U.S./World Sports category, Page 137
Mississippi State’s Mike Leach, pioneering football coach, dies at 61
Gruff, pioneering and unfiltered, Mike Leach was one of the most influential football coaches of this or any generation. His boundless curiosity and fascination for people, places and things made him famous beyond the field, a unique character in sports. Leach, who was in his third year at Mississippi State...
Syracuse beats Indiana to win its 1st men’s soccer titleVideo
CARY, N.C. — Syracuse goalkeeper Russell Shealy stopped two shots in an eight-round shootout and Amferny Sinclair scored the game-winner as No. 3 seed Syracuse beat 13th-seeded Indiana 7-6 in a shootout on Monday night to win the NCAA College Cup championship for the first time in program history. It...
U.S. almost sent Gio Reyna home from World Cup for lack of hustleVideo
NEW YORK — American midfielder Gio Reyna almost was sent home from the World Cup because of a lack of hustle in training, for which he later apologized. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter revealed the team’s concerns about a player when he spoke last week at the HOW Institute for Society’s...
South Carolina tops women’s AP Top 25, Kansas cracks poll
Kansas has cracked The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the first time in nearly 10 years after a huge win while South Carolina remained the unanimous No. 1 team. The 22nd-ranked Jayhawks routed then 12th-ranked Arizona by 27 points on the road to break into the AP Top 25...
Purdue moves to No. 1 in AP Top 25, Alabama cracks top 5
Purdue picked up wins over West Virginia, No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 12 Duke in consecutive weeks to win the Phil Knight Legacy tournament earlier in the season. Wins over Hofstra and Nebraska last week, combined with a loss by Houston, were enough to move the Boilermakers to No. 1...
Texas suspends basketball coach Chris Beard over family violence charge
AUSTIN, Texas — Chris Beard, who coached Texas Tech to the 2019 NCAA championship game and was hired away by Texas with expectations he’d elevate his alma mater to the same elite level, was arrested early Monday on a felony family violence charge after a woman told police he strangled...
Morocco’s tactical masterplan ignites unlikely World Cup run
DOHA, Qatar — Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou leaned back in his chair, shook his head and said: “Pinch me, I’m dreaming.” Yes, Morocco really is in the World Cup semifinals. Before arriving in Qatar, the north African nation had won two of its previous 16 matches at the World Cup....
Paul Silas, 3-time NBA champion, longtime coach, dies at 79Video
Basketball taught Paul Silas how to be patient. As a player, he waited 10 years before winning his first championship. As a coach, he waited 15 years for a second chance at running a team. As a father, he waited 20 years before seeing his son get a chance to...
Mississippi State coach Mike Leach taken to Jackson hospital
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State coach Mike Leach was hospitalized Sunday after what the university called “a personal health issue” that happened at his home in Starkville. The 61-year-old Leach was initially treated at a local hospital before being airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, which...
Heisman 2023: Drake Maye? Marvin Harrison Jr.? Who challenges Caleb Williams?
NEW YORK — After Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the eighth player to do so for Southern Cal, he talked about how cool it will be to have his jersey retired at the school one day and to be able to take his place with other USC greats....
Gateway grad Courtney Jackson leaves Syracuse, enters transfer portal
Gateway graduate Courtney Jackson recently announced that he is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal and has concluded his playing career at Syracuse. The graduate student, with two years of eligibility remaining, made the announcement Nov. 29 on Twitter. The wide receiver said a lot of prayer and consultation with those...
USC’s Caleb Williams wins Heisman after leading Trojan turnaround
NEW YORK — Caleb Williams brought sizzle, excitement and star power back to Southern Cal football. And now the Heisman Trophy, too. Williams, the dynamic quarterback who was the catalyst for the Trojans’ turnaround season, won the Heisman on Saturday night to make USC the first school to take home...
Army tops Navy in 1st OT game in 123 matchupsVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Navy running back Anton Hall Jr. collapsed to the ground and buried his face in his hands. West Point cadets spilled from the stands onto the field and joined Army players who ripped off their helmets and ran around in celebration. Hall’s push toward the end zone in...
Ex-Hampton standout Anastasia Russ thrives in debut season at Maryland
Former Hampton volleyball star Anastasia Russ has come out of her shell. After three years at Pitt as an underused backup, Russ transferred to Maryland in January and flourished in her first season with the Terrapins. The 6-foot-5 redshirt junior middle blocker emerged as one of the best defensive players...
Soccer writer Grant Wahl dies at World Cup match in Qatar
LUSAIL, Qatar — Grant Wahl, one of the most well-known soccer writers in the United States, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands. He was 48. U.S. media seated near him said Wahl fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail...
‘Our pride’: Morocco keeps Africa’s hope alive in World Cup
NAIROBI, Kenya — For many in Africa, Morocco’s underdog performance is the best story in the World Cup so far, with the hopes of the continent soaring ahead of the match Saturday against Portugal. Across the continent of more than 1.3 billion people, African fans are excited Morocco has become...
Which new stars can replace Messi, Ronaldo after World Cup?
DOHA, Qatar — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not ready to say goodbye to the World Cup just yet. But the clock is ticking on their careers and Qatar could be the last time we see them on soccer’s biggest stage. With that in mind, thoughts naturally turn to...
Virginia football players granted extra year of eligibility
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The NCAA has granted an extra year of eligibility to Virginia football players whose eligibility has expired in the aftermath of the slaying of three members of the team, the school confirmed Wednesday. Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler were killed last month as they...
Kentucky QB Will Levis to enter NFL draft, skip bowl game
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky quarterback Will Levis announced Wednesday on social media he will declare for the NFL draft and skip the Wildcats’ upcoming Music City Bowl against Iowa. Projected as a first-round selection next spring, Levis completed 65% of his passes for 2,406 yards and 19 touchdowns with 10...
After World Cup, U.S. men recede to background for 3 1/2 years
DOHA, Qatar — Now the United States men’s soccer team recedes into the background of American sports for the next 3 1/2 years. While the Americans’ four World Cup matches averaged 12.2 million viewers on Fox, their 27 games on rated English-language networks from the start of 2020 through this...
The next World Cup will jump to 48 teams. Is bigger better?
DOHA, Qatar — The next World Cup will be the biggest ever after world soccer body FIFA took the leap from a 32-team field to 48 teams in 2026. It means more of soccer’s so-called “little teams” that didn’t make it to Qatar will be given a chance of a...
Mills Lane, Hall of Fame boxing referee, dies at 85
Mills Lane, the Hall of Fame boxing referee who was the third man in the ring when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear, died Tuesday. He was 85. Lane had suffered a stroke in 2002 and his son, Tommy, said his father had taken a significant turn for the worse...
Ronaldo a solitary figure after being benched at World CupVideo
LUSAIL, Qatar — Cristiano Ronaldo was a solitary figure as he walked off the field following a World Cup match in which he was not the center of attention. He had come off the bench in a 6-1 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday that moved Portugal into the quarterfinals. Ronaldo’s...
Bennett, Duggan, Stroud, Williams are Heisman finalistsVideo
Quarterbacks Stetson Bennett of Georgia, Max Duggan of TCU, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Caleb Williams of Southern California were announced as finalists for the Heisman Trophy on Monday night. The award given to the outstanding player in college football, determined by a vote of more than 900 sports...
Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba to skip CFP game, will enter NFL draft
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will not play in the College Football Playoff semifinal game against top-ranked Georgia while he continues to rehabilitate a leg injury and prepare for the 2023 NFL draft. The AP Preseason All-American was hurt in the Buckeyes’ opener against Notre Dame...
