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Post by jimsteel on Aug 18, 2023 11:01:54 GMT -5
Mike Giddings, a former NFL coach and scout, passed away at the age of 89. . He played college football for the California Golden Bears. Giddings began his career as a coach in 1957 at Monrovia High School in Monrovia, California, leading them to the CIF finals. In 1960, he was head coach at Glendale Community College in Glendale, California. A year later, John McKay hired him as assistant coach at the University of Southern California (USC), where he was a staff member of the 1962 USC Trojans football team, which won a national championship. Giddings served as the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1966 to 1967, compiling a record of 9–12. From 1968 through 1973 he was the linebackers coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League, coaching future Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dave Wilcox, Skip Vanderbundt, Frank Nunley, and others. The 49ers won the NFC West three times while Giddings was there and Wilcox went to the Pro Bowl every year. After his time with the 49ers, Giddings was the head coach of the Hawaiians of the short-lived World Football League, in 1974 and 1975. In 1976, Giddings was the NFL's first pro player personnel director In 1977, Giddings created an NFL talent evaluation and analytics company called Proscout, Inc., which is now owned and run by his son Mike Giddings Jr. Among Proscout's first clients were Don Shula, Paul Brown, and Bud Grant. Giddings and Proscout are considered pioneers in independent scouting and NFL analytics and have created terms used in the NFL to this day, according to NFL analyst Charles Davis, who told a small group of scouts that Giddings "created the language we all use." The following are coaching stops during Giddings' career: 1957–1959 Monrovia HS (CA) 1960 Glendale CC 1961–1965 USC (assistant) 1966–1967 Utah 1968–1973 San Francisco 49ers (assistant) 1974–1975 The Hawaiians 1976 Denver Broncos (director pro scouting / assistant 1979–1985 Newport Harbor HS (CA)
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Post by jimsteel on Aug 19, 2023 13:27:09 GMT -5
Alex Cole, a former outfielder, passed away at the age of 58 as announced by the Cleveland Guardians. We are saddened to hear about the passing of Cleveland alumni OF Alex Cole. Cole spent just over two seasons with Cleveland, amassing 76 stolen bases while batting .284. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round of the 1985 MLB amateur draft, Cole would make his Major League debut with the Cleveland Indians on July 27, 1990, and appear in his final game on May 22, 1996. Known as a stolen base threat (Cole ranked fourth in the American League in 1990 with 40 stolen bases despite playing in only 63 games), the Indians in 1991 cited his speed as a prime reason for moving the outfield walls of Cleveland Municipal Stadium back. That effort, however, resulted in the Indians hitting only 22 home runs at home for the year. After being traded from the Indians midway through the 1992 season, Cole briefly played with the Pittsburgh Pirates before becoming a member of the inaugural Colorado Rockies team in 1993. After spending two years with the Minnesota Twins, Cole signed with the Boston Red Sox and spent most of the 1996 season with their AAA squad. His final game was May 22, 1996. Cole spent most of the rest of his baseball career in the independent minor leagues. He started off 1997 playing for Madison Black Wolf in the Northern League, then was acquired by the Florida Marlins and placed on their then top affiliate, the Charlotte Knights. He would play in the Mexican League in 1998 before finishing his career playing three years with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Cleveland Indians (1990–1992) Pittsburgh Pirates (1992) Colorado Rockies (1993) Minnesota Twins (1994–1995) Boston Red Sox (1996)
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Post by jimsteel on Aug 19, 2023 20:56:02 GMT -5
Randy Minniear, a former NFL running back, passed away at the age of 79. The following is an excerpt from Minniear's online obituary: "Randy grew up in Indianapolis, where he played football, basketball, and baseball year-round. His love of sports was first shown in the Tabernacle Presbyterian Youth Sports Leagues. In 1958, his grade school #69 won the City Jr. High Football Championship. Moving on to Broad Ripple High School, he excelled as a three-sport athlete, earning 9 varsity letters in an era where Freshman could not letter. In 1961, as a senior at Broad Ripple, he was named an all-city and all-state running back, and also honored by the Sporting News as a national All-American. In 1962, he was honored by the Indianapolis Times newspaper as the City Athlete of the Year in addition to the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce naming him Football Player of the Year. He also received professional baseball offers from the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds. Attending Purdue University, Randy was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1966. He was a three-year starting fullback for the Purdue football team, and in 1964 led the Big Ten in Touchdowns. Again in 1965, he was the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Football Player of the Year. In his senior year, Purdue was ranked #1 in the nation for a short time after beating Notre Dame. After his final college game, he was selected to play in the national North-South game on Christmas day in Miami, where he was elected Captain of the North Team. Upon graduation from Purdue, he was drafted by the New York Giants football team, where he played four seasons, and then one season for the Cleveland Browns. He retired from pro football in 1971 and began a 40-year career in the Wall Street financial industry." Minniear played on the following teams during his 4 year NFL career: New York Giants (1966–1969) Cleveland Browns (1970)
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Post by jimsteel on Aug 20, 2023 17:02:31 GMT -5
Maxie Baughan, a former linebacker in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and the Washington Redskins passed away on at the age of 85. While at Georgia Tech, Baughan played and started at both linebacker and center. In 1959, he was Georgia Tech's captain, an All-American, Southeastern Conference Lineman of the Year, and the Most Valuable Player in the 1960 Gator Bowl. He set a Georgia Tech single-season record with 124 tackles. Baughan was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1965 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Baughan was selected in the second round of the 1960 NFL Draft by the Eagles as the 20th player chosen overall and became an immediate starter for the team at right side linebacker. Baughan played the next 10 years in the NFL and was voted All-Pro seven times. At the conclusion of his rookie season, the Eagles won the 1960 NFL Championship, the last title for the franchise until their victory in Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots. Baughan was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first of nine times that year, finishing the game with three interceptions. All told, Baughan would make the Pro Bowl five out of six years during his time with the Eagles. During a December 12, 1965 in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Eagles intercepted a team-record nine passes en route to a 47-13 win. Six of those points came courtesy of Baughan when he returned a first-quarter interception by Steelers quarterback Bill Nelsen 33 yards for the lone touchdown of his NFL career. By 1966, the number of games the Eagles won had sharply declined and Baughan decided that he wanted out of Philadelphia. However, George Allen, who was entering his first season as an NFL head coach with the Los Angeles Rams, won the right to Baughan's services by sending two players (linebacker Fred Brown and defensive tackle Frank Molden) to the Eagles in return. Baughan and Allen would develop a strong relationship, spending extensive time studying game film together. Baughan would later state that he learned more about football from Allen than anyone else. Baughan was chosen to be the Rams' defensive captain and was in charge of signal calling for the unit. He was selected for the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons with the Rams and was also named 1st Team All-Pro three times. After an injury-plagued 1970 season, in which he played in only 10 games, Baughan retired from the NFL. Baughan's contractual rights were traded along with Jack Pardee, Myron Pottios, Diron Talbert, John Wilbur, Jeff Jordan and a 1971 fifth-round pick (124th overall–traded to Green Bay Packers for Boyd Dowler) from the Rams to the Washington Redskins for Marlin McKeever, first and third rounders in 1971 (10th and 63rd overall–Isiah Robertson and Dave Elmendorf respectively) and third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounders in 1972 (73rd, 99th, 125th, 151st and 177th overall–to New England Patriots, traded to Philadelphia Eagles for Joe Carollo, Bob Christiansen, Texas Southern defensive tackle Eddie Herbert and to New York Giants respectively) on January 28, 1971. From 1972 to 1973, he was an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech. In 1974, Allen, now the head coach of the Redskins, talked Baughan into a brief return to the NFL as a player-coach. At the conclusion of that season, Baughan retired. He finished with 18 interceptions (including 1 return for a touchdown) and 10 fumble recoveries in 147 games played. From 1975 to 1982, he was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Colts and Detroit Lions. During his time with the Colts, the team won three straight AFC East divisional championships from 1975 to 1977. He became head football coach at Cornell University in 1983, and his 1988 team was co-champion of the Ivy League. It was Cornell's first championship since 1971. Baughan was forced to resign as head coach at Cornell after information surfaced about an affair he had with the assistant coach's wife. Baughan then returned to the NFL for stints as an assistant with the Minnesota Vikings, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, finally, the Baltimore Ravens. He retired from coaching in 1998.
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Post by jimsteel on Aug 23, 2023 22:55:34 GMT -5
ht 5NRL GRAND FINAL winner Kyle Turner has sadly died aged just 31. Turner, who won the Grand Final with the South Sydney Rabbitohs back in 2014, passed away over the weekend with his cause of death unknown. The former played 130 grade games with the Rabbitohs, including 91 first grade games, between 2011 and 2019 and retired in 2020 after a number of serious injuries which included a fractured neck.
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Post by TTX on Aug 24, 2023 5:07:29 GMT -5
RIP
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Post by jimsteel on Aug 24, 2023 14:53:27 GMT -5
Steve Sidwell, a former NFL football coach, passed away at the age of 78. He coached in the National Football League for 22 years and was a college football coach for 16 years. Sidwell worked as the New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator from 1986 to 1994. In a nine-year span, the Saints led the league twice in fewest points allowed (1991, 1992), in rushing defense (1989) and in passing defense (1992, 1993); this era of Saints defenses was nicknamed the Dome Patrol. He has also held jobs as defensive coordinator of the Houston Oilers, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and most recently, the Seattle Seahawks. He was elected to the Saints Hall of Fame. The following teams were coached by Sidwell during his long career: U of Colorado (1966–1973) Linebackers coach UNLV (1974–1975) Defensive coordinator SMU (1976–1981) Defensive coordinator New England Patriots (1982–1984) Linebackers coach Indianapolis Colts (1985) Defensive line coach New Orleans Saints (1986–1993) Defensive coordinator, inside linebackers coach New Orleans Saints (1994) Defensive coordinator Houston Oilers (1995–1996) Defensive coordinator New England Patriots (1997–1999) Defensive coordinator Seattle Seahawks (2000–2002) Defensive coordinator
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Post by jimsteel on Aug 25, 2023 17:39:06 GMT -5
Ralph "Catfish" Smith, a former NFL tight end, passed away at the age of 84. The following is an excerpt from Smith's online obituary: "Smith, one of the greatest offensive and defensive ends in Ole Miss history, was first a star at Brookhaven High School, where he was teammates with fellow Hall of Famer Lance Alworth. Smith earned 15 athletic letters at Brookhaven, including football, basketball, baseball and track. With Smith and Alworth leading the way, Brookhaven won Big Eight Conference football titles in 1955 and 1957 and Smith made not only All-State, but All-South and All-American. At Ole Miss, Smith was a two-way end on Ole Miss varsity teams that won 29 games, lost 3 and tied one, and played in two Sugar Bowls, Cotton Bowl, and two National Championships. He led Ole Miss in both receiving on offense and hits behind the line of scrimmage on defense in his senior season. He played tight end and defensive end for three different teams in the NFL and was part of NFL Eastern Conference championship teams with Philadelphia in 1965 and Cleveland in 1968. He finished his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 1969. Fellow Hall of Famer Jimmie McDowell nicknamed Smith "Catfish," likening Smith to Vernon "Catfish" Smith, who had earlier starred in Georgia. Throughout his football career, he received many achievements and awards. While attending Brookhaven High School, he participated in Mississippi All Star Football and High School All American Games ('58), All Southern and High School All American ('56, '57, '58), State AAA Track Championship ('57), Big Eight Basketball Championship ('55), Big Eight Football Championship ('55, '57), All Big Eight Basketball, Football Teams ('55-'57) and received 15 Athletic letters in Football, Basketball, Baseball and Track ('54-'58). During his college career at Ole Miss (1959 – 1962), he participated in the National Football Championship ('59, 60'), Ole Miss Team of the Decade ('59), SEC Championship ('60), All SEC Teams ('60-'61), 2nd Team All-America ('61), Four College Bowl Games ('59, '60, '61, '62), Drafted by Philadelphia Eagles 8th Round (NFL) in 1962, and Drafted by San Diego Chargers 12th Round (AFL) in 1962. During his professional career, he played for the Philadelphia Eagles (1963 – 1965), Cleveland Browns (1966 – 1968), Atlanta Falcons (1969), NFL Eastern Conference Championship ('65, '68) and NFL Century Division Championship ('67, '68). After his NFL career, he went into the restaurant business and opened Skinny's Restaurant and Ralph and Co. Ralph was a longtime member and former president of Fernwood Country Club, FCC Men's Golf Association, and National Football League Players Association." Mr. Smith played in 108 NFL games for the following teams during his career: 1962–1964 Philadelphia Eagles 1965–1968 Cleveland Browns 1969 Atlanta Falcons
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Post by jimsteel on Aug 26, 2023 11:58:49 GMT -5
Dave Skaugstad, a former Major League Baseball pitcher, passed away at the age of 83. The left-hander appeared in two games for the Cincinnati Redlegs during the 1957 season. He was also the first person born in the 1940s to make his MLB debut. Born in Algona, Iowa, and a graduate of Compton High School in Southern California, Skaugstad was signed by the Redlegs on September 7, 1957, at the age of 17. His first MLB appearance came just 18 days later, on September 25, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. He entered the game in the top of the sixth inning with the Reds trailing the Chicago Cubs, 7–2. He pitched four shutout innings, giving up three hits and three walks while striking out four batters. Four days later, he made his second and last appearance in the majors, facing the Milwaukee Braves at County Stadium. He entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning in a scoreless game. He pitched a flawless sixth inning, but ran into trouble in the next frame, giving up one hit, three bases on balls, and one run. In the 5⅔ innings that he pitched in the major leagues, Skaugstad faced four future Hall of Famers: Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Red Schoendienst and Hank Aaron. After that game, Skaugstad never pitched in another MLB game. In his 5⅔ MLB innings pitched, he faced 27 hitters, allowed four hits, six bases on balls, and one earned run; he struck out four. In 1958, he was assigned to the minors, where he pitched for the Visalia Redlegs and Wenatchee Chiefs. He continued to pitch professionally until 1965, although he missed the 1961–63 seasons while in the military. After debuting at age 17, Skaugstad's career was finished at the age of just 25.
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Post by jimsteel on Aug 27, 2023 22:31:23 GMT -5
Rich Stubler, a former coach in the CFL, passed away at the age of 74. Rich Stubler began his CFL coaching career in 1983 when he joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, helping lead the team to a Grey Cup in 1986 as linebackers coach. In 1990, Stubler was the defensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts. He joined the Edmonton Eskimos’ coaching staff in 1991, winning his second league championship in 1993. Stubler's "Edge" defense was noteworthy for lining up defensive tackles and ends 1-2 yards off the line of scrimmage to offer defensive linemen better vision and tackling angles; it allowed the fewest points in their division in the 1993 season (12-3 record in the CFL West), the second fewest in the 1994 season (13-5 in the CFL West), and the fewest in the 1995 season (13-5 in the CFL North). Stubler resumed his career in the CFL, rejoining the Edmonton Eskimos from 1998 to 1999 before moving on to help the BC Lions capture the Grey Cup in 2000. Stubler rejoined the Toronto Argonauts after a brief run in Arena football and late into their seasons as a defensive consultant. In 2003 Stubler joined the Argonauts full-time as their defensive coordinator. In 2004, the Argonauts defeated the BC Lions 27–19 in the 92nd Grey Cup to give Stubler his fourth championship. On December 6, 2007, he was announced to replace the outgoing Pinball Clemons as head coach of the Argonauts for 2008. After a 4–6 start to the 2008 season, Stubler was fired as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts on September 9, 2008, and replaced with former Argonauts' head coach Don Matthews. On March 21, 2010, it was announced that Stubler had accepted a defensive line coaching position with the BC Lions. For the 2011 season, Stubler returned for his third stint with the Eskimos as the team's defensive coordinator. He then returned to the Lions for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, this time as the team's defensive coordinator. On December 19, 2013, Stubler was announced as the defensive coordinator for the Calgary Stampeders. He won his fifth Grey Cup championship as the Stampeders won the 102nd Grey Cup in 2014. He also spent the 2015 season with the Stampeders before moving on to the Toronto Argonauts for the 2016 season. On January 3, 2018, Stubler became the special adviser to defensive coordinator Kahlil Carter for the Montreal Alouettes for the 2018 CFL season. Following Carter's pre-season reassignment, he was then named the team's defensive coordinator. On December 17, 2018 was hired as the defensive coordinator of the BC Lions, a role he held in 2000. He spent one season with the Lions and was not retained following head coach DeVone Claybrook's dismissal after a year with the club. He did not coach in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season and joined the Toronto Argonauts in an assistant coach capacity in July 2021. He was not retained by the team for the 2022 season. Stubler's coaching career went on for 50 years and his coaching posts are detailed below: 1971–1973 Roaring Fork HS (defence) 1974 Colorado (freshmen) 1975–1977 New Mexico State (DB coach) 1978 SMU (DB coach) 1979–1982 Colorado State (DC/DB coach) 1983–1989 Hamilton Tiger-Cats (DC) 1990 Toronto Argonauts (DC) 1991–1995 Edmonton Eskimos (DC) 1996–1997 Oregon (DC) 1998–1999 Edmonton Eskimos (DC) 2000 BC Lions (DC) 2001–2002 Detroit Fury (DC) 2003–2007 Toronto Argonauts (Asst. HC/DC) 2008 Toronto Argonauts 2009 Cedaredge HS 2010 BC Lions (DL coach) 2011 Edmonton Eskimos (DC) 2012–2013 BC Lions (DC) 2014–2015 Calgary Stampeders (DC) 2016 Toronto Argonauts (DC) 2018 Montreal Alouettes (DC) 2019 BC Lions (DC/LC) 2020 Montana State University-Northern (DC) 2021 Toronto Argonauts (Asst. Coach)
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