Obituaries
Phil Rollins, who led Louisville to 1956 NIT title, dies

Feb. 09, 2021 06:21 PM EST
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Phil Rollins, a starting guard on Louisville’s 1956 NIT championship squad who went on to play in the NBA, has died. He was 87. ...

Texas Rio Grande Valley coach Lew Hill talks to an official during an NCAA college basketball game against Dixie State at the UTRGV field house in Edinburg, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. Texas Rio Grande Valley says Hill died Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, a day after coaching a basketball game against Texas Southern. He was 55. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor via AP)
Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at Dixie State Trailblazers 1/16/2021

Feb. 08, 2021 12:34 AM EST

Texas Rio Grande Valley coach Lew Hill is seen during an NCAA college basketball game against Dixie State at the UTRGV field house in Edinburg, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. Texas Rio Grande Valley says Hill died Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, a day after coaching a basketball game against Texas Southern. He was 55. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor via AP)
Rio Grande Valley coach Lew Hill dies day after final game

Feb. 07, 2021 10:49 PM EST

Wisconsin's Micah Potter and Penn State's John Harrar go after a loose ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
No. 19 Wisconsin returns to winning ways over Penn St, 72-56

By Steve Megargee Feb. 02, 2021 11:18 PM EST

FILE - In this Oct. 2006, file photo, John Chaney poses for a photo in Philadelphia. Chaney, one of the nation’s leading basketball coaches and a commanding figure during a Hall of Fame career at Temple, died Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. He was 89. The university said he died after a short, unspecified illness. He celebrated his birthday last week. (Charles Fox/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, File)
Reaction to the death of Hall of Fame coach John Chaney

By The Associated Press Jan. 29, 2021 06:39 PM EST

FILE - A statue of former Temple coach John Chaney is unveiled before the start of an NCAA college basketball game against Villanova in Philadelphia, in this Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, file photo. John Chaney, one of the nation’s leading Black coaches and a commanding figure during a Hall of Fame basketball career at Temple, has died. He was 89. His death was announced by the university Friday, Jan. 29, 2021.(AP Photo/Michael Perez, File)
Villanova-Temple 2/1/2014

Jan. 29, 2021 03:32 PM EST

FILE - Temple head coach John Chaney reacts to a foul call in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke in Durham, N.C., in this Jan. 8, 2005, file photo. John Chaney, one of the nation’s leading Black coaches and a commanding figure during a Hall of Fame basketball career at Temple, has died. He was 89. His death was announced by the university Friday, Jan. 29, 2021.(AP Photo/Sara D. Davis, File)
John Chaney, commanding Temple basketball coach, dies at 89

By Dan Gelston Jan. 29, 2021 03:21 PM EST

FILE - Dalton State coach Tony Ingle directs his team during the second half of the NAIA championship basketball game against Westmont in Kansas City, Mo., in this Tuesday, March 24, 2015, file photo. Dalton State defeated Westmont 71-53. Tony Ingle, who failed to win a game in his tenure as BYU's interim basketball coach but went on to capture lower-division national championships at two Georgia colleges, has died at the age of 68. His son, Izzy, announced on Twitter that Ingle died Monday night, Jan. 18, 2021, of complications from COVID-19.(AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)
Former BYU, Kennesaw coach Ingle dies at 68 from COVID-19

Jan. 19, 2021 01:35 PM EST

Kentucky basketball walk-on, pitcher Ben Jordan dies at 22

Jan. 12, 2021 02:51 PM EST
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky says Ben Jordan, a right-handed pitcher who played last season on the men’s basketball team because of a shortage of players,...

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2007, file photo, former University of Connecticut head men's basketball coach Dee Rowe, left, waves to the crowd after he was presented with a plaque by UConn director of athletics Jeff Hathaway at a ceremony honoring former UConn basketball players and coaches at halftime of an NCAA college basketball game against Syracuse in Storrs, Conn. Rowe, who served for more than five decades as an ambassador for the school’s athletic department and as a mentor for coaches including Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma, died on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. He was 91. (AP Photo/Bob Child, File)
Former UConn basketball coach Dee Rowe dies at 91

By Pat Eaton-Robb Jan. 10, 2021 05:41 PM EST

Jimmy Collins, former UIC coach and Illinois assistant, dies

Dec. 13, 2020 12:26 PM EST
CHICAGO (AP) — Jimmy Collins, who coached Illinois-Chicago to the NCAA tournament three times in 14 seasons, died Sunday morning, the school announced. He was...

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 1960, file photo, Rafer Johnson of the United States, center, finishers the fourth heat of the decathlon 100 meter dash at the Olympics in Rome, Italy. Eef Kamerbeek of Netherlands is at left, and Gurbachan Singh Randhawa of India is at right. Rafer Johnson, who won the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics and helped subdue Robert F. Kennedy's assassin in 1968, died Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. He was 86. He died at his home in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles, according to family friend Michael Roth. (AP Photo/Olympic Pool, File)
Rafer Johnson, 1960 Olympic decathlon champion, dies at 86

By Beth Harris Dec. 02, 2020 01:46 PM EST

Iowa center Luka Garza, rear, shoots over North Carolina Central forward Nehemie Kabeya (25) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Garza, McCaffery help No. 5 Iowa rout NC Central in opener

By John Bohnenkamp Nov. 25, 2020 06:09 PM EST

Billy Evans, 88, member of 1956 gold medal U.S. team, dies

Nov. 23, 2020 09:04 PM EST
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Billy Evans, a member of the 1956 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team and Kentucky Hall of Famer who helped the Wildcats go 25-0 in 1953...

Former Detroit college basketball star Duerod dies at age 64

Nov. 13, 2020 06:20 PM EST
DETROIT (AP) — Terry Duerod, a college basketball standout who played for Dick Vitale at Detroit in the 1970s before winning an NBA title with the Boston...

File-This March 13, 1998, file photo shows, TCU head coach Billy Tubbs, front, and assistant coach Steve McClain shouting instructions to their players during their opening-round game in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Oklahoma City. Former Oklahoma basketball coach Billy Tubbs, whose high-octane system known as Billy Ball brought the Sooners back to prominence in the 1980s, has died at age 85. (AP Photo/John Gaps III, FILE)
Billy Tubbs, former Oklahoma basketball coach, dies at 85

By Cliff Brunt Nov. 01, 2020 05:50 PM EST

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 10:25 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...

Ronnie Hogue dies, UGa's 1st Black scholarship hoops player

Sep. 18, 2020 06:36 PM EDT
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Ronnie Hogue, the first Black scholarship athlete on the Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball team, died Friday, the school announced. He was...

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 1999, file photo, American League President Gene Budig waits for the start of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, in Boston. Former American League president Gene Budig has died at age 81. The Charleston RiverDogs, which Budig co-owned, announced Budig's death on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020.(AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
Gene Budig, academic who ran American League, dies at 81

By Ronald Blum And Ben Walker Sep. 08, 2020 01:01 PM EDT