Written by Elwood Grimes on 09 December 2013
Lindsey Vonn in 2008 (photo by Gerwig Loffelholz via wikipedia commons)
American Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn, girlfriend of golfer Tiger Woods, says she is ready for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games coming in a few weeks at Sochi, Russia.
The 29-year-old from St. Paul, Minnesota, finished fifth in the Super-G race at Lake Louise, Alberta.
Coming off major knee surgery, Vonn says that she is ready and will race one to two more times before the February Winter Olympics.
Tags: Lake Louise Alberta, Lindsey Vonn., Sochi Russia., St. Paul Minnesota., Super-G race, Tiger Woods., Winter Olympic Games.
Posted in Various Sports | No Comments »
Written by Elwood Grimes on 09 December 2013
Jesse Owens at 1936 Berlin Olympics (photo by Bundesarchiv, Bild via wikipedia commons)
One of the Olympic gold medals won by Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin was sold for a record $1.4 million in an online auction.
An Ohio State product, Owens won four Gold medals in the German city: 1oo meters, 200 meters, 4 x 100 meter relay and the long jump.
The native of Alabama died at age 66 in 1980.
The online auction ended on Sunday.
SCP Auctions reported that Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle paid $1,466,574, the highest price for a piece of Olympic memorabilia.
Tags: Alabama., Jesse Owens., Ohio State, Olympic Games in Berlin., Pittsburgh Penguins., Ron Burkle., SCP Auctions.
Posted in Ohio State | No Comments »
Written by Ernest T. Aiken on 09 December 2013
Kobe Bryant (photo by Keith Allison via wikipedia commons)
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is back on the court.
But not even Kobe Bryant could save his team from losing to the Toronto Raptors.
Amir Johnson scored a career-high 32 points in leading visiting Toronto to a 106-94 win to stop a five-game losing streak.
Bryant in his 18th season and the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer in history, had not played since rupturing his Achilles tendon in April against the Golden State Warriors.
He scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four assists ans turned the ball over eight times in 28 minutes of action.
Tags: Amir Johnson., Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors., Kobe Bryant., Los Angeles Lakers., Toronto Raptors.
Posted in Various Sports | No Comments »
Written by Stuart Mason on 09 December 2013
Houston Astrodome, home of the Oilers from 1960-1996 (photo from Library of Congress via wikipedia commons)
Entering the 1993 NFL season, the Houston Oilers were considered Super Bowl favorites by many. Despite a loss in the 1992 AFC Wild Card Game to the Buffalo Bills, the Oilers had made the playoffs for six consecutive seasons and had added Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan to an offense that led the league in passing each of the previous three seasons. Yet instead of a run to a Super Bowl title, the 1993 season was filled with turmoil, dysfunction and heartbreak.
(file photo)
NFL Network’s two-time Emmy-nominated series A Football Life continues Tuesday, December 10 at 9:00 PM ET with Houston ’93: A Football Life. The one-hour documentary chronicles the up-and-down season for the 1993 AFC Central division champions, and features interviews with several players, coaches and front office staff.
PRESS RELEASE WRITTEN BY NFL COMMUNICATIONS, COURTESY NFLmedia.com
Posted in NFL | No Comments »
Written by Stuart Mason on 09 December 2013
(courtesy Free-Extras.com)
The National Football League today is launching its inaugural Homecoming platform to highlight the accomplishments and contributions of NFL greats and celebrate dedicated fans.
During NFL Homecoming (Weeks 14, 15 and 16), NFL Legends will return to stadiums across the country to be honored by their teams and will reconnect with former teammates, club personnel, and fans. The league will celebrate these reunions through in-game presentations, digital and social media, and special events. There will be NFL Homecoming stencils on-field and in-stadium banners at certain games.
Examples of how teams are celebrating Homecoming include:
- On December 9, the Chicago Bears will retire Hall of Famer and Super Bowl-winning head coach MIKE DITKA’s number 89 jersey during halftime of their Monday Night Football match-up with the Dallas Cowboys.
- On Thursday, December 12, the Denver Broncos will host an event with NFL Network to honor Hall of Famers JOHN ELWAY & GARY ZIMMERMAN in advance of their Thursday Night Football game against the San Diego Chargers. That night, Broncos Ring of Famers TERRELL DAVIS, RANDY GRADISHAR, KARL MECKLENBURG, HAVEN MOSES, TOM NALEN, BILLY THOMPSON, JIM TURNER and LOUIS WRIGHT will participate in pregame ceremonies including on-field recognition as honorary captains for the coin toss.
- On Sunday, December 15, the Pittsburgh Steelers will welcome home Hall of Famers FRANCO HARRIS and MEL BLOUNT as honorary captains for their Sunday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
- On Monday, December 16, nearly 15 former Detroit Lions will be in attendance at their Monday Night Football matchup with the Baltimore Ravens including AL “BUBBA” BAKER, DESMOND HOWARD and WALLY TRIPLETT who will be recognized in-game with features about their accomplishments after football and LARRY LEE whose Detroit-based band will perform during pregame and halftime. The club also will host the first ever “One Pride Blue Out” which will encourage fans to wear blue to the game. All of these elements are part of the Lions’ “One Detroit. One Pride” campaign to unify the city behind the team.
In addition, several clubs will thank fans for their support throughout the season that makes their stadium feel just like home, including the Cleveland Browns, who will culminate their Best Fans Week at their December 15 game against the Chicago Bears. Cleveland will recognize season-ticket members who have held ticket accounts since the team’s inception in 1946 and provide exclusive rewards to more than 12,000 fans attending the game, highlighted by a trip to New York City to announce a Browns’ pick at the 2014 NFL Draft.
Earlier this season, the NFL and United Way announced a nationwide vote to identify the most popular NFL-United Way public service ads (PSA) of the past 40 years. Working with USA TODAY SPORTS Media Group to host the contest, thousands of fans voted on the top 40 ads and the winner will be announced during a Homecoming game on December 15. In addition, stars featured in some of the top 40 PSAs will return to stadiums for Homecoming games as honorary captains including Pro Football Hall of Famers Franco Harris and ROGER STAUBACH, as well as former Philadelphia Eagles player RON JAWORSKI and Tampa Bay Buccaneers player DERRICK BROOKS.
Fans may visit nfl.com/homecoming to view exclusive NFL Films content on Legends returning home and interviews with former players about their favorite Homecoming memories. A feature on former Washington Redskins player LaVAR ARRINGTON highlights his current work as a Heads Up Football ambassador and NFL Legends community ambassador as well as his induction into the Washington Redskins Ring of Honor this past November. Former Jacksonville Jaguars player MARK BRUNELL is featured in a video about his current roles as a high school coach in Jacksonville and NFL Legends community ambassador that culminates with his return to Jacksonville for the Ring of Honor induction on December 15.
In addition, the league is hosting its first-ever NFL Legends Networking Event in New York City on Sunday, December 15 bringing together NFL greats from around the region to reconnect and network.
NFL Homecoming builds off the variety of methods already in place to celebrate former NFL players and connect them with each other, their former teams and the NFL. In July, the NFL launched NFL Legends, a multi-faceted program developed by NFL Player Engagement and the league’s Marketing Department. The Legends develop, foster and manage national and local alumni relations to deepen the relationship and communication between the league office, teams and former players. They also participate in the league’s calendar events and fan platforms as additional ways to remain connected to the game.
The Legends Program is built on a peer-to-peer model used in other NFL Player Engagement programs, including the NFL Ambassadors program and the Transition Coaches program, fostering deeper relationships between generations of NFL players. For more information about NFL Player Engagement, visit http://www.nflplayerengagement.com.
PRESS RELEASE WRITTEN BY NFL COMMUNICATIONS, COURTESY NFLmedia.com
Posted in NFL | No Comments »
Our 2013-2014 High School Bounce season starts today with four games from the CLARK KELLOGG TIP-OFF CLASSIC presented by McDonald’s.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 7, 2013 at Ohio Dominican University Alumni Gym
Columbus, Ohio
