NFL Hall of Famer Curley Culp dies
KANSAS CITY, MO. » Hall of Fame defensive lineman Curley Culp, who helped the Kansas City Chiefs win their first Super Bowl during a 14-year NFL career, died Saturday of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 75.
Culp announced this month that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. His wife, Collette Bloom Culp, announced “on behalf of our family and with a broken heart” the five-time All-Pro’s death.
Culp was considered one of the strongest players in the NFL during his playing career, though his position on the interior of the defensive line meant his play often went unnoticed. He was chosen to participate in six Pro Bowls, and he was second to Steelers cornerback Mel Blount for AP Defensive Player of the Year after the 1975 season.
It wasn’t until long after his playing days — Culp retired in 1981 — that he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame. But after his enshrinement in 2013, Culp proudly wore the golden jacket of a Hall of Famer seemingly everywhere he went.
Culp was part of a defense that included fellow Hall of Famers Emmett Thomas, Willie Lanier, Bobby Bell and Buck Buchanan. And in the fourth Super Bowl, that group shut down the Vikings’ vaunted run game in a 23-7 victory.
Germany beats Djokovic’s Serbia
Not even Novak Djokovic playing backto-back could help Serbia avoid losing to Germany in the Davis Cup finals group phase on Saturday.
After Djokovic helped Serbia pull even at 1-1 by beating Jan-Lennard Struff, the world’s top-ranked male player immediately joined Nikola Cacic in doubles. But German pair Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz showed more mettle in a tight 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 victory to take the decider and the tie victory 2-1.
Italy became the first team to book its spot in the final eight after it beat Colombia to take two points from Group E, which it also shares with the United States.
Mayer wins men’s downhill
LAKE LOUISE, ALBERTA » Austria’s Matthias Mayer won the season-opening World Cup men’s downhill Saturday at Lake Louise.
Mayer finished in 1 minute, 47.74 seconds. Fellow Austrian Vincent Kreichmayr was second, followed by Switzerland’s Beat Feuz in third at 1:48.09.
Feuz was the overall leader in men’s downhill last season, followed by Mayer.
Lawrence wins 36-hole tourney
JOHANNESBURG » South African golfer Thriston Lawrence won the Joburg Open after the third round was abandoned because of bad weather, meaning the result was called after 36 holes of the inaugural event on the DP World Tour.
The event had been reduced to a 54-hole tournament late Friday to help non-South African resident players, caddies and support staff at the tournament return to their home countries, a move triggered by international travel restrictions being imposed on South Africa because of the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant in the country.
Lawrence had a four-shot lead at the end of the second round, having shot 65-65 to be on 12 under par overall. He claimed his first win on what was formerly named the European Tour, earning the No. 503-ranked player full membership.
Record-breaker Valieva wins
SOCHI, RUSSIA » Kamila Valieva headed a Russian women’s podium sweep at the figure skating Rostelecom Cup to underline her status as favorite for the Olympic gold medal in Beijing.
Valieva, 15, landed three quadruple jumps, two of them in combinations, to Ravel’s “Bolero” and scored 185.29 points in the free skate for a 272.71 total.