NFL head coach, GM firings begin
From the NFC North to the AFC East, the firings began almost immediately after the NFL’s first 17-game season concluded.
The Vikings fired coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday following an 8-9 season. The division rival Bears parted with coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace after going 6-11.
And in a relative surprise, the Dolphins dismissed coach Brian Flores, whose team went 9-8, including a sweep of the Patriots.
Indeed, the career coaching records for each total 130-112-1.
Yet, while in South Florida the Dolphins seemed to be overachievers with a modest roster, both the Vikings and Bears were major disappointments this season.
As were the Giants (4-13), and GM Dave Gettleman, 70, retired Monday, though he likely would have been fired otherwise.
Other coaches with tenuous job situations are the Giants’ Joe Judge, Texans’ David Culley and Panthers’ Matt Rhule. The Broncos fired Vic Fangio on Sunday, while the Raiders and Jaguars positions became open during the season.
▪ Don Maynard, a Hall of Fame receiver who made his biggest impact catching passes from Joe Namath in the wide-open AFL, died. He was 86. Maynard was the main target for Namath with the Jets. When Maynard retired in 1973 after one season with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was pro football’s career receiving leader with 633 catches for 11,834 yards and 88 TDs. In 1987, he was elected to the Hall of Fame. College basketball: Baylor is the unanimous No. 1 in the AP poll once again, while fifthranked Southern California climbed to its highest ranking in nearly five decades. The reigning national champion Bears earned all 61 first-place votes for the fourth time in five weeks. Baylor (15-0) beat Oklahoma and TCU last week to push its winning streak to 21 games dating to last year’s title run in the Indianapolis bubble. Gonzaga, UCLA, Auburn and USC rounded out the top five. The Tigers jumped five spots to No. 4, while the Trojans rose two spots to hit their highest ranking since last reaching No. 5 in December 1974.
College football: Former Stanford QB Andrew Luck, Heisman Trophy-winning RB Rashaan Salaam of Colorado, and former Toledo and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel headlined the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame class. Penn State’s LaVar Arrington, Georgia’s Champ Bailey, Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree, Alabama’s Sylvester Croom and Oklahoma’s Roy Williams were also among those selected.
NBA: The Magic gave contract extensions to president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond through the 2025-26 season, ESPN reported. ... Klay Thompson scored 17 points in 20 minutes in his return from two injuries that sidelined him more than 2 ½ years, helping the Warriors beat the visiting Cavaliers 96-82 on Sunday night.
NHL: Four-time All-Star center and former Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin could make his season debut Tuesday night when the Penguins face the Ducks in Anaheim, Calif. Malkin, 35, hasn’t played since undergoing right knee surgery in June. He’s in the final season of an eight-year, $76 million contract.