Larry Kristoff obit

SIUE Hall of Fame Wrestling Coach Larry Kristoff Passes Away

 

He was not on the list.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE Athletics and the SIUE wrestling community mourns the passing of former Head Coach Larry Kristoff. He was 83.

Kristoff started, built and defined the SIUE wrestling program into a national powerhouse that included three consecutive NCAA Division II championships in 1984, 1985 and 1986.

"It is with a heavy heart that we mourn the passing of Larry Kristoff," said SIUE wrestling Head Coach Daryl Thomas. "Larry touched so many lives, and the stories our alumni share are a testament to the person he was and how much he meant to those he coached. His legacy will live on through the people he inspired and his lasting impact on SIUE wrestling and the sport."

"I had the pleasure of getting to know Coach Kristoff and his family over the last 14 years," said former SIUE Head Coach and current Assistant Coach Jeremy Spates. "Getting to coach his grandson Max was special to me and SIUE wrestling. It is amazing to see what he did as an athlete and how he was able to translate that into his coaching career. He was an inspiration to his athletes and the people around him. His influence on SIUE and the Southern Illinois wrestling community will be missed but never forgotten."

A Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Kristoff was known not only for his coaching ability but also as one of the nation's premier heavyweights. A seventh-place finisher at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, and a fifth-place finisher at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, he would represent the United States from 1964 to 1971.

He won silver medals at the World Championships in 1966, 1969 and 1970 as well as bronze medals in 1965 and 1967. Kristoff earned 12 senior national titles with nine in freestyle and three in Greco-Roman. The gold medalist at the 1967 Pan American Games, Kristoff competed collegiately at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he won two Division II national championships in 1963 and 1964 and was a Division I national runner-up in 1963.

His personal experience translated into becoming the head coach for SIUE in 1969, where Kristoff built the program from scratch.

SIUE finished in the top 10 nationally 18 times under Kristoff who spent 30 seasons as the team's head coach before officially retiring in 1999. With Kristoff's direction, SIUE posted 111 NCAA Division II All-Americans, including 18 national champions and 11 NCAA Division I All-Americans. The list of national champions and All-American includes his sons Mark and Kip, both joining their father as members of the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame.

The family has announced arrangement to include a memorial service Dec. 4 at Hileman and Rendleman Funeral Home, 301 West Spring Street, Anna, Illinois 62906 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. with a post-service gathering from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at Giant City Lodge. He will be laid to rest at Zion Cemetery in Carbondale.

Personal information

Full name        Lawrence Dean Kristoff

Born    November 11, 1942

Carbondale, Illinois, U.S.

Died    October or November 2026 (aged 83)

Sport

Country           United States

Sport    Wrestling

Events Freestyle and Folkstyle

College team   SIU-Carbondale

Club    Mayor Daley Youth Foundation

Team   USA

Medal record

Men's freestyle wrestling

Representing the  United States

World Championships

Silver medal – second place   1966 Toledo    97 kg+

Silver medal – second place   1969 Mar del Plata      100 kg

Silver medal – second place   1970 Edmonton           100 kg

Bronze medal – third place     1965 Manchester         97 kg+

Bronze medal – third place     1967 New Dehli          97 kg+

Collegiate Wrestling

Representing SIU-Carbondale

NCAA Division I Championships

Silver medal – second place   1963 Kent       Heavyweight

NCAA Division II Championships

Gold medal – first place          1963 Cedar Falls         Heavyweight

Gold medal – first place          1964 Cedar Falls         Heavyweight

Armando Vega obit

LSU Hall of Fame Gymnastics Coach Armando Vega Passes Away at Age 90

 

He was not on the list.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Armando Vega, who enjoyed a tremendous career as the LSU men’s gymnastics coach from 1972-84, has passed away at his home in Dallas, Texas. He was 90 years old.

Vega, who was inducted into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021, produced teams that finished in the NCAA Top 10 on nine different occasions. The NCAA Gymnastics Coach of the Year in 1977 and 1978, he developed 58 All-Americans during his LSU tenure.

A native of Hurley, N.M., Vega led the Tigers to 12 straight Southern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League championships, and he was named SIGL Coach of the Year in 1973 and 1976. He was inducted into the United States Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1977. 

Vega traveled throughout the world during his coaching career, conducting gymnastics clinics and promoting LSU as an elite institution.

As a gymnast at Penn State, he won six NCAA titles, including twice in the All-Around, in 1957 and in 1959. In the AAU Championships from 1957 until 1964, Vega won 29 medals, 12 of which were gold.

Vega was a member of the 1956 and 1964 U.S. Olympic gymnastics teams that competed in Melbourne and Tokyo, respectively, and he served as head coach of Mexico’s 1968 Olympic squad.

Following his competitive gymnastics career, he became engaged in land management, sales and operations in Panama.

Funeral arrangements for Armando Vega are pending at this time.

Frank Busch obit

Frank Busch, NCAA Title Winning Coach and

 Former US National Team Director, Dies, 75

 

He was not on the list.

Former USA Swimming National Team Director and University of Arizona head swimming & diving coach Frank Busch has died. He was 75.

His sister, Dorothy Rackstraw, announced his passing on Facebook on Sunday evening, saying that he died of a “massive heart attack” that he suffered at the Phoenix airport. Tucson.com reports that he was returning from a fishing trip in Idaho.

It is with great sorrow that I share the sudden passing of my only brother FRANK BUSCH…He was a former OLYMPIC COACH for USA swimming and had been a coach for his entire life starting at age 16…He was father to 5 children and 7 great grandchildren. He is survived by his wife PATTY of over 50 years ..A better man than any..I am heartbroken..Frank died of a massive heart attack..I know he is enjoying his new found freedom and celebrating in HEAVEN…

Busch was one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of American swimming, with a career that spanned the club, collegiate and international levels.

Busch is best known for his 22 seasons as the head coach at the University of Arizona from 1989 through 2011. He built the Wildcats into a perennial NCAA contender, culminating in 2008 when Arizona swept the men’s and women’s NCAA team titles. During his tenure, Arizona swimmers won 48 individual NCAA titles and 31 relay titles, while Busch was named NCAA Coach of the Year six times and Pac-10 Coach of the Year 11 times.

After leaving Arizona, Busch became USA Swimming’s National Team Director in 2011, overseeing the National Team through the 2012 and 2016 Olympic cycles before retiring from the position in 2017. He had already been a longtime presence on U.S. international staffs, including serving as an Olympic coach in 2004 and 2008, along with multiple World Championship and Pan Pacific Championship assignments. Busch was inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.

At the time of his death, he was an ex-oficio member of the USA Swimming National Team Steering Committee.

As an athlete, Busch set multiple Ohio age group records as a swimmer in Cincinnati. After high school, Busch swam and played water polo at Loyola University in Chicago and was on the first Loyola water polo team to qualify for the NCAA Championship tournament.

He was a 2020 inductee to the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame and a 2026 inductee into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his with Patty of over 50 years, five children, and seven great grandchildren.

Mike Burton obit

Three-Time Olympic Champion Mike Burton Dies at 79; Packaged Legendary Career in Distance Freestyle

 He was not on the list.

Legendary American distance star Mike Burton has died, according to a social-media post written by his son, Eric. Burton, 79, was a three-time Olympic champion between the 1968 Games in Mexico City and the 1972 Games in Munich. Burton was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1977 and was enshrined in the UCLA Hall of Fame, along with several others.

My heart is broken this morning,” wrote Eric Burton on Facebook. “My dad, Mike Burton, has passed away after a grueling battle with Alzheimer’s and dementia. My dad was by far the toughest man to have ever lived. He always inspired me to greatness. I will forever miss him, his stories and just having him around. He will definitely live on through all of us. This is not goodbye, but see you later.”

Burton established himself as one of the greatest distance freestylers in history, setting five world records in the 1500 freestyle between 1966 and 1972. At the 1968 Olympic Games, Burton was the gold medalist in the 400 freestyle and 1500 freestyle. Four years later, Burton defended his Olympic title by winning the 1500 freestyle in a world-record time of 15:52.58. Both of Burton’s victories in the 1500 freestyle were dominant, as he won his 1968 gold by 18 seconds and his 1972 title by six seconds.

Coached by Sherm Chavoor at the Arden Hills Swim Club, Burton became a five-time NCAA champion at UCLA and was an overwhelming choice for induction into ISHOF in the late 1970s. In addition to his Olympic success, Burton was a three-time medalist at the 1967 Pan American Games.

Burton also became a successful coach after his competitive career concluded and he remains one of four men to defend an Olympic gold medal in the 1500 freestyle. He was the first man to swim the 1650-yard freestyle in under 16 minutes and was the first man to break 8:30 in the 800 freestyle. At the 1972 Olympic Trials, he qualified for the 1500 freestyle final in eighth, placed third and rose to the occasion to win his second straight Olympic gold.

Skip Bertman obit

Legendary LSU Coach and Athletic Director Skip Bertman dies at age 88

 

He was not on the list.

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Stanley “Skip” Bertman, the legendary architect of LSU baseball, transformative athletic director and one of the most influential figures in the history of college sports, has died at the age of 88.

Bertman passed away at 1:12 a.m. Friday at the Baton Rouge General hospital surrounded by his daughters.

Beloved by fans and former players, Bertman became the head baseball coach at LSU in 1984 and went on to win five national championships and seven Southeastern Conference titles during his 18 seasons leading the Tigers.

He stepped down from coaching in 2001 to become LSU’s athletic director, a position he held until 2008.

As athletic director, he continued to cultivate a culture of championship success across all sports, modernized athletic facilities and spearheaded the construction of the new, state-of-the-art Alex Box Stadium, where the playing field was named “Skip Bertman Field” in his honor.

Bertman was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Sandy, who died in March 2025 at the age of 87, and their daughter, Dr. Lisa Jo Bertman Pate, who died of cancer in 2012. He is survived by his daughters Jan, Jodi and Lori, as well as his grandchildren.

Building a Powerhouse

When Bertman arrived in Baton Rouge in 1984, LSU baseball was a modest program. Over 18 seasons, he built a powerhouse that defined a generation of college athletics. Under his guidance, the Tigers reached the NCAA tournament 16 times, advanced to the College World Series 11 times and claimed seven SEC championships.

Most notably, Bertman brought five national championships to Baton Rouge, winning titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000. He retired with a .754 winning percentage in NCAA tournament play, which stands as the highest in college baseball history.

Beyond the trophies, Bertman revolutionized how college baseball was marketed and experienced. He regularly packed the original Alex Box Stadium, turning Tiger baseball games into premier community events. Under his leadership, LSU led the nation in college baseball attendance during each of his final six seasons, establishing a passionate fan culture that remains a hallmark of the program.

“Coach Skip Bertman was an incredible ambassador for LSU,” former Tigers pitcher Billy Brian said. “His impact on LSU and college baseball is immeasurable. Most everyone knows Coach Bertman for his baseball knowledge and dominance. Former players know him as a role model, great father and husband. The legacy of Coach Bertman will live forever.”

International and Administrative Leadership

In addition to his historic collegiate run, Bertman made an impact on the international stage. He served as an assistant coach for the gold-medal-winning 1988 U.S. Olympic team and as the head coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team in Atlanta, which captured a bronze medal.

Accolades and Honors

In recognition of his legendary contributions, Bertman was inducted into the inaugural class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. His honors include:

Five-time Collegiate Baseball Coach of the Year (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000)

Two-time Baseball America Coach of the Year (1986, 1996)

Seven-time SEC Coach of the Year (1986, 1990–1993, 1996, 1997)

In 11 seasons as head baseball coach at Miami Beach High School, Bertman's team won a state championship and was state runner-up twice. Bertman was named Florida High School Coach of the Year three times. Based in part on these coaching credentials, Bertman went on to work as recruiting coordinator, pitching coach and associate head coach at the University of Miami for eight seasons (1976–1983) under Ron Fraser. During this time, the Hurricanes won the national championship in 1982. In that 1982 College World Series, Bertman orchestrated one of the most famous plays in college baseball history—a phantom pickoff play known as the "Grand Illusion" which resulted in Wichita State's Phil Stephenson being thrown out at second base.

Don Nelson - # 362

Celtics legend Don Nelson passes away at 86

Boston Celtics legend and iconic head coach Don Nelson has passed away at the age of 86, his family announced on Sunday. 

He was number 361 on the list.

On Sunday, it was announced that Boston Celtics icon Don Nelson had passed away. He was 86 years old.

Nelson's family has since released a statement, per NBA insider Marc Stein.

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family. Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories,” said the family, per Stein's account on X, formerly Twitter.

Nelson played for the Celtics from 1965-1976, winning five NBA titles with the franchise and having his number 19 jersey retired by the team, now hanging in the TD Garden rafters.

Nelson went on to have an illustrious career as a head coach in the NBA after his retirement, coaching the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, and Golden State Warriors.

For 12 years, he held the NBA all-time record for most wins by a head coach with 1,333, passing Lenny Wilkens in 2010 before being surpassed by Gregg Popovich in 2022. He was then inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Nelson began his playing career as a standout at Iowa before being drafted in the third round of the 1962 NBA Draft by the Chicago Zyphers. A small forward, he made a huge impact on the Celtics' dynastic success during the 1960s and 70s and was the rare elite player to go on to have just as successful a coaching career.

It remains to be seen what tributes the Celtics will have in store for the legend.

After an All-American career at the University of Iowa, Nelson won five NBA championships playing with the Boston Celtics, with his number 19 retired by the franchise in 1978.

His unique brand of basketball is often referred to as "Nellie Ball". A coaching innovator, Nelson is credited with, among other things, pioneering the concept of the point forward, a tactic which is frequently employed by teams at every level today. He was named one of the Top 10 coaches in NBA history.

Donald Arvid Nelson was born on May 15, 1940, in Muskegon, Michigan, to Arvid and Agnes Nelson. Nelson grew up with his family and two sisters on his grandfather's rural Illinois farm near Sherrard, Illinois. He first learned basketball shooting in the chicken yard where a spokeless bicycle wheel was nailed to the shed to make a basket. Nelson attended a one-room, six-grade, seven-student school. When his family lost the farm, the Nelsons moved to nearby Rock Island, Illinois, while Don was in middle school. His father Arvid eventually worked at the Rock Island Arsenal.

Nelson attended Rock Island High School, in Rock Island, one of the Quad Cities. The Nelsons lived in downtown Rock Island on 19th street and Don would walk to school, stopping to shoot baskets at several different locations along the way. Nelson would go to the YMCA after practice and shoot more.

Graduating in 1958, Nelson led the Rocks to a 47–7 record in his last two years under coach Bob Riley. He had 39 points and 20 rebounds against Moline High School and 30 points and 29 rebounds against No. 1-ranked Ottawa High School. As a junior, Nelson averaged 12.6 points as Rock Island finished 25–3. As a senior, Nelson averaged 20.2 points, leading the Rocks to a 22–4 record in 1957–58.

After his senior year in high school, Nelson wasn't heavily recruited. His father did not see a future for Don in basketball and wanted him to become a watch repairman. University of Iowa Coach Sharm Scheuerman, who had graduated from Rock Island in 1952, recruited Nelson, who ultimately chose the Hawkeyes over Wheaton College and Nelson's hometown Augustana College.

In the era when NCAA freshman weren't allowed to play varsity, Nelson was joined on the Iowa campus by future Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins in 1960. However, after playing for the freshman Iowa team in 1960–1961, Hawkins was embroiled in the 1961 college basketball gambling scandal and left Iowa. Hawkins was never charged with a crime and was later reinstated by the NBA, who had banned him.

In Nelson's years at Iowa, the Big Ten conference was full of future NBA players. Among others, Ohio State had future Hall of Fame players in John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas, along with Larry Siegfried. Indiana had a future Hall of Fame inductee in Walt Bellamy, while Purdue had future NBA All-Star Terry Dischinger.

As a rookie, Nelson averaged 17 minutes, playing alongside Walt Bellamy (27.9 points), Terry Dischinger (25.5 points), Si Green and Charlie Hardnett. Zephyrs Coach Jack McMahon was replaced by player Slick Leonard halfway through the season as Chicago finished 25–55. The Chicago Zephyrs moved to become the Baltimore Bullets after the season. Nelson played for the Zephyrs for one season averaging 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17 minutes. Nelson was then acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1963.

On September 6, 1963, Nelson was claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Lakers from the Chicago Zephyrs. He played in 80 games in the 1963–64 season, but just 39 in the following season under coach Fred Schaus.

After his career ended, Nelson's son Donnie remembers the family sitting in a Maid Rite restaurant in Moline, Illinois, and Don saying he had three choices: sell cars, become an NBA referee, or accept an assistant's job under Milwaukee coach Larry Costello. They voted 5–0 for the Milwaukee job, which paid $25,000.

Nelson began his coaching career as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976. After a 3–15 start to the season, Larry Costello resigned and Nelson was named Head Coach. A year later he became General Manager of the Bucks and soon began to show what would later become his signature style of wheeling and dealing players. Nelson made his first trade in 1977 by sending Swen Nater to the Buffalo Braves and turned the draft pick he received into Marques Johnson, who had a solid career with the Bucks. On November 25, 1977, the day after Thanksgiving, Nelson managed the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA history. With Milwaukee down twenty-nine points to Atlanta, on the road, and with only 8:43 remaining, the Bucks went on a 35–4 run to win 117–115 in regulation. At the time, there was no three-point field goal.

In 1980, he sent off an underachieving Kent Benson to the Detroit Pistons for Bob Lanier. Perhaps his most publicized deal came before the 1984–85 season when he dealt Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, Harvey Catchings, and cash to the San Diego Clippers for Terry Cummings, Craig Hodges, and Ricky Pierce. And, in 1986, he would deal Alton Lister to the Seattle SuperSonics for Jack Sikma.

Taking over a Bucks team in the aftermath of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's departure to Los Angeles, Nelson was able to improve their win total by 14 games in his first full season as head coach, and established the team as a legitimate championship contender by 1980. It was in Milwaukee where Nelson became known for his unorthodox, innovative basketball philosophy. He pioneered the concept of the point forward – a tactic wherein small forwards are used to direct the offense. In Nelson's tenure with the Bucks, he used 6–5 small forward Paul Pressey for the role. This enabled Nelson to field shooting guards Sidney Moncrief and Craig Hodges or Ricky Pierce at the same time without worrying about who would run the offense. In his offensive half-court sets, he would also put a center who wasn't a threat on offense, like Lister or Randy Breuer, at mid-court instead of near the basket to keep a shot-blocking center like the Utah Jazz's Mark Eaton away from the basket to make him less of a threat on defense.

This system, known as "Nellie Ball", created a lot of mismatches and enabled Nelson to lead the Bucks to seven straight Central Division championships with over 50 wins in each of those seasons. He earned NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1983 and 1985. For seven straight years, finishing no worse than second best in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks ended up being eliminated in the playoffs by either the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics or the Julius Erving-led Philadelphia 76ers. After the 1986–87 season, which included some controversy and distraction before Game 4 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics where Nelson told the local sports media that he didn't expect to be back once the season concluded due to a rift with Bucks owner Herb Kohl, Nelson resigned as head coach of the Bucks. In 11 seasons, Nelson had a 540–344 (.611) record with Milwaukee.

In 1986 former Bucks owner, Jim Fitzgerald, purchased the Golden State Warriors. Nelson did part-time work as a color analyst for NBA games on TBS during the 1987–88 season. During the season he was contacted by the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, and New York Knicks with offers to coach their teams. Nelson decided to go with Golden State, in large part due to his relationship with Fitzgerald, at first buying a minority stake in the team before being named head coach and vice president after one season away from the NBA.

 

In Golden State, he instilled a "run-and-gun" style of offense. Again using an unconventional lineup which featured three guards (Mitch Richmond, Tim Hardaway and Sarunas Marciulionis) and two forwards (Chris Mullin and the 6'8" Rod Higgins at center), he coached the Warriors to a 23-game turnaround of their previous season and back into the playoffs with his lineup popularly known as Run TMC, for Tim, Mitch and Chris. All three were later elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after their careers. Nelson was named NBA Coach of the Year a third time after the 1991–92 season.

Nelson continued to retool the team, drafting All-Star Latrell Sprewell in 1992. Nelson traded the Warriors' number 3 pick Penny Hardaway to the Orlando Magic for their number one overall pick Chris Webber during the 1993 NBA draft. Despite Webber averaging 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and winning the 1994 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, he found himself at odds with Nelson's preference to play him at center rather than power forward. Frequently clashing with one another, Webber threatened to use the out-clause in his contract if he wasn't traded. Nelson reportedly offered to resign rather than let the team trade away their young star, but nonetheless Webber was dealt to the Washington Bullets on November 7, 1994, for Tom Gugliotta and three future 1st round draft picks (1996, 1998 and 2000).

 

Nelson resigned as head coach of the Warriors on February 13, 1995. He made the playoffs with Golden State in four of his six seasons there. Subsequently, the Warriors did not qualify for the playoffs for the next 12 seasons, until he returned to the team in 2006.

In 1994, Nelson coached the Team USA national basketball team at the 1994 FIBA World Championship in Toronto, and led them to the gold medal. The team was marketed as "Dream Team II".

 

Coached by Nelson, along with assistants Don Chaney, Pete Gillen, and Rick Majerus, Team USA had a roster of Derrick Coleman, Joe Dumars, Tim Hardaway (injured), Kevin Johnson, Larry Johnson, Shawn Kemp, Dan Majerle, Reggie Miller, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Mark Price, Steve Smith, Isiah Thomas (injured), and Dominique Wilkins.

 

USA went 8–0, defeating Spain 115–100, China 132–77, and Brazil 105–82. In the final round, the U.S. team defeated Australia 130–74, Puerto Rico 134–83, Russia 111–94, and Greece 97–58. In the gold medal game, Team USA defeated Russia 137–91.

Nelson was named head coach and general manager of the Dallas Mavericks in 1997. He was coming to a team that had been dormant through the 1990s and a permanent fixture in the NBA lottery. In 1998, his first full off-season in charge, Nelson worked out draft day deals with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, essentially trading the draft rights of Robert Traylor and Pat Garrity for Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, whom he wanted to pair with the Mavericks rising star Michael Finley.

 

The trio of Nash, Finley and Nowitzki became the foundation for the Mavericks dramatic turnaround, as Nelson coached the Mavericks to four consecutive 50-win seasons. The height of their success was a 60-win season in 2002–03, when they reached the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. An injury to Nowitzki in game 3 that kept him out for the rest of the series doomed the Mavericks as they lost in six games.

 

Lacking an interior presence to combat low-post players such as Shaquille O'Neal, Nelson introduced the "Hack-a-Shaq" defense to the NBA while in Dallas. In the 2004 off-season, Steve Nash was offered a max contract by the Phoenix Suns; despite Nelson's insistence on matching the offer, Mark Cuban declined and Nash accepted Phoenix's offer. Nash won consecutive MVPs with the Suns the following two seasons.

 

On March 19, 2005, Nelson stepped down as Dallas' head coach, naming Avery Johnson as his successor. Nelson retained his job as Dallas' GM until after the season, when he named his son, assistant GM Donnie Nelson, as his replacement as GM. The Mavericks reached the NBA Finals the following season, though they would lose to the Miami Heat in six games.

On August 29, 2006, Nelson returned to the Golden State Warriors for a second stint as head coach. Chris Mullin, a favorite of Nelson's from his first stint as Warriors head coach, was the team's general manager. Nelson's style of coaching favored the play of Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Matt Barnes, Jason Richardson, and Andris Biedriņš. Midway through the season, Mullin (at behest of Nelson) orchestrated a trade with the Pacers to obtain Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson.

 

The new lineup thrived under Nelson; Davis, Biedriņš and Jackson saw an increase in scoring and efficiency, Barnes went from a virtual unknown to a solid rotation contributor and Ellis was named the NBA's Most Improved Player after averaging 16.5 points per game, a substantial increase from his average of 6.8 points per game the prior season. The Warriors closed out the season on a 16–5 run and just managed to qualify for the 2007 playoffs.

 

Nelson faced his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, in the first round of the playoffs. The Mavs had the NBA's best record, and were a pick to win the NBA championship that year. In one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history, Nelson coached the 8th-seeded Warriors to series victory over the top-seeded Mavericks in six games. It was numerically the largest upset in the history of the NBA playoffs, with the 67–15 Mavericks' regular-season win–loss record 25 games better than the 42–40 Warriors'. The Warriors went on to lose to the Utah Jazz in the second round. Nelson became the only coach in NBA history to steer three teams to a first round series victory while being seeded either 7th or 8th, having previously coached the Warriors to first-round upsets of the Jazz in 1989 and the Spurs in 1991 as the 7th seed.

Nelson married Joy Wolfgram at the Oakland Coliseum in June 1991.[62] Nelson and his wife have a total of six children from prior marriages.[62][63] He has a daughter born out of wedlock and put up for adoption, whom he did not know about for 29 years, who first reached out to him in 1997, not wanting anything in return. She now lives in Maui near Nelson and his wife.

 

He had fifteen grandchildren as of 2012.

 

Nelson's son Donnie Nelson was the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks. Donnie was Don's assistant coach with the Mavericks when Don won his 1,000th NBA game. Donnie moved from coaching to become the president of basketball operations for the Mavericks in 2002 while his father was still coaching Dallas. Donnie Nelson was an assistant coach for Lithuania in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

 

Nelson calls Dirk Nowitzki his "German son". Nelson coached Nowitzki for his first six NBA seasons in Dallas. "In my second game ever in the NBA -- obviously I wasn't a defensive presence -- he wanted me out there in the game but he didn't have anybody for me to guard," recalled the 7'0" Nowitzki. "So he let me guard [5-foot-3] Muggsy Bogues for a couple possessions. He said, 'Just stand there in the paint and wave at him. He doesn't want to shoot.'

 

Career history

Playing

1962–1963      Chicago Zephyrs

1963–1965      Los Angeles Lakers

1965–1976      Boston Celtics

Coaching

1976    Milwaukee Bucks (assistant)

1976–1988      Milwaukee Bucks

1988–1995      Golden State Warriors

1995–1996      New York Knicks

1997–2005      Dallas Mavericks

2006–2010      Golden State Warriors

Career highlights

As player:

5× NBA champion (1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976)

No. 19 retired by Boston Celtics

Third-team All-American – AP, NABC, UPI (1962)

As coach:

 

3× NBA Coach of the Year (1983, 1985, 1992)

2× NBA All-Star Game head coach (1992, 2002)

Top 10 Coaches in NBA History

Top 15 Coaches in NBA History

Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award (2025)

Career playing statistics

Points  10,898 (10.3 ppg)

Rebounds        5,192 (4.9 rpg)

Assists 1,526 (1.4 apg)

Phil Regan obit

Former All-Star pitcher, longtime coach Regan dies at 89

 

He was not on the list.

Phil Regan, a former All-Star pitcher who later managed the Orioles and spent decades as a pitching coach for teams including the Cubs and Mets, has died at age 89.

Regan died Wednesday, according to a report from ESPN's Jeff Passan, citing Regan's attorney, Matt Blit.

The righty made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 1960 and spent six seasons in Detroit before stints with the Dodgers, Cubs and White Sox. His best season came in 1966, when he went 14-1 with a 1.62 ERA and had an NL-best 21 saves during an All-Star campaign with the Dodgers that led to him being named both the Sporting News NL Reliever of the Year and the publication's NL Comeback Player of the Year.

Two years later, in a season split between the Dodgers and Cubs, he led the Majors with 27 saves and earned his second NL Reliever of the Year honor. Regan retired after the 1972 season with a 96-81 record, a 3.84 ERA and 92 saves.

After his retirement as a player, Regan made the transition into coaching, starting with Grand Valley State College, where he coached from 1974-82. He later held MLB coaching jobs with Seattle (1984-86), Cleveland (1994, '99) and the Cubs (1997-98). Regan was named manager of the Orioles ahead of the 1995 season and led the team to a 71-73 record and a third-place finish in the AL East.

He also spent time as a pitching coach in the Minors with the Mets and eventually was named the team's Minor League pitching coordinator. In 2019, at age 82, Regan was named the Mets' interim pitching coach.

Regan's coaching career also included a stint as pitching coach with Team USA during the 2000 Summer Olympics.

He was a baseball pitcher, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox; he also managed the Baltimore Orioles

During the 1966 season, when Regan was Walter Alston's favorite pitcher from the Dodger bullpen, teammate Sandy Koufax nicknamed Regan "the Vulture", due to his knack of earning wins in late-inning relief situations.

Regan earned varsity letters in basketball, football, and baseball at Wayland High School in Wayland, Michigan. After one year at Western Michigan University, he signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1956. He compiled a 61–42 record and 3.76 earned run average as a starting pitcher in the Tigers' farm system before earning a call up to the majors midway through the 1960 season.

Regan made his major league debut on July 19 against the Washington Senators. Entering the game already behind 3–0, he allowed just two hits in five innings of work, including a home run to Harmon Killebrew.

He made his first career start in the second game of a doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles on July 23. He left the game with two outs in the ninth inning with the score tied at three, and the bases loaded. Relief pitcher Clem Labine walked Jim Gentile to drive in the winning run, and hand Regan his first career loss. Splitting his time between starts and relief appearances, he was 0–4 with a 4.50 ERA his rookie season. His first career win also came against Baltimore during his second season in the big leagues, when he went 10–7 with a 5.25 ERA.

Over six seasons, Regan went 42–44 with a 4.50 ERA for the Detroit Tigers. He was 0–4 with a 4.99 ERA in 1965 when he was demoted to triple A Syracuse. He earned a call up that September, and made two appearances, but it was while he was with Syracuse that Regan learned of interest in him from the Dodgers organization.

Regan called Tigers General Manager Jim Campbell asking to be traded, and on December 15, 1965, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder Dick Tracewski.

With Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Claude Osteen, and Don Sutton in the starting rotation, Regan was used strictly as a reliever in 1966. He responded by going 14–1 with a 1.62 ERA, 88 strikeouts in 116 innings pitched and a National League leading 21 saves to help the Dodgers capture the National League pennant by a game and a half over the San Francisco Giants. It was on August 1 of that year, by Regan's own account, that he first acquired the "Vulture" moniker from Koufax, the latter having just exited his second consecutive game, tied 1-1, only to see Regan "swoop in" for the last-minute win.

The Sporting News named him the NL Reliever of the Year and NL Comeback Player of the Year in 1966. He also earned the only All-Star nod in his career, but did not appear in the game. He appeared in two games of the 1966 World Series, allowing just one base runner via a walk, and retiring the other five he faced.

Regan won his first two decisions in 1967 to give him 15 consecutive wins before finally losing to the Houston Astros on May 15. He won both games of a doubleheader with the New York Mets on April 21, 1968. Two days later, he was traded with Jim Hickman to the Chicago Cubs for Jim Ellis and Ted Savage.

Regan provided similar heroics for his new team. In his first two appearances as a Cub, he saved both games of an April 28 doubleheader with the Houston Astros. Despite missing the first 14 games of the Cubs' schedule, Regan led all of Major League Baseball with 25 saves in 1968 on his way to capturing a second Sporting News Reliever of the Year Award.

He was involved in a bizarre incident on August 18, 1968, against the Cincinnati Reds. Regan apparently had good stuff that day, too good for home plate umpire Chris Pelekoudas. Despite no illegal substances being found on the ball, Pelekoudas called 14 illegal pitches on Regan based simply on the movement of the ball. Regan met with NL President Warren Giles on August 20, and was absolved of any wrongdoing. The incident earned Regan a reputation that followed him the rest of his career.

Immediately upon retirement, Regan went into coaching. He accepted his first coaching job at Grand Valley State University in his home state of Michigan simply because it was close to home. He was head coach from 1973 to 1982, winning the Great Lakes Conference title and the NAIA District 23 Championship twice each.

Regan's work at Grand Valley earned him a call from Seattle Mariners general manager Dan O'Brien Sr. After spending the 1983 season as the Mariners' minor league pitching instructor and advance scout, Regan was promoted to major league pitching coach in 1984. His tenure in Seattle was interrupted by a two-game suspension in 1985 when he bumped umpire Derryl Cousins during a bench clearing brawl between the Mariners and California Angels on August 12.

Regan resigned from his position with the Mariners following the 1986 season. In 1987, he began a six-year stint with the Dodgers as their major league special assignment and advance scout. Regan was up for the Florida Marlins managerial job, late in 1992, but withdrew his name from consideration. A year later, he joined the Cleveland Indians as pitching coach during the strike-shortened 1994 season.

In 1995, Regan received his only major league managerial position, managing the Baltimore Orioles to a 71–73 record. Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike carrying into the 1995 season, the league played a shortened 144-game schedule that commenced on April 25. The Orioles missed the playoffs, ultimately finishing third in the American League East. After just one season at the helm, Regan was fired, and replaced by Davey Johnson.

The remainder of his professional coaching career:

1987–1989 – Managed Leones del Escogido to the Dominican Championship. Won the Caribbean World Series, in 1988.

1989–2009 – Managed teams in the Venezuelan Winter League, including Leones del Caracas, Navegantes del Magallanes, Cardenales de Lara, Bravos de Margarita, and Tiburones de La Guaira.

1996 – Managed Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A affiliate Albuquerque Dukes (finished with a record of 67–76).

1997 – Served as Chicago Cubs pitching coach (1997–1998).

1999 – Served as Cleveland Indians pitching coach.

2000 – Served as Team USA pitching coach at Summer Olympics in Sydney.

2002 – Served as West Michigan Whitecaps manager (2002–2003).

2009–2015 – St. Lucie Mets pitching coach.

2016–2019 – New York Mets minor league assistant pitching coordinator.

2019 – Promoted to New York Mets interim pitching coach on June 20 after Dave Eiland was fired. Retired following the season.

2019–2020 – Came out of retirement to become the Toros del Este pitching coach (won the Dominican Championship).

Minor league teams he played for include the Jamestown Falcons, Durham Bulls, Birmingham Barons, Charleston Senators, Denver Bears, and the Syracuse Chiefs.

On February 21, 2023, Regan sued the Mets organization for age discrimination and wrongful termination for his departure as pitching coach following the 2019 season. The suit also alleged a harassment and a hostile work environment.

TJ Lanning obit

Former U.S. Ski Team Member TJ Lanning Dies at 41

 

He was not on the list.

Ski Racing Media has confirmed with people close to Lanning that TJ Lanning, a former U.S. Ski Team alpine racer remembered for his fearless approach to speed skiing, his resilience through repeated injuries and his later work as a coach, has died. He was 41.

Thomas “TJ” Lanning was born Aug. 27, 1984, in Helena, Montana, and became one of the most promising American speed skiers of his generation. He specialized in downhill, super-G and combined, bringing an aggressive, all-in style that made him one of the more compelling U.S. racers of his era.

Lanning learned to ski at a young age and emerged quickly as a standout junior racer. He competed at the 2001 and 2002 FIS Junior World Ski Championships and later represented the United States at the 2007 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Åre, Sweden.

At the World Cup level, Lanning scored points nine times for the United States and recorded three top-10 finishes. His best results were a ninth-place finish in downhill at Lake Louise, Canada, on Nov. 29, 2008, and a 10th-place finish in Val Gardena, Italy, on Dec. 20, 2008. He also finished 10th in the super combined at Beaver Creek in 2007.

Lanning’s career was defined not only by talent but also by toughness. He raced with a willingness to push the limit, and that approach made him exciting to watch. It also came with a heavy physical cost. His career included repeated injuries, including crashes that interrupted several seasons and kept him from realizing the full potential many saw in him.

In 2008, Lanning became the U.S. downhill champion. During the 2008-09 World Cup season, he qualified for the World Cup Finals in downhill, a true achievement in one of the sport’s most demanding disciplines. He finished that season 25th in the downhill standings and 33rd in super-G.

His final World Cup race came Nov. 28, 2009, in the downhill at Lake Louise. Lanning crashed in the high-speed section near the timing flats and suffered a dislocated left knee and a fractured C5 vertebra in his neck. The injury ended his World Cup racing career.

After retiring from competition, Lanning remained deeply connected to ski racing. He moved into coaching and worked with the U.S. Ski Team, bringing his experience, honesty and understanding of speed skiing to the next generation of athletes.

Many of Lanning’s friends from his time with the U.S. Ski Team and others throughout the sport have shared with Ski Racing Media the profound sadness they feel over his death and the deep affection they had for him.

Those who knew him remember not only the racer who attacked the hill with courage, but also the coach, teammate and friend who cared deeply about the people around him.

Lanning’s life in ski racing was marked by promise, pain, persistence and impact. He brought the sport moments of genuine excitement and, later, gave back through coaching. His death at such a young age is a profound loss for the American ski racing community.

Our thoughts are with the family he leaves behind and with the many people across the ski racing community who will miss his smile, his energy and all he brought to the sport.

Kjell Nilsson obit

'Mad Max'

Kjell Nilsson Dead at 76 

He was not on the list.

Kjell Nilsson, who played Lord Humungus in the classic "Mad Max 2" film, has died.

Chris Carbaugh, Kjell's rep, tells TMZ ... the actor died Thursday in Queensland, Australia, surrounded by family after a four-year battle with kidney disease.

The Swedish-born Kjell was an Olympic-class weightlifter ... which came in handy when he was cast as the terrifying, metal-masked Lord Humungus in "Mad Max 2" -- known in America as "The Road Warrior."

Kjell appeared in several other films ... but he was best known for 'Mad Max.'

Chris tells TMZ ... Kjell was a wonderful person who inspired many as a weight-training coach. He loved the 'Mad Max' fans and embraced the role.

Nilsson was an Olympic-class weight lifter who was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He moved to Australia in 1980 to train Swedish athletes for the Moscow Olympics. In Australia, he met actress Kate Ferguson, and they married in Sweden. She persuaded him to return to Australia and to look for work in the Australian film industry.

In the 1981 post-apocalyptic science fiction action film Mad Max 2 (also known as Mad Max: The Road Warrior), he played the main antagonist "Lord Humungus", the leader of a gang of marauders that besiege a settler compound in the Australian wastelands. He leads a rag-tag band of biker-berserkers, and he gives speeches to the settlers exhorting them to surrender, while utilizing psychological warfare. Time magazine's Richard Corliss stated that in Nilsson's portrayal, "malevolence courses through his huge pectorals, [and] pulses visibly under his bald, sutured scalp."

A year later, he appeared in The Pirate Movie (1982), a musical and comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol. In 1984, he had a role in the TV movie Man of Letters, and in 1987, he played the role of a nurse in The Edge of Power.

 

He was 76.

 

RIP

 

Actor

Kjell Nilsson, Aaron Kearney, Jayden Caulfield, and Sarah Mudle in Howlin' Refrain (2023)

Howlin' Refrain

7.7

Bronson

2023

 

The Edge of Power (1989)

The Edge of Power

4.9

Jorma

1989

 

Hard Knuckle (1988)

Hard Knuckle

5.3

TV Movie

The Bouncer

1988

 

Sons and Daughters (1982)

Sons and Daughters

6.1

TV Series

Mike Thurgood

1985

2 episodes

 

Man of Letters (1984)

Man of Letters

TV Movie

Male Nurse

1984

 

Stanley: Every Home Should Have One (1984)

Stanley: Every Home Should Have One

6.4

Athletic Club Attendant

1984

 

Christopher Atkins, Kristy McNichol, Ted Hamilton, Bill Kerr, Garry McDonald, and Chuck McKinney in The Pirate Movie (1982)

The Pirate Movie

5.4

Pirate

1982

 

The Road Warrior (1981)

The Road Warrior

7.6

The Humungus

1981

 

Howard Fendrich obit

Fendrich, award-winning AP sports writer, tennis expert, dies

 He was not on the list.

Howard Fendrich, a national sports writer for The Associated Press whose persistent reporting and detail-rich prose brought readers inside dozens of taut Grand Slam tennis finals, record-breaking Olympic moments and harrowing trips down Alpine ski slopes, has died. He was 55.

Fendrich died Thursday at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, his wife Rosanna Maietta said. He was diagnosed with cancer in February shortly after returning from Milan, where he covered his 11th Olympics.

Tennis great Roger Federer, who estimated he'd had more than 100 interactions with Fendrich over the decades, called the journalist "one of those constant and reassuring presences in the tennis world for many years."

"He started covering tennis in 2002, right around the time I was starting to have my breakthrough in the sport, and over time he truly became part of the fabric of tennis," Federer said. "Tennis lost a wonderful journalist and a great person."

Fendrich is survived by his wife; his mother, Renée; his brother, Alex; and two sons, Stefano and Jordan, each of whom are pursuing careers in sports journalism - just like their dad.

"Howard was a gifted journalist who brought such skill, expertise and enthusiasm to his work," said AP Executive Editor and Senior Vice President Julie Pace. "His stories were a joy to read, combining lively writing with insightful reporting. He was also a generous and beloved colleague whose warmth and passion touched so many across the AP."

A veteran of AP across three decades A graduate of Haverford College near Philadelphia, Fendrich worked at AP for 33 years, starting as an unpaid intern in Rome.

There, he became fluent in his beloved city's language, mostly by watching Italian karaoke videos, and that helped him get a foot in the door to the news agency's European sports coverage, focusing on soccer. That, in turn, landed him on the radar of the AP sports editor at the time, Terry R. Taylor, who helped him get back to the United States.

In the United States, Fendrich started as an editor on the AP sports desk at the New York headquarters, where he also wrote a sports media column. He moved to the Washington area in 2005 and became a steady presence on sports beats in the region where he had grown up.

But his true passion was tennis. He chronicled the careers of Venus and Serena Williams, Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and others. He covered some 70 Grand Slam tournaments over nearly a quarter century on the beat. It was at those events where his brilliance shone brightest.

Fendrich's writing honors included two Grimsley Awards for best overall body of work among AP sports writers and a handful of deadline-writing citations. One was for a piece from Andre Agassi's last match, which came at the 2006 U.S. Open:

"Crouched alone in the silence of the locker room, a pro tennis player no more, a red-eyed Andre Agassi twisted his torso in an attempt to conquer the seemingly mundane task of pulling a white shirt over his head. Never more than at that moment did Agassi seem so vulnerable, looking far older than his 36 years."

The passage highlighted Fendrich at his best - watching, rewatching, taking notes, going beyond the courts and painstakingly sifting through details of events that millions of people witnessed to tell them something the guy sitting right next to him might not have noticed.

Fendrich captured Federer's heartfelt meeting with Bjorn Borg in the hallway after a history-making win at Wimbledon. He detailed the gritty realities of playing on red clay at Roland Garros, then having to wash it out of shorts and socks when the match was over.

At his last big assignment in Milan, he followed speedskater Jutta Leerdam's famous fiancé, fighter Jake Paul, down the hallway leading to the parking lot - all just to unearth a detail, just to get a quote. He got them, then Paul proclaimed: "OK, we're done." Bodyguards moved in and, as Fendrich said at a dinner later: "I decided, 'Yes, I guess we are.'"

An unerring instinct for how to get the news He had a knack for knowing where to go, who to ask and, just as importantly, what to ask and how.

For days during the steamy Washington summer in 2011, he sat on a folding chair on a sidewalk, perched a laptop on his lap and wrote, all while waiting for principals to emerge from tense negotiations during the protracted NFL labor lockout. Though he wasn't what would be known today as an "NFL insider," Fendrich worked the room, the phones - and the sidewalk - and helped AP stay as competitive as anyone in delivering developments and detailing the eventual end of the standoff.

"There was that doggedness," said Mary Byrne, the AP's deputy sports editor at the time of the lockout. "He was annoyed by it, and by all the time he spent out there waiting for people to come out and say nothing. But that situation wasn't going to get the best of him, and he wasn't going to get beat on the story."

When Washington quarterback Alex Smith broke his leg in the most gruesome of fashions in 2018, Fendrich immediately got on the phone with the one person who could understand: retired star quarterback Joe Theismann.

Sometimes, however, the phone would ring for him and, even if he was in the middle of a World Series game, Fendrich would pick up. If he started speaking Italian, it was undoubtedly Rosanna, his wife. Or sometimes the kids called and had a school question - or a story from that day's soccer game. For them, he had endless patience and time.

Then: Straight back to work, and he didn't miss a thing.

"Nothing got past him," said Stephen Wilson, AP's former European sports editor, who worked with Fendrich for more than 20 years. "Every story - even a three-paragraph brief - had to be iron-clad."

It wasn't just the written word where Fendrich was a master. He had a snappy, razor-sharp sense of humor. No colleague could turn him down when he raised his eyebrows, motioned his head toward the door and asked them to join him in his "office" -- usually a quiet courtyard or hallway outside a press room - to hash out coverage plans for the day or compare notes about people and things seen around the courts.

Chris Lehourites, an editor at AP who guided tennis coverage in Europe for decades, spent many a long day fretting over punctuation, syntax and word choice with Fendrich, whom he called a "perfectionist when it came to his job."

"Howard was also a friend," Lehourites said, "whose dry humor, along with his bags of Blow Pop lollipops, made long days go by quick."

José Ortiz obit

Puerto Rican legend José ‘Piculín’ Ortiz dies at 63

 He was not on the list.

After a short stint in the NBA, ‘Piculín’ had a successful career playing in Spain, Italy, and Greece.

José Ortiz -better known as “Piculín”-, one of the most influential figures in the history of Puerto Rican basketball, has died at 63 after a long battle with cancer.

Ortiz’s rise to prominence began in the United States collegiate system, where he played for the Oregon State Beavers. His performances led to his selection in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Ortiz would go on to play in the NBA with both the Jazz and the Charlotte Hornets, becoming one of the early Puerto Rican players to reach the league.

But where Ortiz truly flourished was on the international stage. His career took him across Europe, where he became a standout performer in several top leagues. Notably, he played for Real Madrid and Barça. Across Spain, Italy, and Greece, Ortiz built a reputation as a versatile center.

If Ortiz’s club career was impressive, his legacy with the Puerto Rican national team is monumental. Over a span of more than three decades, he represented the island in numerous international competitions, including Olympic Games and FIBA World Championships.

He served as both leader and symbol for Puerto Rican basketball, helping raise the team’s competitive profile on the world stage. Among the most celebrated moments of his international career was his participation in the historic victory over the United States at the Athens 2004 Olympics—one of the biggest upsets in Olympic basketball history.

Career history

1980–1991      Atléticos de San Germán

1987–1988      CAI Zaragoza

1988–1990      Utah Jazz

1990    Real Madrid

1990–1992      FC Barcelona

1992–1993      Festina Andorra

1993–1994      Unicaja Polti

1994–1996      Atléticos de San Germán

1994–1995      Gymnastikos S. Larissas

1995–1996      Iraklio Crete

1996–1997      Aris

1997    Guaiqueríes de Margarita

1997–1998      Aris

1998–2005      Cangrejeros de Santurce

2006    Capitanes de Arecibo

Career highlights

FIBA Korać Cup champion (1997)

Spanish Cup winner (1991)

Spanish League All-Star (1990)

2× Greek League All-Star (1996, 1997)

8× BSN champion (1985, 1991, 1994, 1998–2001, 2003)

BSN Most Valuable Player (2002)

LPB champion (1997)

LPB Finals MVP (1997)

No. 4 retired by Cangrejeros de Santurce

Pac-10 Player of the Year (1987)

2× First-team All-Pac-10 (1986, 1987)

Career statistics

Points  8,925 (17.7 ppg)

Rebounds        5,314 (10.5 rpg)

Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata

Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

FIBA Hall of Fame

Medals

Men's basketball

Representing  Puerto Rico

FIBA AmeriCup

Gold medal – first place          1995 Argentina           

Silver medal – second place   1988 Uruguay

Silver medal – second place   1993 Puerto Rico       

Silver medal – second place   1997 Uruguay

Bronze medal – third place     2003 Puerto Rico       

Pan American Games

Gold medal – first place          1991 Cuba      

Bronze medal – third place     1987 USA      

Centrobasket

Gold medal – first place          1989 Cuba      

Gold medal – first place          1991 Mexico  

Gold medal – first place          1993 Puerto Rico       

Gold medal – first place          2001 Mexico  

Gold medal – first place          2003 Mexico  

Silver medal – second place   1999 Cuba      

Goodwill Games

Gold medal – first place          1994 Russia

Alex Zanardi, obit

Alex Zanardi, auto racing champ who won Paralympic golds between life-altering accidents, dies at 59

 

He was not on the list.

ROME (AP) — Alex Zanardi, the Italian auto racing champion-turned-Paralympic gold medalist whose career was marked by two life-altering accidents, has died. He was 59.

Zanardi’s family announced his death on Saturday, saying that he passed away on Friday night.

“Alex died peacefully, surrounded by the affection of those closest to him,” the family said in a statement without providing a cause of death.

In 2020, Zanardi was seriously injured in a handbike accident after crashing into an oncoming truck during a relay event in Tuscany. Zanardi suffered serious facial and cranial trauma in the crash and was put in a medically induced coma.

Nearly 20 years earlier, Zanardi lost both of his legs in an auto racing crash.

“Italy loses a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every challenge of life into a lesson in courage, strength, and dignity,” Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said on X.

“Alex Zanardi knew how to bounce back every time, facing even the toughest challenges with determination, clarity, and a strength of spirit that was truly exceptional,” Meloni added. “He gave all of us much more than a victory: he gave hope, pride, and the strength to never give up. ... Thank you for everything, Alex.”

Zanardi won two championships in CART — 1997 and 1998 — in the United States before a brief return to Formula One. He returned to America and was racing in Germany in a CART event in 2001 when both of his legs were severed in a horrific accident the weekend after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. CART raced only because the series was already in Germany at the time of the attacks and could not return to the U.S.

After the 2001 crash, Zanardi was in a coma for three days and his heart stopped at least once.

NASCAR driver Max Papis, who knew Zanardi from childhood in Italy, recalled visiting his friend in the hospital, where Zanardi glanced at Papis’ new shoes.

“He said, ‘Look at the positive side of this. For a long time I will not have to spend money buying those,’” Papis said.

During his recovery, Zanardi designed his own prosthetics — he joked that he made himself taller — and learned to walk again. He then turned his attention to hand cycling and developed into one of the most accomplished athletes in the world. He won four gold medals and two silvers at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, competed in the New York City Marathon and set an Ironman record.

When he won a Paralympic race in 2012 at Britain’s Brands Hatch circuit where he had competed as a young driver, Zanardi celebrated the full-circle moment by holding his bike aloft one-handed as he sat on the track.

“Probably a lot of people watching me doing (this) to some degree against all odds maybe they are going to say, ‘Bloody hell, if Zanardi did this, I can try. I can try,’” he told The Associated Press at the time. “A good attempt always brings a result.”

His spirit, will, and determination gave the beloved Italian a larger-than-life persona. When he returned to the U.S. in 2019 to compete for BMW at the Rolex 24 of Daytona without his prosthetics, he was the most revered driver in a field that included F1 champion Fernando Alonso.

Drivers from around the world sought out Zanardi for photographs and were transfixed as he told elaborate tales of his adventures in the nearly two decades since many had seen him.

Zanardi used specially adapted cars with hand controls for gas and brake to take up racing again after the 2001 accident — and well enough to win races in various series.

Stefano Domenicali, the president and CEO of F1, said he was “deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend,” calling Zanardi “truly an inspirational person, as a human and as an athlete.”

“He faced challenges that would have stopped anyone, yet he continued to look forward, always with a smile and a stubborn determination that inspired us all,” Domenicali added. “While his loss is profoundly felt, his legacy remains strong.”

Zanardi’s death came on the same day — May 1 — that fellow driver Ayrton Senna died in a crash during an F1 race in Imola in 1994.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said on X that Zanardi’s racing career and “journey from life-changing accident to Paralympics gold medalist made him one of sport’s most admired competitors and an enduring symbol of courage and determination.”

Noted for his infectious smile and fanciful storytelling, Zanardi was praised by Pope Francis after his 2020 crash as an example of strength amid adversity. Francis penned a handwritten letter of encouragement assuring Zanardi and his family of his prayers.

Zanardi’s family added that it “thanks everyone who is sharing their support right now and asks for respect during this time of mourning.”

The funeral will be held Tuesday in Padua.

A moment of silence was observed in Zanardi’s honor before Saturday’s F1 sprint race in Miami Gardens, Florida. Also, the Italian Olympic Committee called for a minute of silence to be observed at all sports events in Italy over the weekend.

Zanardi, who was born in Bologna, is survived by his wife, Daniela, and son, Niccolò.

Adrian Smith obit

Adrian Smith of Cincinnati Royals, Kentucky Wildcats fame dies at 89

 

He was not on the list.

Anderson Township resident Adrian Smith has died at age 89.

If you don't recognize the name, Greater Cincinnati basketball aficionados knew him as "Odie," a talented 6-foot-1 guard from Farmington, Kentucky who won a national championship with the Kentucky Wildcats, an Olympic gold medal in Rome in 1960 and was named the 1966 NBA All-Star Game MVP, which came complete with a Ford Galaxie as a prize. Smith kept the vehicle in great condition over the years and kept it proudly on display.

Adrian Smith's time with Kentucky Wildcats

Though he originally only had a scholarship offer at Murray State, which was withdrawn, Smith started at Northeast Mississippi Junior College. He excelled enough there to warrant a look from the legendary Adolph Rupp and Kentucky's "Big Blue."

Smith finally got some playing time in relief his junior year, then became a starter as a senior, averaging 12.4 points per game. His team became known as "The Fiddlin' Five," and the Wildcats went on to win the 1957-58 NCAA National Championship with an 84-72 win over Seattle University. Seattle featured a future NBA Hall of Famer named Elgin Baylor. Another member of the "Fiddlin' Five" that you may not be aware of was the father of NBC football analyst and former Cincinnati Bengal Cris Collinsworth. Lincoln Collinsworth was a 6-foot-3 guard.

The team was called "The Fiddlin' Five," as Rupp said they were known for "fiddlin' around and fiddlin' around" before pulling out a game.

Gold medal for Adrian Smith in 1960

Smith was drafted in the 15th-round by the Cincinnati Royals in 1958. (The Royals originated in Rochester, New York, moved to Cincinnati, moved to Kansas City-Omaha, and are now the Sacramento Kings.)

He elected to join the Army, played on the Army All-Star Team and made the 1960 team that won gold in the Rome Olympics. That team also featured two other future Cincinnati Royals in Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas. The 1960 Olympic team was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Adrian Smith played for Cincinnati Royals from 1961-1969

Smith served as "The Big O" Oscar Robertson's back-up originally, but became a starter in 1964-65, averaging 15.1 points per game and shooting 46% from the field and 83% on free throws. There was no 3-point shot, but many have commented how Smith would have been a long-distance threat.

In 1966, the NBA All-Star Game came to Cincinnati Gardens, and Smith scored 24 points in 26 minutes to lead the East to victory and win the coveted Ford Galaxie. It would be his only All-Star Game.

Smith would play for the San Francisco Warriors, then the ABA Virginia Squires, before his pro career was up in 1972.

Adrian Smith funeral arrangements

Smith's visitation is at 11 a.m. at T.P. White in Mount Washington, with the funeral service at noon.

Smith was the fifth of six children of Oury and Ruth Smith of Farmington, Kentucky. The family lived in a farmhouse that had no electricity and no indoor plumbing. He was nicknamed "Odie" after a comedian on the Grand Ole Opry. As a child, he attended a three-room schoolhouse in rural Graves County, Kentucky. Because the family didn't have money for a basketball, he learned to shoot one his mother made from rolling up his dad's socks.

Smith enrolled to play basketball at Northeast Mississippi Junior College (now known as Northeast Mississippi Community College). After Smith excelled on the court, Northeast coach Bonner Arnold convinced legendary University of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp to send a scout to see Smith, and UK offered a scholarship.

Smith didn't see much action his junior season until Kentucky's star guard, Vernon Hatton, went out with an appendectomy, and for seven games, Smith averaged 16.3 points. As a senior, Smith was a starter and averaged 12.4 points per game. The Wildcats' team, known as the "Fiddlin' Five", beat Seattle University 84–72 to win the 1957–58 national championship, led by 30 points from Hatton and 24 from Johnny Cox. Smith averaged just under 14 points in UK's four NCAA tourney wins, including seven in the championship game.

Smith graduated from Kentucky with a business degree.

Instead of attempting to make the Royals, Smith joined the U.S. Army, where he played on the Army's All-Star team and in 1960 was selected to play on the eventual undefeated U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy. The team went 8–0 in the Olympics, led by future hall-of-famers Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, and Jerry West, although in the opening win against host Italy, Smith was the team's leading scorer, with 17 points scored. The team's average margin of victory in the eight games was 42.4 points per game.

Smith began his professional career in the 1961–62 NBA season. During his first three seasons, he served as a backup guard behind Oscar Robertson and Bucky Bockhorn, averaging about 20 minutes per game with scoring averages of 7.2, 8.9, and 9.4, respectively.

In his fourth season of 1964–65, he became a starter in the Royals' backcourt alongside Robertson. Playing over 34 minutes per game, he averaged 15.1 points per game, with a .456 field goal percentage and .830 free throw percentage.

The 1965–66 season was both his most productive and noteworthy. He averaged a career-high 18.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game as the Royals went 45–35 and, in the Eastern Division semifinals, extended the Boston Celtics to a fifth and deciding game before falling to the eventual NBA champions. On December 15 he scored a career-high 34 points against the Celtics, and followed that up on January 5 with another career-high of 35 points. During the season, Smith was selected to the 1966 NBA All-Star Game and, surprisingly for a game that including sixteen future Hall-of-Famers, Smith was named MVP after he scored 24 points in 26 minutes. It was his only All-Star appearance, and for winning the MVP award, he received a new Ford Galaxie car.

In his sixth NBA season, 1966–67, Smith averaged 16.6 points per game and led the NBA with a .903 free throw percentage and, for the fourth time, the durable Smith led the league in games played. In 1967–68, Smith averaged 15.6 points per game in his last year as a starter. In 1968–69, playing primarily as a backup to Robertson and Tom Van Arsdale, Smith averaged 9.6 ponts per game.

Career history

1959–1960      USAF All-Stars

1961    Akron Goodyear Wingfoots

1961–1969      Cincinnati Royals

1969–1971      San Francisco Warriors

1971–1972      Virginia Squires

Career highlights

NBA All-Star (1966)

NBA All-Star Game MVP (1966)

NCAA champion (1958)

Career NBA and ABA statistics

Points  8,750 (11.3 ppg)

Rebounds        1,626 (2.1 rpg)

Assists 1,739 (2.3 apg)