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Post by jimsteel on Mar 28, 2023 19:10:02 GMT -5
Mardye McDole, a former NFL wide receiver, passed away at the age of 63. McDole was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Vikings out of Mississippi State University during the 1981 NFL Draft. He played for the Vikings from 1981-1983 and appeared in 26 NFL games. After his playing career, he was a physical education teacher and the varsity wide receiver coach at Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama. McDole was the first receiver in Mississippi State Bulldogs history to have had a 1,000-yard season and was a three-time All-SEC receiver for the Bulldogs and is the all-time program leader in catches and yards. He was inducted into the Mississippi State Hall of Fame in 2001 and also became an SEC Legend in 2018.
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Post by jimsteel on Mar 29, 2023 9:41:29 GMT -5
Mel Semenko, a former defensive end in the Canadian Football League, passed away at the age of 85. Semenko played college football at the University of Colorado. Upon graduating, he was drafted by the Denver Broncos during the 1960 AFL Draft and was the 1st pick in the second round. He never played with the Broncos and in 1961 he went North and signed with the BC Lions. The following is an excerpt from Mr. Semenko's online obituary: "Mel was Ukrainian Orthodox by faith. He proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Mel graduated from Jeannette High School in 1955 and then began his college football career as offensive and defensive end for Colorado University. From there he went on to play for three Canadian League teams: British Columbia, Ottawa and Montreal. Mel was named to the Big 8 Conference and was also named All-Pro in the Canadian League. Mel played in the North-South Shrine game in 1960 at the Orange Bowl. He was selected by Sports Illustrated Magazine as the best defensive lineman of the week for two weeks in a row. He later became head football coach and ran the football program at Karns City High School, where he was also a track coach and a History, Health and Gym teacher. Mel will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered by his family, friends, players and students." He played for the following teams during his CFL career: 1961 BC Lions 1962–1963 Ottawa Rough Riders 1963 Montreal Alouettes
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Post by Bazzy on Mar 29, 2023 10:12:50 GMT -5
UK was shocked this morning at the death of Paul O'Grady aged 67 . in 1980's did drag queen comedy with Lily Savage . Hosted comedy quiz show Blankety Blank (as Lily Savage) . Hosted ITV For the love of dogs (also known as POGDogs) held at famous London Battersea dogs home about rescued dogs finding new forever homes. Was also a DJ on radio two etc .R.I.P a proper legend
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Post by jimsteel on Mar 29, 2023 19:04:14 GMT -5
Bill Leavy, a former NFL official who officiated from the 1995 through 2014 seasons, passed away at the age of 79. Leavy wore uniform number 127, and is also a retired San Jose, California police officer and firefighter, serving for 27 years. In his twenty-year NFL officiating career, Leavy was assigned to fifteen playoff games, including two Super Bowls. He was selected as a back judge on the Super Bowl XXXIV officiating crew in 2000 and most recently headed up the Super Bowl XL officiating crew as referee in 2006. Leavy joined the Big West Conference, a Division I college conference, in 1984. During his 11 seasons in Division I football, he worked in four college bowl games (Independence, Freedom, California and Las Vegas). In December 1994, Leavy received a call from then NFL Supervisor of Officials, Jerry Seeman, that he was selected as one of 12 finalists for open positions beginning with the 1995 NFL season. On March 27, 1995, Leavy was hired by the league as a field judge. Leavy's first game was a pre-season matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills at Texas Stadium. For seven seasons, Leavy worked as a field judge and later as a back judge when the league swapped position names in 1998, before being promoted to referee for the 2001 NFL season. This opportunity at the referee position became available as a result of Phil Luckett returning to his original back judge position due to the time commitment that is involved to be a successful crew chief. Outside of the NFL, Leavy was hired in 1998 as the Coordinator of Football Officials for the Western Athletic Conference and was appointed Coordinator of Football Officials for the Mountain West Conference in 1999. Leavy was inadvertently struck in the back of the head by a player while trying to break up a fight during a National Football Conference (NFC) Wild Card playoff game on January 8, 2000 between the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, but was not forced to leave the game. In the game that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks, Leavy was assigned to work on a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco between the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams. Paying tribute to the New York City police and firefighters who served during and in the aftermath of the attack, Leavy wore a San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) hat during the coin toss. Just prior to the coin toss, Leavy announced that it was "my special privilege to be here today after serving 27 years as a police officer and firefighter in San Jose."
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Post by jimsteel on Mar 31, 2023 13:57:30 GMT -5
Tim Joiner, a former linebacker in the NFL, passed away at the age of 62. The following is an excerpt from Joiner's online obituary: "A native of Duarte, CA and resident of Baton Rouge, LA, Timothy was a graduate of Catholic High School and LSU. After playing football for LSU, he went on to play in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos and the Houston Oilers. Timothy loved woodworking, gardening, and spending time in his garage fixing things. He also loved boudin, pickled eggs, and more than anything, he loved to have fun." Joiner played his college football at LSU and after college was selected in the 3rd round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. He went on to appeasr in 29 NFL games for the following teams: Houston Oilers 1983-1984 and for the 1987 Denver Broncos.
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Post by jimsteel on Apr 1, 2023 17:20:04 GMT -5
John Brockington, a former NFL running back with the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs, passed away at the age of 74. He was a first-round draft choice out of Ohio State University and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. Brockington was the ninth overall selection in the 1971 NFL Draft after Jim Plunkett, Dan Pastorini, Archie Manning and John Riggins, and ahead of Jack Tatum, Jack Youngblood, Jack Ham and Dan Dierdorf. Brockington became the first NFL player to ever rush for 1,000 or more yards in each of his first three seasons. In his rookie year in 1971 with the Green Bay Packers, Brockington was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press, rushing for 1,105 yards and a 5.1 YPC in 14 games. Brockington retired with the second-most rushing yards in Packers franchise history with 5,024 yards. As of December 2022 Brockington ranks fourth in all-time rushing yards as a Packer. Brockington was named as a 1st Team All-Pro in 1971, 1st and 2nd Team All-Pro in 1973 and All-NFC in 1972. Brockington was also selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1971–1973). His first running mate in the Green Bay backfield was sixth-year halfback Donny Anderson, another Packer first round draft choice, who was traded the following offseason to the St. Louis Cardinals for running back MacArthur Lane. Together, Brockington and Lane formed a dynamic running duo in the backfield, carrying the Packers offense between 1972 and 1974. The Packers won the NFC Central division in 1972 for their first playoff berth in five years. With a running style based on his great strength, Brockington epitomized the power running back – a player who preferred to break tackles and run over defenders rather than run away from them. He was one of the first running backs to combine brute force with speed. Brockington's success was short-lived; after eclipsing 1,000 yards rushing during each of his first three seasons, he ran for 883 yards in 1974 (with a career-high 43 receptions for 314 yards), but dipped to only 434 yards rushing on 3.0 YPC in 1975 under new head coach Bart Starr. This was the result of typical wear-and-tear, the trade of Lane in July 1975 and changes in the Packers' playbook that did not take advantage of Brockington's abilities. In 1976, he had 406 yards rushing with 3.5 YPC. After the first game of the 1977 season, Brockington was released by the Packers. Signed by the struggling Kansas City Chiefs three weeks later, he appeared in ten games for them and retired following the season.
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Post by jimsteel on Apr 1, 2023 17:21:30 GMT -5
Ronnie "Bo" Lee, a former tight end and offensive lineman in the NFL, passed away at the age of 66. Lee played college football at Baylor University and was the Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year in 1975 as well as All-SWC in 1975 and 1976. After his career at Baylor, he was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He went on to play for 14 seasons in the NFL, mastering three positions: tight end, right guard and right tackle. Lee played in 186 NFL games and started in 120 of them. Mr. Lee played on the following NFL squads: Miami Dolphins (1979–1982) Atlanta Falcons (1983) Miami Dolphins (1984–1989) Seattle Seahawks (1990–1992)
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Post by jimsteel on Apr 2, 2023 17:42:05 GMT -5
Frank Gilliam a All-American football player and coach for the University of Iowa who later played several seasons in the Canadian Football League, passed away on April 1st at the age of 89. Gilliam was a member of the University of Iowa’s all-time football team. As a sophomore in 1953, Frank Gilliam, who played the right end position, helped Iowa to an excellent season. Iowa’s final game of that season was against #1 Notre Dame in South Bend. With 2:06 remaining in the game, Gilliam made a diving catch in the end zone to give Iowa a 14–7 lead. But Notre Dame completed a touchdown pass with six seconds to play to salvage a 14–14 tie, thanks in large part to an injury timeout that was granted when two Notre Dame players fell at the same time. The tie cost the Irish the #1 spot in the final AP Poll, dropping them to a distant #2. Iowa rocketed into the AP rankings, finishing ninth in the nation and garnering six first-place votes. It was Iowa’s highest ranking since 1939. In 1954, Iowa finished with a 5–4 record. Before Gilliam’s senior season in 1955, he broke his leg and was forced to sit out for a year. Jones and Vincent played their senior seasons in 1955, with Cal Jones winning the Outland Trophy. In Gilliam’s senior season of 1956, Iowa had a 9–1 record, winning the Big Ten and a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history. Frank Gilliam was named a second-team All-American after the season. The happy occasion was marred, however, by the discovery that Gilliam’s close friend, Cal Jones, had died in a plane crash in the mountains of western Canada during a howling windstorm. Frank Gilliam’s final game with the Hawkeyes came in the 1957 Rose Bowl, where Iowa defeated Oregon State, 35–19. Frank Gilliam left to play for Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League for three seasons from 1957–1959.[10] After retiring from professional football, he was a teacher for a few years before becoming an assistant coach to Jerry Burns at the University of Iowa from 1966–1970. Gilliam then joined the Minnesota Vikings, where he was a scout and personnel man for over 36 years. In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time University of Iowa football team during the 100th-anniversary celebration of Iowa football, and Frank Gilliam was selected as a starting end.
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Post by TTX on Apr 3, 2023 11:30:13 GMT -5
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Post by guiltyparty on Apr 3, 2023 12:27:55 GMT -5
In his prime, in the early 70's, Buchanan was a hell of a lightweight. He was inducted into the IBHOF in Canastota back in 2000.
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