John Brockington obit

John Brockington, All-Pro fullback with Packers, dies at 74

 

He was not on the list.

John Brockington, a former All-Pro fullback who ranks fourth on the Green Bay Packers' career rushing list, has died. He was 74.

The Packers announced Brockington died Friday in San Diego.

Brockington played for the Packers from 1971 to '77 and rushed for 5,024 yards during that stretch. The only players to gain more yards rushing with the Packers are Ahman Green (8,322 from 2000 to '09), Jim Taylor (8,207 from 1958 to 1966) and Aaron Jones (5,284 from 2017 to present).

He was the first running back in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons.

Brockington also spent part of the 1977 season with the Kansas City Chiefs and finished his career with 5,185 yards rushing. He had 30 touchdown runs and four touchdown catches.

The Packers selected Brockington, a native of the Brooklyn borough of New York City, out of Ohio State with the ninth overall pick in the 1971 draft.

Brockington rushed for 1,105 yards his first season in Green Bay, which at the time was an NFL rookie record. He earned All-Pro honors and was named NFL offensive rookie of the year.

He followed that up by rushing for 1,027 yards in 1972 while helping the Packers win an NFC Central title. Brockington rushed for 1,144 yards in 1973.

Brockington earned three straight Pro Bowl selections from 1971-73. He was inducted into the Packers' hall of fame in 1984.

"The Packers family was saddened to hear about the passing of John," Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy said in a statement. "One of the great runners of his era, John was an exciting player to watch with his powerful running style. Fans enthusiastically welcomed John back to Lambeau Field over the years, fondly remembering the 1972 division championship as well as the bright spots he provided in the less-successful seasons.

"I enjoyed getting to know John during his return visits to Green Bay and greatly respected his work in support of organ donation through the John Brockington Foundation. He leaves a wonderful legacy. We extend our condolences to his wife, Diane, and his family and friends."

The running back played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. He was a first round draft choice out of Ohio State University, and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1971.

Brockington played left halfback in 1968 and 1969, used primarily as a blocker for fullback Jim Otis and quarterback Rex Kern. In 1970, Brockington moved to the fullback position and was the featured running back in head coach Woody Hayes' offense. Brockington finished his senior season with 1,142 rushing yards, which was at the time an Ohio State single-season record; he also scored 17 rushing touchdowns that season.

Brockington was selected onto the Buckeyes' All-Century Team in 2000, and was elected into the Varsity O Hall of Fame in 2002.

Brockington was the ninth overall selection in the 1971 NFL Draft, after Jim Plunkett, Dan Pastorini, Archie Manning, and John Riggins, and ahead of Jack Tatum, Jack Youngblood, Jack Ham, and Dan Dierdorf. Brockington became the first NFL player to ever rush for 1,000 or more yards in each of his first three seasons.

His first running mate in the Green Bay backfield was sixth-year halfback Donny Anderson, another Packer first round draft choice, who was traded the following offseason to the St. Louis Cardinals for running back MacArthur Lane. Together, Brockington and Lane formed a dynamic running duo in the backfield, carrying the Packers offense between 1972 and 1974. The Packers won the NFC Central division in 1972 for their first playoff berth in five years.

With a running style based on his great strength, Brockington epitomized the power running back – a player who preferred to break tackles and run over defenders rather than run away from them. He was one of the first running backs to combine brute force with speed.

Brockington's success was short-lived; after eclipsing 1,000 yards rushing during each of his first three seasons, he ran for 883 yards in 1974 (with a career-high 43 receptions for 314 yards), but dipped to only 434 yards rushing on 3.0 YPC in 1975 under new head coach Bart Starr. This was the result of typical wear-and-tear, the trade of Lane in July 1975 and changes in the Packers' playbook that did not take advantage of Brockington's abilities. In 1976, he had 406 yards rushing with 3.5 YPC.

George Nagobads obit

Doc Nagobads, team physician for Herb Brooks' 'Miracle On Ice' Olympic team, dies at 101

Nagobads was also a team doctor for the North Stars and Fighting Saints, and stood alongside Herb Brooks on the bench during the "Miracle On Ice" run at Lake Placid

 He was not on the list.

"Doc" Nagobads, the team physician for University of Minnesota and U.S. national hockey teams — including the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" group that won the gold medal in Lake Placid — has died at age 101.

Nagobads spent 34 years as Golden Gophers team doctor and also worked with five Olympic teams and 25 other U.S. international teams. He was also a team doctor for the North Stars and Fighting Saints, and served a stint as chief medical officer for USA Hockey, which announced his death Friday.

He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.

Visvaldis George Nagobads was born on Nov. 18, 1921, in Riga, Latvia, and got his medical degree at the University of Tübingen in Germany before working with an international refugee group in France. He and his wife, Velta, immigrated to Minnesota in 1951 and started work with the University Health Service in 1956.

In 1958, then-Gophers hockey coach John Mariucci asked Nagobads to be the team's doctor and also got him involved with national and Olympic teams, which had strong Minnesota connections.

The United States, coached by Herb Brooks, defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 on Feb. 22, 1980, at Lake Placid, N.Y., then clinched the gold medal two days later with a 4-2 victory over Finland. Twelve of the 20 players on the "Miracle on Ice" team were Minnesotans. Nagobads was on the bench beside Brooks, keeping a stopwatch on line shifts in addition to his doctor duties.

Philip Balsam obit

Philip Balsam Has Died

Faivel Ben Tzvi ve Chaya Fraindel 

He was not on the list.

BALSAM, PHILIP, of Toronto, Ontario. It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the loss of our sweet and brilliantly talented Philip, who passed away on March 31, 2023, at his home in Toronto at the age of 79. He was in the company of his wife of 43 years and a few close friends, after struggling with Giant Cell Arteritis for the past two years and suffering a rapid decline in his health in the last two weeks. Philip came to Canada as a young child with his adoring parents, Harry and Frieda Balsam, and his uncle, David Balsam, after escaping Europe following the end of the second World War. He lived the rest of his life in Toronto, and attended the Ontario College of Art. As an adult, Philip flourished as an artist, musician and composer, achieving international recognition as a renowned songwriter. Among his many accomplishments, he was awarded, along with his co-writers Dennis Lee and Jim Betts, the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical for the production of Mordecai Richler’s “Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang.” He wrote music and songs for many adult and children’s television programs, such as “Groundling Marsh,” “Dog City” and others, but his most beloved and joyful achievement was in being selected, with his songwriting partner, Dennis Lee, to compose all the songs for the international children’s show, Jim Henson’s “Fraggle Rock.” Record albums produced from those songs resulted in his nomination for a Grammy Award. Philip’s unique style of songwriting has inspired generations of children and adults, many of whom have acknowledged that their own musical careers were launched after falling in love with the music from “Fraggle Rock.” He recognized talent and encouraged artistic expression in whomever he found it. In his personal life, Philip was a gentle, loving and protective nurturer to his wife, and he cared deeply for his friends, nourishing many of his friendships for over sixty years. An avid walker until two years ago, Philip toured every Toronto park, ravine and city street on a daily basis, stopping to chat with neighbours and strangers, and to pat each dog or cat he met along the way. An only child, Philip leaves behind his wife, Carol, and his cousins Jerry of Toronto, and Renee of New York. Fans of “Fraggle Rock” will understand when we say, “Dance Your Cares Away” dear, wonderful Philip.

The music of Fraggle Rock is arguably just as important to the success of the series as any of the Fraggles themselves. The songs helped drive the story, build suspense, create comedy, and help to drive home Jim Henson’s mission to bring peace to the world through his puppet show. Fraggle Rock would not have been Fraggle Rock if it weren’t for the songwriting team of Balsam and Lee.

While Dennis Lee wrote lyrics, his musical partner Philip Balsam handled the compositions. And those melodies are all spectacular, giving Fraggle Rock not just one voice, but a slew of various genres that helped build out the world and allow for an incredibly diverse library of music.

Among their Fraggly accomplishments, the duo wrote the franchise-defining song “Follow Me” as their audition tape for the show. They were also tasked with writing the iconic theme song, as well as songs like “Let Me Be Your Song”, “Pass It On”, “Convincing John”, “Do It On My Own”, and dozens more.

Elsewhere on Fraggle Rock, the character “Balsam the Minstrel” seems to have been named for Philip Balsam, although according to the Muppet Wiki, that fact has not been confirmed. But, come on.

In addition to his work on Fraggle Rock, Balsam and Lee wrote songs for Rocky Mountain Holiday, The Tale of the Bunny Picnic, The Jim Henson Hour, Muppet Classic Theater, and The Animal Show. Balsam (without Lee) also wrote the theme song to the Dog City TV series.

Peter Usbourne obit

Children’s books publisher Peter Usborne dies at 85

Publisher pays tribute to ‘genius’ who was an ‘inspirational leader’

 

He was not on the list.

Peter Usborne, the founder of the children’s books publisher Usborne and the co-founder of Private Eye magazine, has died aged 85, the publisher has announced.

He died “unexpectedly but peacefully” surrounded by his family this morning, the Bookseller reported.

Usborne founded his publishing house in 1973 and in February this year received a CBE for his services to literature from King Charles at Windsor Castle.

The publisher said in a statement: “Peter was, in the truest sense of the word, a genius – his brilliance was matched only by his determination to make books accessible to all children.

 

“This determination was fuelled by his passion for ‘doing things better’ than any other children’s book publisher, matched with a childlike energy and curiosity that made him light up every room he stepped into.

“He was an exceptional publisher, an inspirational leader and a very kind, generous man who will be sorely missed by everyone who was lucky enough to know him.”

Usborne is survived by his wife, Wendy, children Nicola and Martin, and five grandchildren.

His daughter, Nicola Usborne, the managing director of Usborne, said: “I am heartbroken that my beloved dad died this morning. We will miss him more than I can say.

“He was a brilliant, ever-curious, ever-enthusiastic man – who was also very kind, very generous and honourable and principled to his core. He was the best dad I could imagine.

“He always joked that he intended never to die, and we all hoped he would have many more years. We take some solace in the fact that he had such a very full life right up until the end.”

In November, Usborne Publishing signed a distribution agreement with HarperCollins to supply titles to American speciality retailers, schools and libraries.

“He spent his very last day yesterday in the office in a whole-day meeting with HarperCollins US talking about the US trade channel expansion that he was so excited by,” Nicola Usborne added.

“He had travelled into his beloved office by tube – as he always did. He was living his life as he always wanted to. He never ever understood why anyone would want to retire, and he would have been so pleased that he never, even remotely, did.”

Usborne’s CBE came 12 years after he received an MBE for services to the publishing industry and, in 2015, he received the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mark Russell obit

Mark Russell, Piano-Playing Political Satirist, Dies at 90

Starting with Dwight Eisenhower, each new president and scandal presented the comedian with a potential gold mine.

 

He was not on the list.

Mark Russell, the sly satirist who skewered America’s political elite for more than a half-century by blending stand-up comedy with biting song parodies, died Thursday. He was 90.

Russell died at his home in Washington of complications from prostate cancer, his wife, Alison, told The Washington Post.

Perhaps best known for his series of one-man PBS comedy specials that aired from 1975-2004, Russell also served as one of the hosts of the popular 1979-83 NBC reality program Real People, and he wrote a syndicated column for the Los Angeles Times for several years.

However, he was most at home in front of a live audience, and he spent two decades on the speaking circuit, hitting his peak in 2000 when he racked up 100 appearances in 100 different cities.

“Mark Russell was a D.C. institution who did the hardest thing a comic can do … relentlessly and righteously mock his neighbors,” Jon Stewart said in a statement.

Typically dressed in a suit and bowtie, the bespectacled Russell looked like a college professor, and his razor-sharp knowledge of current events accentuated that. But truth be told, the Buffalo, New York native never earned a college degree; instead, he honed the skills that earned him success in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Russell swayed very little from the format he developed early in his career and rode to national prominence. After a monologue featuring swipes at political figures, he’d take to a star-spangled piano to joyfully pound out a musical standard — with his own spin on it — all while standing up.

Each new administration and scandal presented him with a potential gold mine. “I look at the paper. I like to have a newspaper,” Russell said in 2006. “Then I start reading and reading and reading. And when I see something that makes me gag, I know we’re off to the races.”

An equal opportunity humorist, Russell poked fun at Republicans and Democrats alike. He did, however, have some favorite targets, most notably Ronald Reagan and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

“For six years, a lot of us kept saying, ‘Mr. President, you’re out of touch,'” Russell joked in 1988 about Reagan and the Iran-Contra scandal. “He said, ‘No, I’m in charge.’ Now we say, ‘Ah ha, you were in charge.’ He says, ‘No, I was out of touch.'”

During a 1993 comedy special, Russell wasted no time ribbing the recently inaugurated commander-in-chief. “We are now six weeks into the Clinton administration. If I had to describe the opening hours of this new administration with two words, I guess the two words would be, ‘Mayday! Mayday!'” Russell quipped. “Please remain calm. President Clinton is in full charge, and Bill is right there beside her.”

It was his songs that set Russell apart from other political satirists.

He thought of the nursery rhyme “Lullaby and Goodnight” when stories surfaced that Reagan was dozing off during cabinet meetings. “Lullaby and goodnight, see the cabinet in session. Must be boring. I hear snoring. Someone’s getting his rest.”

To parody Walter “Fritz” Mondale’s dismal 1984 presidential run, Russell channeled a tune from Disney’s Song of the South. “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, Fritz can win it come election day. He needs a few breaks for the job that he seeks, like another Depression in less than two weeks.”

In 1996, he paid tribute to Bill Clinton’s re-election by transforming “The Great Pretender” into “The Great Campaigner” and gave a nod to Hillary with “Everything’s Coming up Rodham,” sung to the tune of “Everything’s Coming up Roses.”

And during the height of the Iraq war, Russell sang, “We’re going to rock around Iraq tonight” as he played “Rock Around the Clock.”

“When I met Mark Russell, I surprised myself with how excited I was to meet him,” W. Kamau Bell said in a statement. “As a kid who grew up with a mom who made sure that PBS was on our TV as much as any other channel, Mark’s comedy clearly got in my brain and rewired it.

“He taught me that comedy could be more than just funny and disposable. He showed that comedy could maybe even be more effective at speaking truth to power, if you made sure people walked out humming along to truth speaking.”

One of Russell’s most repeated quotes was his response when asked if he had any writers. “Oh, yes, I have 535 writers,” he would say. “One hundred in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives.”

Marcus Joseph Ruslander Jr. was born in Buffalo on Aug. 23, 1932. His father started out as a salesman for Mobil Oil but eventually bought and operated his own gas station. His mother, Martha, worked in department stores and behind a candy counter in an office building.

During his formative years, he developed a taste for comic anarchy, reveling in the way Fred Allen and Jack Benny on the radio, and Groucho Marx and Charlie Chaplin in the movies, would satirize authority. By high school, he discovered he also had a talent for generating laughs.

After graduation, he and the family relocated to Florida, where his parents opened a mom-and-pop store. When that didn’t pan out, they headed to Arlington, Virginia, to try their luck there. He attended college in both locales but found academia lacking, answering another calling instead. “Like a lot of guys in those days, Mark Russell readily admits that he dodged the draft,” it said on his website. “He did it by joining the Marine Corps.”

His three-year stint in the service took him from Virginia to Hawaii and Japan, and whenever the opportunity arose, he’d take the stage to entertain.

Back home in 1956, he changed his surname to Russell and began telling jokes at various clubs around Washington. Two years later, he landed a regular gig at the Carroll Arms, a downtown bar.

It was here that Russell developed the mixture of jokes and song parodies that would become his stock-in-trade. John F. Kennedy, then vying for the presidency, was a target. “Swing low, Jack Kennedy, your daddy is gonna carry you home,” Russell sang while playing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”

The jokes didn’t stop after Kennedy was elected. “JFK stands for Jobs for Kinship,” he cracked, referencing the president’s propensity to appoint his relatives to government positions.

Russell rolled the dice in 1961 and signed on for a risky two-week gig at the city’s historic Shoreham Hotel, which hosted Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural ball in 1933 and attracted the crème de la crème of Washington. It proved to be the perfect venue for his brand of humor, and Russell would headline at the hotel for 20 years.

He can thank Richard Nixon and Watergate for launching his TV career. Reporters in D.C. to cover the scandal caught his Shoreham act, which was filled with comic barbs at Nixon’s expense. Word spread, and Russell parlayed the attention into his long-running association with PBS.

Beginning in 1962 with Up the Potomac Without a Canoe, Russell released six comedy albums, including 1976’s Assault With a Deadly Peanut and 1997’s Live at Ford’s Theatre.

He was a founding advisory board member of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York.

Survivors include his second wife, whom he wed at 1975 — Alison Kaplan served as an executive producer on his Mark Russell Comedy Specials at PBS — his three children, Monica, John and Matthew, from his first marriage; and six grandchildren.

In 2010, Russell announced his retirement, sounding one final note with a concert that July in Chautauqua, New York. But the move proved premature; two years later, he hit the road again at age 80, plying his offbeat brand of comedy and song in live performances throughout the country.

“Retirement was boring. I’d read the news and be itching to satirize it,” Russell said in 2017. “One day, I read about a bunch of congressmen who went to the Middle East, got drunk and went skinny-dipping in the Sea of Galilee. I thought that was pretty funny. Of course, it would have been funnier if they’d all drowned. I was eager to get back to work. So I unretired. I’m in extra innings.”