DEMPSEY, WHO HAD VIRUS, DIES AT 73
NS» Tom Dempsey, the
NE W ORLE A kicker born without toes on his kicking foot who made a then-record 63-yard field goal, died late Saturday while struggling with complications from the new coronavirus. He was 73.
The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate first reported Dempsey’s death.
Ashley Dempsey said Sunday that her father, who has resided in an assisted living home for several years after being diagnosed with dementia, tested positive for the coronavirus a little more than a week ago.
The Orleans Parish coroner has yet to release an official cause of death.
Dempsey’s game-winning field goal against Detroit on Nov. 8, 1970, stood as an NFL record for 43 years until the Broncos’ Matt Prater broke it with a 64-yarder in Denver in 2013.
Dempsey spent 11 seasons in the NFL: His first two seasons were with New Orleans (1969-70), the next four with Philadelphia, then two with the Los Angeles Rams, one with the Houston Oilers and the final two with Buffalo. He retired after the
1979 season.
Both the shoe with which Dempsey kicked the 63-yarder and the ball are in the Saints Hall of Fame in New Orleans, into which Dempsey was inducted in 1989. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, has another of Dempsey’s specially made kicking shoes, but Dempsey wanted the mementos of the record-breaking kick to remain in New Orleans.
Hall of Famer Mitchell dies at 84. Bobby Mitchell, the speedy late 1950s and 1960s NFL offensive star for the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins, has died. He was 84.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame said Sunday night that Mitchell’s family said he died in the afternoon. The Hall of Fame didn’t provide other details.
Kentucky’s Hagans is going pro.
» Kentucky point guard LEXINGTON, KY.
Ashton Hagans will enter the NBA draft and forego his final two seasons of eligibility.
He said the “time is now” to pursue his dream of playing professionally.
The 6-foot-3 Hagans was named Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year as a freshman and became one of the country’s best point guards this past season.
Texas women select Schaefer as new coach. » Texas
AUSTIN, TEXAS moved quickly to hire a new women’s basketball coach, luring Vic Schaefer away from Mississippi State.
The move came just two days after Texas dismissed eight-year coach Karen Aston, who had only one losing season in her tenure and had led the Longhorns to the Sweet 16 or farther four times. Aston had reached the end of her contract and it was not renewed.
Schaefer, 59, was 221-62 games at Mississippi State and the Bulldogs lost in the NCAA Tournament championship game in 2017 and 2018. Mississippi State was 27-6 and ranked
No. 9 before last season was cut short. He also led Mississippi State to one of the greatest upsets in women’s basketball history when the team beat UConn in the Final Four in 2017, ending the Huskies 111-game winning streak.
English soccer star Walker apologizes. ND» England
MANCHESTER, ENG LA defender Kyle Walker is facing disciplinary action from English Premier League team Manchester City after appearing to break lockdown conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 29-year-old Walker apologized after it was widely reported he held a party involving two sex workers at his home last week, breaking the government’s rules on social distancing.
Serbian star sentenced for flouting curfew. » Serbian
BELGR A DE , SERBI A soccer player Aleksandar Prijovic was sentenced to three months of home detention for flouting a curfew imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus.