Obituaries
Hall of Fame Jackson State coach W.C. Gorden, 90, dies

Oct. 26, 2020 04:45 PM EDT
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — W.C. Gorden, a Hall of Fame coach who led Jackson State to a 28-game Southwestern Athletic Conference winning streak while building a...

Merritt Norvell, first Black AD at Michigan State, has died

Oct. 21, 2020 06:29 PM EDT
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Merritt Norvell Jr., the first Black athletic director at Michigan State, has died. He was 79. A spokesman at...

Former AP sports writer Ken Rappoport dead at age 85

By Barry Wilner Oct. 13, 2020 06:24 PM EDT
Some people light up a room with their smile. Ken Rappoport could energize an entire arena or stadium with his laugh. Not to mention his...

Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Robertson passes away at age 91

Sep. 07, 2020 05:05 PM EDT
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. (AP) — Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Robertson, who called Washington State football for more than 50 years, has died at the age of 91. ...

Longtime Cal football staffer Bud Turner dies at age 84

Sep. 04, 2020 10:14 PM EDT
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Bud “Dog” Turner, who worked in various roles for the California football program for a half-century, has died. He was 84. ...

This Oct. 8, 2006 photo shows Tom Vint, who covered the dominant Nebraska football teams of the 1980s and '90s as an Associated Press sports writer. Vint died Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, after a monthlong battle with COVID-19, his daughter Mandy Troia said. He was 72. Vint retired from the AP after 25 years working in multiple roles in the Omaha bureau. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Tom Vint, retired AP sports writer, dies of COVID-19 at 72

By Eric Olson Sep. 02, 2020 04:30 PM EDT

FILE - In this 1981 file photo, Houston coach Bill Yeoman watches the football team practice in Houston. Yeoman, the longtime Houston football coach who led the Cougars to four Southwest Conference titles and a school-record 160 victories, has died. He was 92. The university announced the death Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, without providing details. Son, Bill Jr., told ESPN his father died of pneumonia and kidney failure. (Larry Reese/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)
Yeoman, who coached Houston for 25 seasons, dead at 92

By Kristie Rieken Aug. 12, 2020 07:14 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2011, file photo, fans fill Ohio Stadium as Ohio State takes on Akron in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State will limit home crowds to about 20,000 and prohibit tailgating if the football season is played this fall. Fans inside Ohio Stadium will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing to help stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)
The Latest: Colorado State pauses football after 8 positives

By The Associated Press Jul. 28, 2020 12:54 PM EDT

FILE - In this Thursday, July 24, 1997 file photo, University of Oklahoma head coach John Blake ponders a question from the media during Big 12 Conference football media day in Irving, Texas. Blake, a former Oklahoma football player and Oklahoma's first Black head coach in any sport, has passed away. He was 59. (AP Photo/Tim Sharp, File)
Former Oklahoma football coach John Blake dies at 59

By Cliff Brunt Jul. 23, 2020 08:23 PM EDT

Former South Carolina football star, AD Dixon dead at 83

Jul. 07, 2020 01:03 PM EDT
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former South Carolina running back, athletic director and board of trustees member King Dixon died Monday. He was 83. ...

FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2012, file photo, Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke speaks during a news conference in West Lafayette, Ind. Burke, the longest serving athletic director in Purdue history, died at his home Monday, June 15, 2020, after battling a rare disease for the last year. He was 68. University officials said in a statement Burke had been diagnosed with amyloidosis, an ailment caused by an the build-up of an abnormal protein in the body’s organs. (John Terhune/Journal & Courier via AP, File)
Boilermakers' longest-tenured AD, Morgan Burke, dies at 68

Jun. 15, 2020 06:00 PM EDT

Brad Keselowski (2) drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Bristol Motor Speedway Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Bristol, Tenn. Keselowski won the race. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Latest: 75 Penn State football players to return Monday

By The Associated Press Jun. 04, 2020 09:45 PM EDT

FILE - In this April 14, 2018, file photo, Blue team coach Johnny Majors, a former Pittsburgh NCAA college football coach, is shown before the annual Blue Gold game in Pittsburgh. Majors, the coach of Pittsburgh’s 1976 national championship team and a former coach and star player at Tennessee, has died. He was 85. Majors died Wednesday morning, June 3, 2020, at home in Knoxville, Tenn., according to a statement from his wife, Mary Lynn Majors.(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Johnny Majors, former Tennessee and Pitt coach, dies at 85

Jun. 03, 2020 11:11 AM EDT

The stands are empty during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Cologne and RB Leipzig, in Cologne, Germany, Monday, June 1, 2020. Because of the coronavirus outbreak all soccer matches of the German Bundesliga take place without spectators. (Ina Fassbender/Pool via AP)
The Latest: OSU linebacker tests positive following protest

By The Associated Press Jun. 02, 2020 02:34 PM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 1984, file photo, Auburn head coach Pat Dye, center, rushes onto the field after his team beat Michigan 9-7 in the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans. Former Auburn coach Pat Dye, who took over a downtrodden football program in 1981 and turned it into a Southeastern Conference power, has died. He was 80. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said Dye passed away Monday, June 1, 2020, at the Compassus Bethany House in Auburn, Ala.(AP Photo, File)
Former Auburn football coach Pat Dye dies at 80

By John Zenor Jun. 01, 2020 02:59 PM EDT

In this Dec. 5, 2015 photo, Los Angeles Times sportswriter, Chris Dufresne poses near the end zone before the Pac-12 championship NCAA college football game in Santa Clara, Calif. Dufresne, an award-winning former sports writer for the Los Angeles Times, died suddenly Monday while dining with his family at home in Chino Hills, 30 miles east of Los Angeles, according to a Times staff memo posted Tuesday, May 26, 2020, on Facebook. He was 62. (Gary Klein/Los Angeles Times via AP)
Chris Dufresne, heralded college football writer, dies at 62

By Beth Harris May. 26, 2020 03:42 PM EDT

The gates of St. Edwards' Lewis-Chen Family Soccer Field are locked and marked closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Austin, Texas. In response to the economic impact of COVID-19, St. Edwards says they are cutting cut six sports programs including men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf and men's soccer. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The Latest: Three South Carolina coaches taking salary cuts

By The Associated Press May. 19, 2020 02:35 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 1972, file photo, UCLA quarterback Mark Harmon, left, son of former Michigan Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon, works out with coach Pepper Rodgers, right, in Los Angeles. Rodgers, a colorful personality who helped Georgia Tech to an unbeaten season as a player in 1952 and went on to coach the Yellow Jackets as well as Kansas, UCLA and in the United States Football League, died Thursday, May 14, 2020, at the age of 88. His alma mater announced his death. A statement from Georgia Tech said Rodgers died in Reston, Va. No cause was given. (AP Photo/GB, File)
Colorful player, coach Pepper Rodgers dies at age 88

By Paul Newberry May. 14, 2020 11:52 PM EDT

This Sept. 1, 1969, photo shows Maryland football coach Roy Lester greeting Maryland NCAA college football players on picture day in College Park, Md. Lester, who sandwiched a disappointing three-year stint as Terrapins coach between a highly successful career at the high school level, has died at the age of 96. His daughter, Amy Lester Greco, says her father died Sunday, May 3, ,3030, in Rockville, Maryland, due to complications from the new coronavirus. (Paul Hutchins/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Roy Lester, former Maryland football coach, dies at 96

By David Ginsburg May. 05, 2020 01:41 PM EDT

In this April 7, 2020, photo provided by Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, a “Flatten the Curve” banner adorns the 120-foot Big Bat outside Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory in Louisville, Ky., in an effort to help spread the "stay healthy at home" message and bring down the number of COVID-19 cases. (Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory via AP)
The Latest: Louisville AD: 15% cut from budget, furloughs

By The Associated Press Apr. 20, 2020 12:22 PM EDT