Sports category, Page 682
First-year coach DeMeco Ryans transforms Texans with relentless mindsetVideo
HOUSTON — DeMeco Ryans was in high school when a coach told him if he wanted to make a career out of football, he would have to show great energy on every single snap. Ryans took that message to heart and now in his first year as coach of the...
Steelers add 17 players to reserve/futures contracts, including former Saints WR Marquez Callaway
The Pittsburgh Steelers began the process of roster construction for the 2024 season by signing 17 players to reserve/futures contracts Wednesday. The group includes nine players who finished the season on the Steelers practice squad. Returning to the offseason roster are defensive back Luq Barcoo, wide receiver Denzel Mims, running...
Former Pitt sports information director Beano Cook elected to College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame
Born in Boston, but a Pitt man until the day he died, Carroll H. “Beano” Cook has been posthumously elected to the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame Class of 2024, the organization announced Wednesday. Known as the Pope of College Football because of his love for and knowledge of...
Strawberry and Gooden, honored by Mets with retired numbers, regret descent into drugs and alcohol
NEW YORK — Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden thought back to what might have been, how their starry accomplishments would have been so much greater had they not succumbed to the drugs and alcohol that shattered their careers. On the day the New York Mets announced they will retire Gooden’s...
Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, 46, dies in Salt Lake City after having a heart attack
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević, a mentor to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and a former star player in his native Serbia, died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack, the team announced. Milojević, part of the staff that helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship, was 46....
Steelers’ offseason primer: dates, deadlines, draft, free agency and more
Pittsburgh Steelers fans disappointed by their team’s season ending Monday woke up the next morning to word that NFL draft was exactly 100 days away. Rest assured many fans were already eagerly looking ahead to it and prognosticating whom the Steelers might take. While the draft is certainly a highlight...
Penguins recall defenseman Ryan Shea from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, reassign Radim Zohorna
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled defenseman Ryan Shea from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday afternoon, announcing the move on social media platform X. In a corresponding transaction, forward Radim Zohorna was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Zohorna was placed on waivers Tuesday but cleared, allowing for his reassignment. Shea, a 6-foot-2 left-handed shot, has appeared...
Cameron Heyward wants to stick around with Steelers in 2024 — and, if healthy, maybe beyond
If his body cooperates and the finances can be ironed out, Cameron Heyward would like to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. Heyward, though, isn’t selling himself short. He sees no reason why a 14th season wearing the black and gold would be his last. “In my mind, I...
Analysis: While The Pete sits empty for 2 weeks, Pitt hopes to become fighters on road
Say goodbye to the Pitt men’s basketball team for the next two weeks. Players will be around campus, of course, practicing on their appointed days, going to class and meeting with coach Jeff Capel and his staff. But the next home game is Jan. 31 against Wake Forest after three...
Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel avoids injury after leaving game against Kraken
Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel was slammed into the boards by Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen with about nine minutes remaining in the third period of Monday’s 3-0 victory over Seattle. Tolvanen was assessed a boarding minor penalty, and Ruhwedel left the ice and did not to return. On Wednesday, Ruhwedel participated...
Janet Guthrie will be honored by NASCAR Hall of Fame nearly 44 years after her final Cup race
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Janet Guthrie says she grew up “out in the woods of southwest Miami,” the oldest of five children with a reclusive mother who limited the family social life to time with relatives. Despite the limitations, she was extremely adventurous, making her first solo plane flight and a...
Helmet manufacturer: Mahomes’ shattered lid in playoff game ‘did its job’Video
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The manufacturer of the helmet that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shattered during their AFC wild-card game with Miami says it “did its job” by protecting the league MVP “during a head-to-head impact in unprecedented cold temperatures.” The game Saturday night was the fourth-coldest in NFL history....
Penn State hires Justin Lustig away from Vanderbilt to coach special teams and 2 other positions
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Justin Lustig has been hired to coach Penn State’s special teams and two other positions, the school announced Wednesday. Lustig was associate head coach and special teams coordinator at Vanderbilt the past two seasons. He takes over for Stacy Collins, who took an assistant’s job at...
Browns shake up offensive staff, coordinator Alex Van Pelt, 2 other assistants gone
CLEVELAND — For the second straight year, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has made a major offseason change to his staff. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has parted ways with the team, leaving just days after Cleveland was blown out in the wild-card round by Houston and following a season in...
Former Clairton football star Tyler Boyd headlines 2024 WPIAL Hall of Fame class
Nobody in WPIAL history won more consistently than Clairton’s Tyler Boyd, whose football teams were part of a state-record winning streak that eventually reached 66 games. He went 48-0 in his three years as a starter. Add in his freshman season and the Bears were 63-1 with four WPIAL titles...
Paul Skenes highest ranked of 4 Pirates in Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list
Baseball America rated right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes its No. 9 prospect, and the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick is one of four Pittsburgh Pirates in its updated top 100 prospect rankings. Right-handed pitchers Bubba Chandler (59) and Jared Jones (74) and second baseman Termarr Johnson (77) also are ranked...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger thinks Mason Rudolph should compete for starting job; ESPN has 3 other Steelers QB ideas
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” Ben Roethlisberger endorses the idea of giving Mason Rudolph a chance to start at quarterback next year in Pittsburgh. An ESPN analyst has other ideas for the Steelers to pursue. The Browns are making major changes. And Robert Morris looks to avoid a first on the...
TV Q&A: With SportsNet Pittsburgh changing tiers on Comcast, what does that mean for regional sports network fees?
Q: I’m one of the subscribers to Comcast’s Xfinity Popular TV package that will apparently be losing access to SportsNet Pittsburgh on Jan. 16 to watch Penguins and Pirates games. I have been paying $13.30 as a regional sports fee. I wonder if that fee will be removed since I...
Tim Benz: Broderick Jones still thinks LT is ideal, but he won’t lobby for a change
If you are looking for positives from the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers, the rookie class is one of them. First-round pick Broderick Jones and second-round picks Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton all became starters and/or regular contributors throughout the season. Third-rounder Darnell Washington played in all 17 games, logging more...
Clary, Baldwin lead Penn State over No. 11 Wisconsin for 1st ranked win under Mike RhoadesVideo
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State students celebrated a rare snow day on campus, then got to rejoice after their basketball team’s biggest win under coach Mike Rhoades. Kanye Clary scored 27 points, Ace Baldwin Jr. added 20 and the Nittany Lions beat No. 11 Wisconsin 87-83 on Tuesday night for...
Reeling Pitt off the mark again in home loss to Syracuse
With nearly 14 minutes left in Pitt’s 69-58 loss to Syracuse on Tuesday night, there was plenty of time for the Panthers to recover from what had been a listless performance. Suddenly, several opposing players went to the floor, falling onto the Pitt logo at midcourt, pushing each other and...
WPIAL places Mohawk football on 2 years of probation for alleged racial slurs toward Burrell players
The WPIAL has placed the Mohawk football team on probation for two years after allegations that racial slurs were used in a playoff game against Burrell in November. The WPIAL Equity Council for Diversity & Inclusion couldn’t independently confirm the allegations, but WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said the council...
Duquesne can’t hold lead vs. Richmond as losing skid hits 4 games
Back in October, when the college basketball buzz was picking up, Duquesne’s optimism for a successful Atlantic 10 season was everywhere. The Dukes were chosen to finish fourth in a preseason poll of conference coaches and select media members. There was talk, even, of a long-awaited return to the NCAA...
Bills’ schedule could be disrupted with another snowstorm forecast to hit region
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Mother Nature might not be through complicating the Buffalo Bills’ playoff schedule, leaving coach Sean McDermott assessing his options Tuesday. McDermott said the team, for now, is still scheduled to practice Wednesday and Thursday, while monitoring a forecast that projects a lake-effect storm dumping nearly 2...
Ravens hope their bye has them refreshed and healthier for their playoff opener against TexansVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Leave it to Roquan Smith, Baltimore’s chatty linebacker, to put the enormity of the postseason into words. “I don’t feel pressure at all, but some do say pressure bursts pipes and makes diamonds,” Smith said. “I know a lot of guys in there like diamonds, so...
