Sports category, Page 61
Former NFL player Kevin Johnson killed at homeless encampment, medical examiner says
LOS ANGELES — Former Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Kevin Johnson died from “blunt head trauma and stab wounds” at a homeless encampment, according to the medical examiner. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said Johnson, 55, was pronounced dead Wednesday morning after being found unconscious. His death was ruled a...
Colts confirm FBI has opened investigation into death of former owner Jim Irsay
The FBI has opened an investigation into the death of former Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, team officials confirmed Friday. When Irsay died in May, the team issued a statement saying he died “peacefully in his sleep.” But in late August, The Washington Post reported Irsay continued to battle a...
Andy Weidl interviewing with Falcons could maybe provide more turnover for Steelers
A little more than halfway through the almost-four years of his current tenure spent as Pittsburgh Steelers assistant general manager, Andy Weidl, during the 2024 training camp, made an observation about the organization. “Turnover,” Weidl said, “it’s part of the business. Doesn’t happen a lot here. You know, there’s always...
The Indiana model: Is Pitt football capable of becoming a national contender?
The magnitude surrounding Indiana’s national championship is still being absorbed by the college football universe. In the span of two years, coach Curt Cignetti transformed one of the most historically futile programs to the top of the sport, provoking coaches, pundits and fans to wonder: How? Programs such as Pitt...
Duquesne athletics announces 2026 hall of fame class
Duquesne athletics revealed its 2026 Merle E. Gilliand Hall of Fame class, and three individuals, three teams and a contributing builder of Dukes athletics will be honored. Former swimmers Emma Brinton (2017-21) and Abigail Stauffer (2015-19) and former baseball player Donald Ziegler (1954-58) join builders Joe and Kathy Guyaux for...
Pirates announce schedule changes, player cancellations for PiratesFest due to weather
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that the anticipation of severe weather this weekend has impacted player appearances and caused a change in the schedule for Saturday’s annual fan festival at David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Among the players who canceled appearances at PiratesFest because of travel concerns are three new acquisitions...
Penguins score 3 goals in 37 seconds — and didn’t break the franchise record
The Pittsburgh Penguins scored three goals in 37 seconds Thursday during their 6-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers — and it didn’t even come close to breaking the franchise record. The franchise mark for the three fastest goals is 27 seconds, established during a 10-4 win against the St. Louis...
Mark Madden: Many reasons why the Penguins are better than expected
The numbers don’t lie: • The Penguins are 10-2-2 since the NHL’s holiday break. • The Penguins have scored the first goal in each of those 10 wins. (They don’t come out flat like the Steelers.) • The Penguins are 25-14-11. Second in the Metropolitan Division. Second-fewest regulation losses in...
First Call: Mario Cristobal linked to Steelers; DeMarvin Leal goes to New York
Friday’s “First Call” has some details about a potential hurdle in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coaching search. One college candidate may be in the mix. A former Steeler is heading to New York to play for John Harbaugh. And the surging Penguins have one more hill to climb on the western...
Penguins successfully plug multitude of gaps during Erik Karlsson’s 5-game absence
With the midway point of the season having passed, the Pittsburgh Penguins are well-positioned in a tight Eastern Conference playoff picture. But things are far from guaranteed, as the jockeying continues daily between clubs such as the Penguins, Islanders, Bruins, Sabres, Maple Leafs and other contenders separated by only a...
Tim Benz: Trading for Jason Robertson wouldn’t be mortgaging the Penguins’ future — it would be securing it
I woke up Thursday morning and marveled at the fact that the Pittsburgh Penguins were sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division. I was also reading that the Pens are being linked to standout Dallas winger Jason Robertson in trade talks. Thinking back to the predictions for this team...
Analysis: Picking out silver linings from bad losses an increasingly stale task for Pitt
Jeff Capel knows Pitt let a winnable game slip away because of self-inflicted wounds. “I think we missed eight layups,” Capel said. “So, you look at that and think if we just do these things and make half of the layups, make our free throws in the game, perhaps it’s...
Football Footnotes: Steelers fans should be wary of Baltimore’s hiring of Jesse Minter
A former candidate to replace Mike Tomlin as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach will now be in charge of their top AFC North rival. The Baltimore Ravens hired Jesse Minter to take over for John Harbaugh as their head coach on Thursday. Your next coach of the Baltimore Ravens.We have agreed...
Penguins surge past Oilers, Tristan Jarry for 3rd consecutive win
Members of the Pittsburgh Penguins weren’t terribly jubilant when management decided to trade starting goaltender Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 12. Affectionately known as “Jars” by his teammates, Jarry was popular with the Penguins. Presumably, they were happy seeing Jarry once again Thursday. At least that’s what...
Scottie Scheffler starts new year with 63 at The American Express
LA QUINTA, Calif. — The idea for Scottie Scheffler was to get a gauge on his game at The American Express, and all appeared to be in good working order Thursday. He made birdies on half of his holes for a 9-under-par 63 to join a parade of low scores...
Carrington, Blackwell each score 17 points; Wisconsin beats Penn State 98-71 for 5th straight win
UNIVERSITY PARK — Braeden Carrington and John Blackwell scored 17 points each, and Wisconsin pulled away midway through the first half to rout Penn State, 98-71, on Thursday night for the Badgers’ fifth consecutive win. Nolan Winter added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Nick Boyd scored 11 points for...
Robert Morris men get key Horizon League win vs. Milwaukee
As Robert Morris’ lone returning player from last season’s Horizon League winner, Ryan Prather Jr. knows the feeling of a champion. He’s hoping his new teammates soon feel it, too. Prather scored 23 points for his fourth consecutive game of at least 20 and second time in a row with...
Lawyer for ex-Michigan coach Sherrone Moore wants charges dismissed, says woman is seeking windfall
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A lawyer for fired University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore declared his innocence Thursday and said charges of home invasion and stalking were based on an effort by a staff member to get a financial windfall from the school’s “deep pockets.” In a court filing,...
New Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley slept in office as Pitt assistant: ‘I’d say it worked’
Newly hired Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley can sleep comfortably in South Florida nowadays, but some overnight stays in Pitt’s football facility helped him get there. Hafley, 46, spent five seasons as an assistant at Pitt under coach Dave Wannstedt from 2006-10. He was coaching defensive backs at Albany before...
Penguins activate defenseman Erik Karlsson from injured reserve
The Pittsburgh Penguins activated defenseman Erik Karlsson from injured reserve Thursday, a handful of hours before a road contest against the Edmonton Oilers. In a corresponding transaction, defenseman Ryan Graves was placed on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury. The team announced each maneuver via a social media posting....
Jeff Hafley took the hard road toward coaching Dolphins — including a stop at Pitt
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jeff Hafley was a football coach before he was a football coach. The new coach of the Miami Dolphins played his college football at Siena, with home games before small crowds at a decaying minor-league baseball field in a suburb of Albany, N.Y. Hafley dealt with...
Carlos Beltrán’s wife intently followed Hall of Fame vote-tracker
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Carlos Beltrán’s wife followed Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame vote-tracker with the intensity of an investor tracking the markets. “My wife would wake up every morning, and she was like, ‘Yes,’ and I was like, ‘What happened?’ ” he said Thursday during his first visit to the...
Ravens hire Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as head coach
Before they even began the process of interviewing more than a dozen people for their coaching vacancy, the Baltimore Ravens knew plenty about Jesse Minter. Now he has the job. The Ravens hired the 42-year-old Minter on Thursday, about two weeks after they fired longtime coach John Harbaugh. Minter is...
Nick Gonzales switches to No. 3, as Pirates announce jersey numbers for newcomers
Nick Gonzales had misgivings about wearing No. 39 once Dave Parker was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman made his intentions clear to change his jersey number upon Parker’s death last summer. “It just meant a little more playing today with that number,”...
Novak Djokovic 1 win away from milestone; Stan Wawrinka makes history at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka made it a day for the ages at the Australian Open. Djokovic improved to 399 wins in Grand Slam matches with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Francesco Maestrelli on Thursday, making the 38-year-old, 24-time major winner just one shy of becoming...
