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Something tells me the inventor of basketball planned neither on 100-0 winners nor 100-point-loser celebrities. I just threw up in my Raisin Bran. Now, where'd I ... put ... my ... ah, there it is ... soap box. America has gone softer than Bob Dole without his Viagra and it makes me sick. In short, on ABC's Good Morning America Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer are taking a team of local high school girls basketball players and putting them on a national pedastal as heroes that deserve "praise for their poise and grace against an overwhelming opponent." So what did...

The St. Louis Rams are set to hire New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as their new head coach, the team said on Saturday, citing sources. Terms of the deal were not revealed on their website (www.stlouisrams.com) but the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper said 49-year-old Spagnuolo had accepted a four-year deal worth just under $12 million.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired coach Jon Gruden, NFL Network's Adam Schefter is reporting.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy has told the Colts organization that he will step down. 6Sports' Dave Furst confirmed an earlier Foxsports.com report that Dungy told the organization he plans to retire. Dungy was saying goodbye to players and employees at the Colts complex late Monday morning, Fox Sports said. Dungy has been considering his future with the team for more than a week. The Colts scheduled a 5 p.m. news conference to announce the decision officially. ESPN had previously reported that Dungy met with Colts owner Jim Irsay on Sunday and gave Irsay his decision on Monday...

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have scheduled a press conference for 5 p.m. today, presumably to announce the future of head coach Tony Dungy with the team. But FOXSports.com is reporting today that Dungy has already decided to step down. According to the Internet report by NFL writer Jay Glazier, Dungy is "walking around the team's complex saying good bye to players and team employees and informing them that the transition should be a smooth one for new coach Jim Caldwell." A source told Glazier that Dungy explained that he has talked it over with his family and they believed...

Mike Ditka has been a lot of things in life, including that man that could have possibly beaten then Illinois state senator Barack Obama when he ran for U.S. Senate in 2004. Instead Ditka chose not to run because of business obligations, Alan Keyes did the honors and we all know how that turned out. The Pittsburgh native, Republican, and accomplished former NFL player, television commentator, and coach is now being ‘drafted’ once again to run to fill the seat vacated by Obama. A seat that remains open despite Gov. Blagojevich’s perfectly legal (yet tainted) appointment of former Illinois attorney...

MIAMI -- Florida Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong believes race is a reason he hasn't been offered a head-coaching job during his 25 years in college football, a newspaper reported Tuesday. Strong, a 48-year-old black man, shook his head affirmatively when an Orlando Sentinel reporter asked him if his interracial marriage was a factor in getting passed over for jobs, including one at a Southern school a few years ago. Strong, whose wife is white, said he heard that too many times for it to be rumor.

The Cleveland Browns fired coach Romeo Crennel and General Manager Phil Savage after ending the season with a six-game losing streak. The Browns slumped to 4-12 this season -- their fifth losing season in six years -- after going 10-6 in 2007. They didn’t score an offensive touchdown during their season-ending skid and finished in last place in the American Football Conference’s North Division. Crennel had a 24-40 record in four National Football League seasons since joining the Browns, who haven’t won a playoff game since 1994, when Bill Belichick was coach. Savage took over as the Browns’ GM and...

Eric Mangini is out as head coach of the New York Jets, 1050 ESPN Radio and various other New York media outlets are reporting. Mangini and the Jets missed out on the playoffs after losing to Miami on Sunday. The Jets lost four of their last five games to finish 9-7.

A person familiar with the decision says the Detroit Lions have fired coach Rod Marinelli. The firing comes on the morning after the Lions became the first team in NFL history to finish with an 0-16 record. The person, who said the move was made Monday morning, spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because an announcement had not been made. The Lions completed their winless season with a loss to Green Bay on Sunday, pushing aside Tampa Bay's 1976 season of 0-14 as the league's worst.

The 49ers announced after their 27-24 victory over the Redskins that Mike Singletary will remain . . .

The Hall of Famer and winningest coach in major college football history has agreed to deal that runs through the 2011 season. JoePa turns 82 on Dec. 21. The extension was first reported by FightOnState.com. The agreement will provide "for the opportunity of Coach Joe Paterno leading the football program through the 2011 season," the statement said. JoePa turns 82 on Sunday

very now and then, there comes along a local story that warrants greater attention because it represents a microcosm of America. That one of the most successful high school football coaches in the country has called it quits is such a story. Warren Wolf, who coached longer and notched more victories than anyone to ever coach in New Jersey, officially retired last week after coaching Brick Township’s Green Dragons for 51 seasons. Wolf, who turned 81 years young this season, finished his legendary career with two words: “It’s time.” In many ways, Warren Wolf’s life is the quintessential twentieth-century American...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State coach Joe Paterno had successful hip replacement surgery Sunday, a day after the Nittany Lions clinched the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl. The 81-year-old coach was expected to get back on his feet Monday following the procedure at Mount Nittany Medical Center, the team said in a statement. Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, the school's director of athletic medicine, led the surgical team. Joe Paterno expects to recover in time for the Rose Bowl and reiterated after Saturday's game that he intends to return in 2009. "Dr. Sebastianelli reports that all...

With rumors of his retirement swirling about campus and throughout the country for days, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno told a pep rally at Rec Hall Friday night that he will return in 2009 "and run out of that tunnel next year." The crowd of approximately 6,500 Penn State fans, some wearing "Joe Can't Go" t-shirts, roared its approval. The players for the No. 8 Nittany Lions (10-1), who can win at least a share of the Big Ten Conference championship and a Rose Bowl bid by defeating No. 15 Michigan State (9-2) on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, joined...

Video at link.

Professor's Mooning Video Becomes Hit A video posted on YouTube Aug. 2 exposes the ugly side of competitive debate. And the backside of debate coach Bill Shanahan. At the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) quarterfinals last March, the Fort Hays State University assistant professor got into a screaming match with rival coach Shanara Reid-Brinkley from the University of Pittsburgh. The argument devolved into an ugly exchange of profanity and Shanahan pulled down his pants, mooning the audience.

Following the Russian basketball victory over Iran in the second day of competition at the Beijing Olympics, both teams - including the coaches - congratulated each other by hugging and shaking hands, despite the fact that the coach of the Russian national team was an Israeli. The game was the first time in years that Iran had not boycotted a sporting event in which it would compete against Israeli sports figures. Prior to his position as the Russian Olympic coach, David Blatt was a coach for Maccabi Tel Aviv. The friendly post-game exchange was far from hidden, with one photographer...

CORAL GABLES - Even halfway around the world, people are wondering who the University of Miami will start at quarterback next season. That was one of the questions Shannon received during a week-long trek to the Middle East...The most frequent question Shannon said he received didn’t have anything to do with football. “Does everybody back home still respect us?” Shannon said he and the other coaches were asked. “Does everybody believe in what we’re doing, have confidence in us?” Shannon declined to express his thoughts regarding the situation in Iraq, but said, “I’ll put it this way: You are happy...

"A high school wrestling coach in a Michigan city known for its large Arab community says he’s being forced out of his job of 35 years on trumped up allegations he allowed his assistant, a local clergyman, to try converting students to Christianity." "Dearborn Schools' spokesman David Mustonen confirmed that principal Imad Fadlallah decided not to renew Marszalek’s contract but said it has nothing to do with Hancock." “Jerry Marszalek is a non-union employee…If we have a union member, a teacher that’s part of the union, they are given priority to people from the outside when it comes to coaching...

DEARBORN, Mich. --A longtime high school wrestling coach has lost his job amid concerns a former assistant coach tried to convert Muslim students to Christianity. The Detroit News reports 35-year coach Jerry Marszalek's contract with Fordson High School in Dearborn, Mich., was not renewed. The decision was supported by 200 to 300 parents, who packed a Board of Education meeting Tuesday to support the principal's decision.

In the book “How to Think Like a CEO: The 22 Vital Traits You Need to Be the Person at the Top,” author D.A. Benton created a list of 22 important traits shared by the more than 100 CEOs that she interviewed for the book. When people commonly think of CEOs, they tend to think of very visible corporate leaders like Warren Buffett and Jack Welch. However, CEOs exist in any business operation in which an individual leads a group of employees with the objective of performing at a high level to reach a business goal.

They invested 24 days and an estimated 98,000 words to complete Tony Dungy's memoir, "Quiet Strength." Jefferson High School teachers read the book to their students from January to March as part of the One Book, One School project. Today, the 1,800 students heard from the Super Bowl-winning coach himself. A goal of Dungy's 2007 book is to motivate people to live productive lives even when facing adversity. Based on the reaction at Jefferson High, it achieved its mission.

LOS ANGELES - Tommy Lasorda, meet the pope. The Hall of Fame manager flew to Washington on Tuesday after accepting an invitation from President Bush to attend Wednesday morning's arrival ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI. The former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, currently a special adviser to Dodgers chairman Frank McCourt, will join diplomats, elected representatives, government officials and other invited guests on the South Lawn of the White House before attending a private dinner hosted by the President and Mrs. Bush. "I am truly honored to be invited to such a special occasion," Lasorda said. "It is humbling to be...

Acquitted and vindicated. A Lake Oswego swim coach accused of sexually abusing his swimmers has been found not guilty on all charges in Linn County, while all charges against him in Clackamas County have been dropped. Now that coach is telling the story of his time in jail, as an innocent man. NewsChannel 8 was the first TV station to interview Coach Don King. In a 30 minute talk at King's Lake Oswego home, the coach told reporter Jack Penning that he feels lucky to have won his case, but he's still upset by the way detectives in both Linn...

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, a noted Republican, says he thought long and hard before deciding against greeting Bill Clinton when the former president visited campus on behalf of his wife's presidential campaign. Bill Clinton pitched the Penn State ties of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday during a stop in State College, reminding the mostly youthful audience that her father and brother both played football at Penn State. In fact, brother Hugh Rodham, a 1972 graduate, was a backup quarterback under Paterno.

Joe Paterno's storied coaching career could end on a sour note -- if he lets it. Two members of Penn State's Board of Trustees yesterday told the Post-Gazette that negotiations regarding a possible contract extension or succession plan for Paterno have not gone smoothly.

A team mother of a private basketball team has posted bail following her arrested for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old boy on the team, police said Monday. Janice Marie Niccoli, 37, was arrested at her Vacaville home Friday on two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor more than 10 years younger, Sgt. Charlie Spruill said. Niccoli posted bail Saturday afternoon, Spruill said. Niccoli, the single mother of two boys, allegedly met the victim while traveling with a private club boys basketball team last year. Spruill said the alleged sexual encounters happened at Niccoli's home in April and...

Read today that Hall Of Fame coach John Wooden is hospitalized after a fall at his home . Did a Youtube check and immediately found this , and thought I ought to share it with fellow Freepers . They definitely don't make em like John W any more . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-FyRMpo824

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 A former Blanco High School teacher pleaded guilty this month to having sex with a student. Kylie Neighbors, 24, is accused of having sex with a male Blanco High School student on Halloween last year, according to court documents. Reached at home Tuesday night, Neighbors declined to comment on the case. Hays County prosecutors and police in San Marcos, where Neighbors lives, handled the case. Under the terms of her plea bargain, Neighbors will be on probation for 10 years, pay a $1,500 fine, perform 250 hours of community service and surrender her teaching certificate. Neighbors...

Jim Fassel deserved better than what he got from the Washington Redskins. And what he got was the shaft. "This is a shock to me," he said after the team hired Jim Zorn as head coach. You're not alone, Jim. Jim Fassel believes his dismissal from nearby Baltimore convinced the Redskins not to hire him. Fassel was supposed to be a slam dunk for the job once Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo returned to New York last week. After all, he helped put together the team's staff -- including the choice of Zorn as offensive coordinator -- and, according to...

In the penultimate paragraph of his best-selling book, "Quiet Strength," a work whose subject matter certainly transcends the folly and fleeting stardom of sport, Tony Dungy wrote this: "I coach football. But the good I can do to glorify God along the way is my real purpose." For one more year at least, perhaps even a little longer than that, Dungy will continue to moonlight in those pursuits, to address with great purpose the duality of his life, and to chase both his ultimate vocation and his higher-profile avocation. And for at least one more season we're all the richer...

A warrant for the arrest of 24-year-old Loren Leoni has been issued. And as of now, she is not in police custody. The Belvidere High School English teacher is charged with criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. District officials won't comment whether she's been fired, but students say she hasn't been in class since the last week of December. Around that time a report was filed with the Belvidere Police Department for Leoni "inappropriately" touching a 15-year-old student. There's a lot of mixed feelings about this amongst teachers, parents and their students. "They're very harsh for the teacher....

Bob Knight, the winningest NCAA men's division I basketball coach in history, has retired as Texas Tech's coach effective immediately. Knight, 67, won his 902nd game Saturday when the Red Raiders downed Oklahoma State. He will be replaced by his son, Pat. Knight informed athletic director Gerald Myers of his decision Monday morning. Knight won three national titles at Indiana, in 1976, '81 and '87. In all, he took the Hoosiers to 24 NCAA tournament appearances and reached the Final Four two other times. During his tenure at Texas Tech, Knight was 138-82, and he led the Red Raiders to...

After going from a favorite for the Washington Redskins head coaching job to being fired, Gregg Williams may land on his feet. Dallas media reported on Sunday that the former Redskins defensive coordinator interviewed with the Cowboys for a role on their staff. The former Buffalo Bills head coach interviewed numerous times for the head coaching position with the Redskins but was ultimately let go last week by owner Daniel Snyder. The current Cowboys defensive coordinator is Brian Stewart. Reports out of Dallas also said that longtime NFL coach Dom Capers interviewed for a position on the defensive staff. It's...

A Howard University soccer coach and charter school math teacher was arrested in Louisa County, Virginia as part of an online sex sting. Authorities took 40-year-old Joseph E. Okoh into custody Friday after he drove from his Arlington, Va. home to meet who he believed was a 13-year-old girl that he had been talking to over the internet. Louisa County sheriff's office said the coach was talking in a Yahoo Instant Message chat room and that they were "shocked" by how quickly the suspect wanted to meet with the girl after just striking up a conversation. Okoh was arrested on...

St. Louis basketball coach Rick Majerus had no intention of creating such a firestorm when he made an appearance at a Hillary Clinton rally last Saturday night in St. Louis and answered questions regarding his pro-choice, pro-embryonic stem-cell research beliefs for a local TV affiliate. Three days later, Archbishop Raymond Burke of the St. Louis diocese, who is very active in the pro-life movement and recently attended the March for Life conference in Washington, D.C., drew a line in the sand in response. Burke said St. Louis University, which is a university operated by the Jesuit fathers, should discipline Majerus...

Just heard from a Michigan official that Rich Rodriguez' attorney will be issuing a statement later this afternoon responding to today's report out of West Virginia that former Mountaineers football coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff may have shred player personnel files and other documents prior to coming to the University of Michigan. The Charleston Gazette story cites unnamed sources claiming that: According to the source, the files in Rodriguez's office that are now missing included everything from records regarding summer camps -- financial and otherwise -- to data on boosters, recruiting and most everything related to activities within the...

Why We Whisper: Restoring Our Right to Say It’s Wrong By Jim DeMint and J. David Woodard Thursday, January 17, 2008, 6:47 AM On August 31, 2007, the president of Clemson University opened a letter from the South Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union that read, “Coach [Tommy] Bowden . . . has abused his authority as . . . head football coach by imposing his strong personal religious beliefs upon student-athletes under his charge.” In published reports, cited in the letter, the coach encouraged his players to attend one church service as a team during the two-a-day...

im Fassel has become a top candidate for the Washington Redskins coaching job after a third interview with owner Dan Snyder. The former New York Giants coach met with Snyder on Monday, according to a person familiar with the selection process. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Redskins haven’t publicly stated the names of any candidates.

Rich Rodriguez agreed to six-year deal worth $2.5 million annually when he left West Virginia last month for Michigan. The contract, which has not been finalized or signed, also includes a $4 million buyout. The terms of Rodriguez's deal were confirmed Sunday by school spokesman Bruce Madej. West Virginia has sued Rodriguez to collect on a $4 million buyout clause in his contract with the Mountaineers.

A former Madison High School basketball coach was charged Wednesday with having an inappropriate relationship with a student in 2006. Summer Allen, 26, was jailed on a $20,000 bond. The charge stems from a report a female basketball player made in January 2007 to a teacher that she and Allen had started a relationship in 2006, police said. Allen, the girl's basketball coach, left the North East Independent School District soon after the allegation, according to NEISD officials. After the claim was made, the city's police department started its investigation. A warrant was obtained for Allen's arrest on Tuesday.

You can hold off on the notion that Redskins assistant Gregg Williams is a slam dunk to replace the re-retired Joe Gibbs in Washington, in light of the news that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder started his coaching search Thursday by interviewing Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. And this was no cursory three-hour, keep-your-name-on-file interview either. Snyder and Redskins vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato met for about nine hours with Schwartz at Sndyer's mansion overlooking the Potomac River.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs resigned as coach and team president of the Washington Redskins on Tuesday, the Associated Press has learned. A person familiar with Gibbs' decision, speaking on condition of anonymity because the news had not been officially announced, said Gibbs would make his resignation known later Tuesday morning and would discuss it at 3 p.m. news conference.

Belichick voted coach of year for second time in four years Associated Press Updated: January 3, 2008, 2:35 PM ET NEW YORK -- New England's undefeated season now includes yet another achievement: Bill Belichick is The Associated Press 2007 NFL Coach of the Year. The first coach since Don Shula in 1972 to lead his team through a spotless regular season, Belichick won the award Thursday for the second time in four years. In 2003, the Patriots went 14-2 and won their final 12 games. This time, Belichick's team rampaged through the first part of the schedule, then won a...

Report: Lions Will Fire MartzPOSTED: 10:15 am EST December 31, 2007 UPDATED: 11:43 am EST December 31, 2007 DETROIT, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions will fire offensive coordinator Mike Martz, according to a report in Sunday's Los Angeles Times. According to sources familiar with the situation, the Times stated that Martz will be replaced by wide receivers coach Kippy Brown. Detroit had a 6-2 mark at the halfway point of the season, but then suffered through a six-game losing streak before a victory over Kansas City last Sunday followed by a season-ending 34-13 loss at the hands of Green Bay...

Less than a year after signing him to a contract extension through 2010, the Baltimore Ravens on Monday fired coach Brian Billick. Baltimore chop The Ravens, a playoff team in 2006, fell sharply in 2007. In fact, the team had the worst win differential in the NFL: Team '06 Wins '07 Wins Differential Ravens 13 5 -8 Bears 13 7 -6 Jets 10 4 -6 Dolphins 6 1 -5 Chiefs 9 4 -5 Rams 8 3 -5 The dismissal of Billick was confirmed to ESPN's Chris Mortensen by owner Steve Bisciotti and to ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli by an assistant coach...

ESPN is reporting that Rick Neuheisel will be UCLA's new head football coach.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who turned 81 last week, jokingly dismissed the comments of a Texas A&M yell leader Thursday night that Paterno was “on his death bed” and “someone needs to find him a casket.” But it’s no joking matter to the Aggies, who sent the yell leader home and have issued numerous apologies to various Penn State officials. The remark came at an Alamo Bowl-sponsored pep rally for fans of both schools. Penn State fans booed loudly after the remark from the yell leader, one of five A&M upperclassmen who fill the high-profile spirit role at the...

A former Las Vegas High School track coach impregnated one of his team members and then helped her get an abortion, Las Vegas police allege. Kenneth Craig, 28, of the 2100 block of Tenaya Way, was arrested and booked into jail Dec. 20 on a felony charge of sexual misconduct with a student. Craig worked as a substitute teacher for the Clark County School District from May 2003 to May 2007. He also was a track coach at Las Vegas High School from February to May 2006. His arrest report said that he was an assistant track coach for boys...