Obituaries

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

FILE - In this March 15, 1996, file photo, Georgetown head coach John Thompson yells to his players during the second half of a first round NCAA college basketball game at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va. John Thompson, the imposing Hall of Famer who turned Georgetown into a “Hoya Paranoia” powerhouse and became the first Black coach to lead a team to the NCAA men’s basketball championship, has died. He was 78 His death was announced in a family statement Monday., Aug. 31, 2020. No details were disclosed. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

Reaction to the death of Hall of Fame coach John Thompson

By The Associated Press Aug. 31, 2020 03:57 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 9, 2013, file photo, former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr., left, congratulates his son Georgetown head coach John Thompson III, right, after the Hoya's 61-39 win over Syracuse in an NCAA college basketball game in Washington. John Thompson, the imposing Hall of Famer who turned Georgetown into a “Hoya Paranoia” powerhouse and became the first Black coach to lead a team to the NCAA men’s basketball championship, has died. He was 78 His death was announced in a family statement Monday., Aug. 31, 2020. No details were disclosed. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

Coaching great John Thompson of Georgetown dead at 78

By Joseph White Aug. 31, 2020 10:20 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 19, 1993, file photo, Arizona coach Lute Olson watches his team during a loss to Santa Clara in an NCAA men's college basketball tournament game in Salt Lake City. Olson, the Hall of Fame coach who turned Arizona into a college basketball powerhouse, has died. He was 85. Olson’s family said he died Thursday evening, Aug. 27, 2020. The family didn't provide the cause of death. (AP Photo/Jack Smith, File)

Lute Olson, Hall of Fame coach, Arizona icon, dies at 85

By John Marshall Aug. 27, 2020 11:51 PM EDT

Former Colorado State basketball coach Boyd Grant dies at 87

Aug. 17, 2020 02:41 PM EDT
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Boyd “Tiny” Grant, the basketball coach who led Colorado State and Fresno State to the NCAA Tournament, died Monday. It was his 87th...