Sports category, Page 674
NFL reaches ‘major milestone’ with record 9 minority head coaches in place for the 2024 season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The National Football League has urged teams for years to hire more minority head coaches. That mission finally seems to be paying off. Four minority head coaches have been hired this year, including Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, New England’s Jerod Mayo, Las Vegas’ Antonio Pierce and Carolina’s Dave...
Mark Madden: PIAA officials clearly insensitive to Aliquippa’s reality
There are usually two sides to every story. But not in the case of Aliquippa High School football being forced to play at the 5A level despite having 2A enrollment. The Quips are getting railroaded by the PIAA. Consider Southern Columbia, a school in Central Pennsylvania that has won the...
Penguins scheduled to start goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic against Panthers
The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic in Friday’s home game against the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Nedeljkovic’s status following an optional morning skate. In 15 games this season, Nedeljkovic has an 8-3-2 record, a 2.66 goals against average, a .916...
Sinner ends 10-time champion Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open streak, faces Medvedev for the title
MELBOURNE, Australia — Jannik Sinner ended one of Novak Djokovic’s perfect streaks in an Australian Open upset and then got to relax while Daniil Medvedev rallied from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev after midnight to secure the other place in the final. For a self-described tennis fan, just...
Football Footnotes: The ideas of ‘Chiefs fatigue’ and Steelers fans adopting the Lions
For “Football Footnotes” this week, we explore the concept of “Chiefs fatigue” and why it’s time for Steelers fans to become a part of #OnePride from Detroit the rest of the way in the NFL playoffs. “Chiefs fatigue” is something that has been talked about in the NFL ether since...
First Call: Falcons’ coaching hire could impact Steelers’ OC plans; ex-Steeler wants to join Mike Tomlin’s staff
Friday’s “First Call” sees how some things falling elsewhere in NFL coaching circles may impact the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator hire. A former Steeler may want to rejoin the team on the coaching staff. We examine the local college basketball scene this weekend, and the Penguins’ contest against Florida Friday...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers’ road less rocky away from The Pete
Home games are supposed to generate comfort and confidence. Players sleep in their own beds. There’s no need for 7-foot centers to fold themselves into airplane seats. Students looking to get on TV don’t hurl insults at foul shooters. None of that has been enough to deter the Panthers, who...
Final 4 NFL playoff teams not afraid to invest at less-coveted positions
In a season full of satisfying moments for Detroit Lions fans, an amusing one occurred in mid-December, when coach Dan Campbell had a chance to gloat a bit about the team’s most recent draft. The players in question were running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta, both of...
Playoffs give Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown chance to shine
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown wrote goals in a notebook before the season started and reads them daily. How’s he doing on the list? “Good,” St. Brown said Thursday. “Great, actually.” He accomplished at least two goals, having at least 1,500 yards receiving and...
Stephan Jaeger eagles final hole for lead in Farmers Insurance Open
SAN DIEGO — Stephan Jaeger of Germany made a 35-foot eagle putt on his final hole for an 8-under-par 64 and a one-shot lead over Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark after the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Thursday. Jaeger was at 12-under halfway through the...
LeBron James makes NBA All-Star team for record 20th time
LeBron James joined yet another exclusive club, and he’ll have plenty of familiar faces alongside him at this season’s NBA All-Star Game. James is now an All-Star — and an All-Star starter — for the 20th time, with the league unveiling the results of this season’s starter balloting Thursday night....
Just 58 single-team players among 273 in Hall of Fame after addition of Todd Helton and Joe Mauer
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Todd Helton and Joe Mauer will become only the sixth pair of players inducted together into the Hall of Fame after spending their big league careers with one organization. “A lot of things had to go right,” Helton said Thursday during a news conference in the Hall’s...
2nd wave of college football’s hiring cycle produces some unprecedented movement
After a relatively quiet primary hiring cycle in college football in November and December, the coaching carousel revved up again in January, starting with the sudden retirement of maybe the greatest head coach of all time. Since Nick Saban stepped down at Alabama on Jan. 10, seven major college football...
49ers out to avenge title game losses; Lions seek 1st Super Bowl spot
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have been waiting a year to get back to the NFC championship game after last season’s disappointing loss. The wait for the Detroit Lions and their fans has been far longer, with the success-starved franchise one step away from its first Super...
Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte charged in illegal sports gambling scheme
BATON ROUGE, La. — New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was arrested Thursday on charges related to illegal online gaming while he was underage and played at LSU, authorities said. Boutte is accused of creating an online betting account under a fake name and then placing more than 8,900...
Falcons hire Raheem Morris as coach, pass over Bill Belichick
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons have hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their head coach after an exhaustive search that included six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because...
Penguins acquire forward Maxim Cajkovic from Wild
The Pittsburgh Penguins exchanged minor league players with the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, acquiring forward Maxim Cajkovic while dealing defenseman Will Butcher to the Wild. Cajkovic, 23, has spent the majority of the 2023-24 season at the ECHL level with the Iowa Heartlanders, posting 18 points (12 goals, six assists)...
Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, Dak Prescott lead NFL awards finalists
Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey and Dak Prescott are finalists for the Associated Press 2023 NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards. The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 8. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the...
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka beats Coco Gauff in Australian Open semifinals
MELBOURNE, Australia — Aryna Sabalenka has taken her Australian Open title defense all the way back to the championship match because she has applied a crucial lesson from her U.S. Open final loss to Coco Gauff. She kept reminding herself the next point is often more important than the one...
Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. finalist for defensive rookie of the year; T.J. Watt DPOY finalist
The NFL announced finalists for its eight most notable football-related awards Thursday. The Pittsburgh Steelers had two, both for defense. One was widely expected; the other, a pleasant surprise. T.J. Watt was a finalist for AP Defensive Player of the Year for a fourth time. The NFL’s sacks leader in...
Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap joining PGA Tour after breakthrough win
Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap is turning pro after becoming the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour. Dunlap announced his decision Thursday in a campus news conference, four days after the reigning U.S. Amateur champion won The American Express. He secured the one-shot victory with a...
Bengals promote QBs coach Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t need to search far and wide to find their next offensive coordinator. The franchise simply promoted quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher. Pitcher formally was handed the job Thursday, one day after Brian Callahan left to take the head coaching gig with the Tennessee Titans. The...
Penguins forward Colin White hopes to make most of top-6 opportunity
If the Pittsburgh Penguins’ season was a movie, Colin White’s role over the first half would be as an extra. But with the Penguins having passed the midway point, White has earned a promotion to the main cast. Over the last two days of practice, White, who joined the Penguins...
Panthers agree to hire Dave Canales from the Buccaneers as their new head coach, AP sources say
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have agreed to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales as their new head coach, according to two people familiar with the situation. Canales has informed the Buccaneers that he is taking the job, although there are still details that need to be...
Pitt, West Virginia extend basketball Backyard Brawl through 2027-28 season
Pitt and West Virginia can’t get enough of each other. Officials at both schools Thursday announced a four-game extension of the basketball version of the Backyard Brawl that will run through the 2027-28 season. The teams will meet at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center during the 2024-25 and 2026-27 seasons and...
