U.S./World Sports category, Page 332
LeBron James crowned as AP’s male athlete of decadeVideo
He left Cleveland for Miami, finally became a champion, went back to his beloved northeast Ohio, delivered on another title promise, then left for the Los Angeles Lakers and the next challenge. He played in eight straight finals. No NBA player won more games or more MVP awards over the...
Long wait for Clemson, LSU before College Football Playoff championshipVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The matchup is set for a tantalizing College Football Playoff national championship game. On one side, defending champion Clemson, with its 29-game winning streak. On the other, unbeaten and No. 1 LSU, with its record-setting offense and Heisman Trophy winner. But first, we interrupt this playoff for...
Clutch Clemson: No. 3 Tigers beat No. 2 Ohio State 29-23Video
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Blaring from the Clemson locker room after yet another playoff victory was Aretha Franklin’s classic “Respect.” The Tigers have won two of the last three national titles and become college football’s gold standard program, yet still often feel overlooked. Doubted. Disrespected. Sure, Clemson ran roughshod through the...
LSU romps past Oklahoma in Peach Bowl behind Joe Burrow’s 7 TD passesVideo
ATLANTA — Joe Burrow turned in the greatest performance yet in his Heisman Trophy season, throwing for seven touchdowns and 493 yards as No. 1 LSU romped to a breathtaking 63-28 victory over No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl semifinal game Saturday. The Tigers (14-0) headed to the national...
Serena Williams aces AP Female Athlete of the Decade honorsVideo
Serena Williams dominated the decade, on the court and in conversation. There were, to begin with, the dozen Grand Slam single titles. No other woman had more than three over the past 10 seasons. Pus, she was No. 1 in the WTA rankings 3 1/2 years in a row. And...
Ian Book helps Notre Dame rout Iowa State in Camping World BowlVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Ian Book threw for 247 yards and one touchdown, and Tony Jones Jr. scored on an 84-yard run, helping No. 14 Notre Dame dominate Iowa State, 33-9, on Saturday in the Camping World Bowl. Book completed 20 of 28 passes without an interception, including a 27-yard TD...
Mond leads A&M to 24-21 win over Oklahoma St. in Texas BowlVideo
HOUSTON — Kellen Mond ran for a career-high 117 yards and threw a touchdown pass as Texas A&M scored 24 straight points to overcome an early deficit and beat Oklahoma State, 24-21, in the Texas Bowl on Friday night. Mond ran 67 yards to give the Aggies (8-5) a 21-14...
Michigan State beats Wake Forest, 27-21, in Pinstripe BowlVideo
NEW YORK — Mike Panasiuk ripped off his Michigan State helmet and hoisted it in the air, unleashing the hidden part of his scruffy beard that’s normally a no-no at Yankee Stadium. Facial hair is banned for all Yankees, and so, for the Spartans, are the kind of acts of...
Joe Burrow vs. Jalen Hurts provides tantalizing Peach Bowl matchupVideo
ATLANTA — Joe Burrow needed a year under his belt, along with a coaching change and a new wide-open offense, to really find his way at LSU. Jalen Hurts didn’t have even that long to adjust, which makes his lone season at Oklahoma even more remarkable. Now, two transfer quarterbacks...
Superpower semifinal: Ohio State, Clemson meet in Fiesta BowlVideo
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney grew up an Alabama fan, when crowning a champion in college football was all about polls and bowls, and the best teams often never got a chance to settle it on the field. “It’d be pretty cool to go back in time and...
Navy long-snapper, Penn-Trafford grad Michael Pifer garners attention, honors former POW
There’s something about being a long-snapper that just fits for Michael Pifer. The precision. The repetition. The search for perfection with every special teams snap. An added perk is anonymity. That is, until a mistake is made. “There’s so much repetition, but you’re trying to find little flaws and correct...
The Fun Guy: Kawhi Leonard is AP’s male athlete of 2019Video
He was the Fun Guy. The board man who got paid. He overcame injury to reclaim his rightful place as one of the very best basketball players on the planet. He conquered the NBA world for a second time, bringing a championship to Canada. And then he joined the Los...
North Carolina breezes past Temple in Military BowlVideo
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Freshman Sam Howell threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns in addition to catching a TD pass, and North Carolina blew out Temple, 55-13, in the Military Bowl on Friday to cap a satisfying return season for coach Mack Brown. Howell completed 25 of 34 passes and...
Louisiana Tech shuts out Miami in Independence BowlVideo
SHREVEPORT, La. — That “bridge to 2020,” to which Miami Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz referred heading into the Independence Bowl, hopefully, for the Hurricanes’ sake, has been obliterated and is under construction. Diaz thought the Hurricanes had “one more really good performance” in them, but reality said the opposite Thursday...
Quarterbacks for Clemson, Ohio State are ‘future of the NFL’Video
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence went to high school about 20 miles from each other in the suburbs northwest of Atlanta. They have worked out since middle school with the same quarterback trainer, a former Pac-12 QB and full-time firefighter who is more respected than known in...
No. 24 Air Force meets Washington State in Cheez-It BowlVideo
PHOENIX — Washington State plays an offense known as the Air Raid, designed to spread teams out, get players into space, rack up huge amounts of passing yards. Air Force tends to work in tighter spaces, relying on a triple option that’s difficult to defend and annually is among the...
Simone Biles named 2019 AP Female Athlete of the YearVideo
They’re called “Simone Things,” a catch-all phrase for the casual ease with which Simone Biles seems to soar through her sport and her life. The irony, of course, is there’s nothing casual or easy about it. Any of it. The greatest gymnast of all time and 2019 Associated Press Female...
Miami, Louisiana Tech to face off in Independence BowlVideo
Miami coach Manny Diaz’s message leading up to the Independence Bowl has been simple: Winning streaks and winning traditions start somewhere. He should know. He was at Louisiana Tech in 2014 when the Bulldogs beat Illinois in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. No one knew at the time, of course,...
Tiger Woods’ Masters comeback named AP Sports Story of the Year
A green jacket. A heart-melting embrace. A stirring return to the top of golf by one of the sport’s all-time greats. In choosing Tiger Woods’ victory at the Masters as The Associated Press sports story of the year, voters went with the uplifting escape of a great comeback over options...
ESPN college football reporter Edward Aschoff dies at 34
BRISTOL, Conn. — ESPN college football reporter Edward Aschoff, known for his outgoing and friendly personality, dapper dress and great love of sports, has died. He was 34. The sports network announced Aschoff died Tuesday after a brief illness. “We are very sorry to have to share the devastating news...
BYU tries to extend winning streak against HawaiiVideo
Hawaii Bowl: BYU (7-5) vs. Hawaii (9-5), Dec. 24, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Line: BYU by 2. Series record: BYU leads, 23-8. WHAT’S AT STAKE BYU goes for its sixth straight victory over Hawaii. The Warriors have a chance to win 10 or more times in a season for only the...
No. 1 LSU could be without top rusher for semifinal vs. OklahomaVideo
ATLANTA — Top-ranked LSU’s leading rusher Clyde Edwards-Helaire is off crutches but still might miss Saturday’s Peach Bowl playoff semifinal against No. 4 Oklahoma. The Sooners, meanwhile, will be missing starting defensive end Ronnie Perkins and two backups because of suspensions. Edwards-Helaire suffered a hamstring injury in practice last week....
Survey: Barcelona is best-paid team in world sports, Steelers rank 75th
LONDON — Soccer players at Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid are on the best-paid teams in world sports, according to a survey published Monday. On that same list, the Pittsburgh Steelers came in as the 75th best-paid team. The Penguins landed at 91st, with the Pirates at 177th. The...
High-scoring UCF squares off vs Marshall in Gasparilla BowlVideo
Gasparilla Bowl: Central Florida (9-3, 6-2 American) vs. Marshall (8-4, 6-2 Conference USA), Monday at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN). Line: UCF by 16. Series record: UCF 8-3. WHAT’S AT STAKE Concerns about a letdown may be tempered with UCF playing about 100 miles from its Orlando campus in nearby Tampa, Florida....
Pine-Richland product, ex-Pitt QB Ben DiNucci leads James Madison to FCS title gameVideo
HARRISONBURG, Va. — Ben DiNucci and James Madison didn’t want to leave anything to chance. A week after their high-scoring offense was limited to 17 points, the Dukes got that on their first three possession Saturday night in a 30-14 victory against Weber State that puts them in the Football...
