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A Lion tragedy remembered: 50 years ago, Detroit player died during NFL game

It was 50 years ago when something took place on an NFL field that had never happened before and has not happened since. A somber overcast hung over Detroit on that Sunday in October, perhaps an omen for the tragedy about to unfold. Altoona’s Ed Flanagan, the Lions’ all-pro center, was joined in his annual dustup with linebacking great Dick Butkus of the Chicago Bears. The Lions were down by five points with less than two minutes to go. Detroit marched into Bears’ territory when wide receiver Chuck Hughes snared a 32-yard pass from Greg Landry that moved the ball at the ...

PSU fans really can’t complain

I watched The NitWits TV show after the loss to Iowa and I got a kick out of the panel’s comments. But then again, what would one expect from Penn State homers? Keith Conlin seemed to believe that the game was over by the time Sean Clifford was hurt. Apparently he had a crystal ball that showed that an excellent Iowa coaching staff would fail to make any adjustments in the next two-plus quarters to what Penn State was doing. Look at what happened to Texas against Oklahoma Saturday. And for that matter, I can remember a Top-5 ranked Penn State team that was probably better than ...

College football has tough choices to make

If a 12-team format is the future of the College Football Playoff —- and odds are that it still is despite a recent detour on the road to expansion — among the many details that need to be worked out is when it would start. There are two choices that will be considered by the administrators who make up the CFP management committee. Hold the first round the second weekend of December, which would create what some members of the committee believe is an unfair advantage for playoff teams that don’t play conference championship games while also bumping into what has become the ...

Buying or selling these NFL storylines?

The NFL schedule isn’t even a quarter complete, thanks to the expansion of the season to 17 games. Already, though, there’s all sorts of chatter — some of it actually reasoned — about what’s ahead. And what’s occurred. Such as: n Urban Meyer won’t see Thanksgiving (or perhaps even Halloween) as Jaguars coach. n Dallas has its best team since Jimmy Johnson (remember him?) was in charge. n Cincinnati has its best team since Boomer Esiason was slinging passes. n Big Ben the quarterback moves about as well as the hands on Big Ben the clock. Sure, there are dozens of ...

A memorable trip to Boston

Last Sunday night, as I was standing in a downpour inside the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, watching Tom Brady make his epic return, one of my friends texted me, “Are you going to Fenway on Tuesday?” An hour before, a wild series of games on the final day of the baseball season had set up a one-game, winner-take-all Wild Card game in the greatest rivalry in sports — Yankees vs Red Sox. Plus, the game would be played in one of the most historic venues in all of sports — Fenway Park. The answer was “of course.” What a better way to complete an absolutely ...

Have no fear: Underdog is here

The words ‘Draft’ and ‘Kings’ conjure up thoughts of cold, brisk winds and Old World royalty. Combined, one could draw a conclusion that the phrase may have rotisserie league connotations. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Similar to other popular online wagering initiatives like FanDuel, FoxBet and BetMGM, Draft Kings actively and aggressively seeks to acquire market share in the white-hot online sports gambling arena. The competition among these apps is fierce as they jockey daily to make themselves your primary online choice and as commonplace on your phone ...