Obituaries

FILE - UCLA coach John Wooden listens to Greg Lee, left, during a timeout in the team's NCAA college basketball game against Iowa in January 1974 in Los Angeles. Lee, who helped UCLA to consecutive national championships in 1972 and '73 as a starting guard under Wooden, has died. He was 70. Lee died at a San Diego hospital Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, from an infection related to an immune disorder, the university said Thursday after being informed by his wife, Lisa. (AP Photo, File)

Greg Lee, UCLA guard under coach John Wooden, dies at 70

By Beth Harris Sep. 22, 2022 08:27 PM EDT

FILE - UCLA forward Jalen Hill grabs a rebound during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against San Diego on Dec. 9, 2020, in Los Angeles. Hill, who played at UCLA for three seasons until leaving last year for personal reasons, has died, according to the university. He was 22. His family posted on Instagram that he had died after going missing in Costa Rica. No further details were provided. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

Family: Former UCLA basketball player Jalen Hill dies at 22

Sep. 21, 2022 07:55 PM EDT

FILE - Inductees to the Basketball Hall of Fame pose at a news conference in New York, Feb. 4, 1997. From left are Joan Crawford of Nashville, Tenn.; Denise Curry of UCLA; Pete Carril of Princeton; Alex English of the Denver Nuggets; Don Haskins of UTEP; and Bailey Howell of the Detroit Pistons. Carril, the rumpled, cigar-smoking basketball coach who led Princeton to 11 appearances in the NCAA tournament, where his teams unnerved formidable opponents and rattled March Madness with old-school fundamentals, died Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. He was 92. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)

Pete Carril, old-school Princeton coaching maestro, dies

By Tom Canavan Aug. 15, 2022 04:22 PM EDT

Sports writer J.P. Pelzman is shown in a photo, date and location not known. Pelzman, who worked for Newsday, The Record, Asbury Park Press, Forbes and Rivals, has died. He was 57. The Lynbrook, N.Y., police department confirmed Pelzman's death Thursday, July 21, 2022. There was no information available about a cause of his death. (The Record via AP)

Veteran sports writer J.P. Pelzman dies at 57

Jul. 21, 2022 10:34 PM EDT

FILE - Oregon Ducks tight end Spencer Webb (18) hauls in a touchdown pass an NCAA college football game against Arizona on Sept. 25, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. Webb has died after falling and striking his head on rock slides at a popular swimming lake near Eugene, Oregon. Authorities say the 22-year-old was unresponsive when they arrived at Triangle Lake on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, and found him about 100 yards down a steep trail. (AP Photo/Andy Nelson, File)

Oregon tight end, social media star, dies of head injury

Jul. 14, 2022 01:05 PM EDT

FILE - Former Michigan football coach Gary Moeller watches the second half of an exhibition NCAA college basketball game against Wayne State in Ann Arbor, Mich., Nov. 4, 2013. Former Michigan, Illinois and Detroit Lions coach Moeller died Monday, July 11, 2022. He was 81. The University of Michigan announced his death, and no cause was provided. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

T25-Wayne St-Michigan

Jul. 11, 2022 06:12 PM EDT

Coroner: Former Purdue star Caleb Swanigan dies at 25

Jun. 21, 2022 02:38 PM EDT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Former Purdue basketball star Caleb Swanigan has died at 25. The Allen County Coroner's office confirmed Tuesday that Swanigan...

FILE - North Carolina basketball star Lennie Rosenbluth is shown during a practice session Feb. 27, 1957, location not known. Rosenbluth, who led North Carolina to its first basketball NCAA title in 1957 with a victory over Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas in the championship game, died Saturday, June 18, 2022. He was 89. (AP Photo/File)

Lennie Rosenbluth, star of UNC's '57 title team, dies at 89

Jun. 18, 2022 10:13 PM EDT

FILE - Teammates George Thompson (24) and Pat Smith (11) of Marquette leap for rebound in the first half of a college basketball against Marshall University at Madison Square Garden in New York, March 16, 1967. Thompson, who played for Marquette from 1967-69 and remains one of the program’s all-time leading scorers, has died. He was 74. Marquette announced Thompson died Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at his Milwaukee home due to complications from diabetes. (AP Photo)

Former Marquette basketball star George Thompson dies at 74

Jun. 09, 2022 11:25 AM EDT

FILE - University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Bob Ball appears to get a ball full in the face as he struggles to gain possession against University of Kentucky's Reggie Warford during first half of their NCAA college basketball NIT playoff game at New York's Madison Square Garden, March 21, 1976. Warford, Kentucky’s second Black men’s basketball player and first Black player at the school to graduate, died Thursday, May 26, 2022, in Pittsburgh. He was 67. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine, File)

Reggie Warford, Kentucky's first Black 4-year player, dies

May. 26, 2022 02:49 PM EDT

Jernstedt's 'celebration' includes unveiling of Indy statue

By The Associated Press Apr. 21, 2022 03:32 PM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Longtime NCAA executive Tom Jernstedt helped create a path for the men's college basketball tournament to go from just a national championship...

FILE - UNC-Charlotte coach Lee Rose reacts during an NCAA basketball game against Michigan on March 19, 1977, in Lexington, Ky. Rose, a former men’s college basketball coach who led Purdue and Charlotte to the Final Four, died Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Charlotte. He was 85. The school did not provide a cause of death. (AP Photo/File)

Former Purdue, Charlotte, USF coach Lee Rose dies at 85

By Steve Reed Apr. 05, 2022 10:31 PM EDT

Julius Pegues, first Black player at Pitt, dies at 86

Apr. 02, 2022 06:12 PM EDT
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Julius Pegues, the first Black basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh, has died following a battle with cancer. He was 86. ...

FILE - UCLA Bruins coach John Wooden, left, is congratulated by Jacksonville coach Joe Williams after UCLA beat the Dolphins, 80-69, in the national championship game of the NCAA college basketball tournament on March 21, 1970, in College Park, Md. Williams, who coached Artis Gilmore and tiny Jacksonville University to the 1970 NCAA Tournament championship game against mighty UCLA, died Saturday, March 26, 2022, in Enterprise, Miss., while in hospice care after a lengthy battle with cancer, his son Joe Williams said. He was 88. (AP Photo/File)

Joe Williams, coached Jacksonville to NCAA title game, dies

By Jim Vertuno Mar. 26, 2022 05:14 PM EDT

FILE - Elnardo Webster (30) of St. Peter's grabs rebound after scoring attempt by Kansas during a National Invitation Tournament college basketball game against Kansas at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 21, 1968. Webster, who put Saint Peter's basketball on the map more than a half century ago in leading the Peacocks to the NIT semifinals in 1968, died on Tuesday, March 21, 2022, in Morristown, N.J., after being hospitalized with a heart issue, former teammates said. He was 74. (AP Photo/John Duricka, File)

Elnardo Webster, led Saint Peter's to NIT semis in '68, dies

By Tom Canavan Mar. 22, 2022 09:21 PM EDT

Tom Young, former Rutgers basketball coach, dies at 89

Mar. 20, 2022 05:19 PM EDT
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Tom Young, the former Rutgers basketball coach who led the Scarlet Knights to an undefeated regular season in 1975-76 and their only Final...