passenger in the vehicle during the collision -- but survived with "minor injuries." She was transported to a different local hospital where she was treated.
According to officials, Randy and Lynn were both wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident.
Cops say alcohol was NOT a factor.
An investigation into the accident is underway.
Tue, May. 17th, 2011, 05:06 pm
tez: Going, going...
Harmon Killebrew, Tuesday, of esophageal cancer. He racked up 572 home runs over 22 seasons, in an era when steroids weren't even remotely an issue. A serious baseball class act, and one who will be sorely missed.
Mon, Dec. 6th, 2010, 09:00 pm
freezer: Turn Out The Lights...
"Dandy" Don Meredith dead at 72.Two-time All-American at SMU. Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys for the first nine years of their existence (including legendary 1967 NFL championship {The "Ice Bowl"}). Most famous for being part of the classic Monday Night Football announce team with Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell. Cosell and Meredith openly disliked each other (and intentionally played up that up on air) and that conflict added a dynamic to the broadcasts that helped make MNF a ratings giant and a pop culture icon. As a fan of both the Cowboys and MNF, this one hurts
Fri, Dec. 3rd, 2010, 11:53 am
freezer: Ron Santo (1940-2010)
Wed, Nov. 10th, 2010, 11:09 pm
tez: Goodbye, baseball.
Dave Niehaus, sportscaster, passed away due to heart attack at age 75.People outside the Pacific Northwestern USA (and possibly British Columbia) or outside baseball have probably never heard of him, but he was the voice of Seattle Mariners baseball from the club's opening game in 1977 until the close of this season. To me -- and a lot of other people from this area, I'd bet -- Mariners baseball was defined by this man's voice. I'm going to eat garlic fries in his honor tonight, and then find a place to watch the 1995 playoff game that won the AL West.
Thu, Nov. 4th, 2010, 03:15 pm
harrylovesron:
Sparky AndersonSparky Anderson who managed three teams to World Series championships died today at the age of 76.
A family spokesman said Anderson died from complications from dementia at a hospice in Thousand Oaks, California.
Anderson managed the famed “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds teams to World Championships in 1975 and ’76 and the Detroit Tigers to a title in 1984.
He was the first manager to win World Series in both leagues and has the 8th most wins in major league history. He was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.:(
Mon, Sep. 27th, 2010, 06:50 pm
freezer: George Blanda (1927-2010)
Raiders Hall of Fame QB George Blanda dies at 83The man was a legend in every sense of the word. He played a mind-blowing 26 seasons, from 1949 to 1976, in both the NFL and AFL. He was the QB for the first two AFL championships (with the Houston Oilers) and the Oakland Raiders' kicker in Super Bowl II. At 42, he was the oldest player to ever start at QB in a championship game (1970 in a loss to Baltimore). He retired as the NFL's all-time leading scorer (He's currently third on the list) and holds several other records, including most touchdown passes in a game (tied with 4 others at 7). Safe to say there won't be another like him. The football world lost a true legend.
Fri, Aug. 27th, 2010, 05:40 pm
cygnia: RIP: Luna Vachon
This one is for the wrestling fans...:( Luna Vachon
Thu, Jul. 29th, 2010, 04:14 am
freezer: RIP: Lorenzen Wright
The body of former National Basketball Association player Lorenzen Wright was found in a wooded area in southeast Memphis, Tennessee, the Commercial Appeal reported, citing a law enforcement official it didn’t identify.
The 34-year-old Wright had been missing since July 19, the day he had planned to return to Atlanta after visiting his six children in Memphis, the newspaper said. A Memphis homicide detective last night declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg News, saying he wasn’t authorized to speak and the investigation was incomplete.
A police dispatcher in Germantown, Memphis, received a 911 call on Wright’s cell phone on the day he disappeared, the Commercial Appeal said. He heard several gunshots before the call ended and no one answered a returned call, the paper added.
Wright spent 13 seasons in the NBA after being drafted as the overall seventh pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1996. He also had stints with Atlanta, Memphis, Sacramento and Cleveland, averaging eight points and 6.4 rebounds in 778 career games. The guy was a local legend (Memphis). Here was someone who was a star player on the high school and college level who actually got to return to play for his hometown pro team (He was the starting center on all three Grizzlies playoff teams). Local news reports say he was found with several gunshot wounds. None of which were self-inflicted. Damn.
Tue, Jul. 27th, 2010, 07:00 pm
freezer: Hard-hitting former Raider Jack Tatum dies at 61
He was called the “Assassin.”
Jack Tatum was one of the hardest hitters in the NFL, a Pro Bowl safety who intimidated opposing players with bone-jarring tackles that helped make his Oakland Raiders one of toughest teams of its era.
...Tatum died Tuesday at age 61 in an Oakland hospital. The cause was a massive heart attack, according to friend and former Ohio State teammate John Hicks. Tatum had battled diabetes and other health problems for years, Hicks said.
Tatum was also part of two of the most famous plays in NFL history: "The Immaculate Reception" (He was the Raider that knocked the ball out of Frenchy Fuqua's hands) and the 1977 pre-season game where his hit on New England receiver Darryl Stingley left Stingley a quadriplegic. (Tatum never really lived down the stigma of being "The guy that paralyzed Darryl Stingley" and only played three more years afterward). I imagine the flags are at half-mast all over Oakland today.
Tue, Jul. 13th, 2010, 10:09 am
cygnia: RIP: George Steinbrenner
Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner Passes Away at 80George Steinbrenner, the New York Yankees owner known as "The Boss" for his tempestuous style, has died at age 80, the New York Daily News reported on its website on Tuesday, citing an unnamed, high-placed team source.
Media reports said that he suffered a massive heart attack at his home in Tampa, Florida, and was rushed to hospital.
Steinbrenner demanded results and got them running America's most successful sports franchise. The Yankees won seven World Series titles and 11 American League pennants since he bought the fabled club in 1973. He handed over daily operations of the club to his sons in recent years.
"Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing," he once said.
Steinbrenner's Yankees empire, which he purchased for $10 million, is now worth billions.
Steinbrenner, who turned 80 on the U.S. Independence Day holiday on July 4, was a well-known figure in popular culture, routinely pictured on the back pages of New York's tabloids wearing his familiar white turtleneck under a blue blazer and regularly skewered in the TV sitcom "Seinfeld."
Mon, Jul. 12th, 2010, 01:43 am
tari3: Bob Sheppard, 1910-2010
The Voice of Yankees Stadium, Bob Sheppard, passed away on Sunday, July 11, at 99 years old. He was the announcer for the Yankees for over 50 years and dubbed 'The Voice of God' by Reggie Jackson. Sheppard's first game also happened to be Mickey Mantle's Opening Day debut in 1951. He announced his last game in 2007 and due to a bronchial infection, was unable to continue. “You think of all the tradition with the Yankees, you think about Gehrig and Yogi and Joe D and Mantle, and I think you mention Bob Sheppard,” Manager Joe Girardi said. “That’s how important he was to this franchise. The first time I heard him was in 1996, the first time I walked out in Yankee Stadium, and you realize that you hit the big lights when Bob Sheppard announces your name.”Read more
Fri, Jul. 2nd, 2010, 06:44 am
freezer: Air Coryell grounded for good.
Former San Diego Chargers coach Don Coryell dies at 85.SAN DIEGO -- Don Coryell, the innovative coach whose Air Coryell offense produced some of the most dynamic passing attacks in NFL history, has died. He was 85.
...Coryell was one of the founding fathers of the modern passing game. He coached at San Diego State from 1961-72 and went 104-19-2. He left the Aztecs for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973. With Jim Hart at quarterback, the Cardinals won division titles in 1974 and '75 behind Coryell.
Coryell returned to San Diego when he was hired by the Chargers on Sept. 25, 1978... From 1978-86, Air Coryell -- led by [Dan] Fouts -- set records and led the NFL in passing almost every season. Coryell guided the Chargers to the AFC championship game after the 1980 and '81 seasons, but he never reached the Super Bowl. I really started watching football with any sort of knowledge at the tail end of Coryell's tenure in San Diego. His teams were damn fun to watch. The man was an underrated offensive genius. The world of pro football has lost a good one.
Sat, Jun. 19th, 2010, 05:57 pm
cygnia: Manute Bol passes away at age 47
Manute Bol passes away at age 47Packed small college gym on a cold winter night in ’85, and a friend’s father had driven us to campus to see Manute Bol for ourselves. No one had ever seen such a sight on the basketball court, arms and legs that went on forever, rising and rising until they reached a narrow face with such uncertain eyes. Plopped across the world, here was Bol, a 7-foot-7 center out of the Sudan, out of your wildest imagination.
Near the end of the night, Bol had obliterated a muscular, undersized Division II center who had spent the night throwing elbows into his kidneys and chest. As Bol watched the final minute, we walked slowly behind the University of Bridgeport’s bench and some kid stopped a few feet from him and said loudly enough for Bol to hear: “Is he real? Can I touch him?”
I’ll never forget Bol glancing back toward him, his sad, soft eyes delivering an answer to a question that no one ever needed to ask. Basketball has never had a truer humanitarian, a most gregarious and generous gentleman. His life was an inspiration, heroic and ultimately tragic. Bol died on Saturday at age 47 in a Virginia hospital, and the wire report says he lost out to kidney disease and a painful skin condition.
Sat, Jun. 5th, 2010, 12:13 am
freezer: The Wizard of Westwood passes
Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden diesLOS ANGELES – John Wooden, college basketball's gentlemanly Wizard of Westwood who built one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports at UCLA and became one of the most revered coaches ever, has died. He was 99. In his 27 seasons at UCLA, his teams won 11 NCAA championships, including an unprecedented (and unmatched) seven straight championships and a record-smashing 88 straight victories. His star players included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor), Bill Walton, Jamal Wilkes, Gail Goodrich, and Sidney Wicks. There's never been anyone like him before or since in the sport. He will be missed.
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