Kansas back grieves over coach gunned down in Fla. massacre
FRISCO, TEXAS » Kansas running back Khalil Herbert still isn’t comfortable talking publicly about his connection to the Florida school shooting five months after it happened.
Herbert attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School through his junior year before going elsewhere for his final football season. Despite the move, Herbert remained close to one of his coaches, Aaron Feis, also a security specialist who tried to shield students from bullets and was among the 17 killed in the Valentine’s Day massacre.
“Coach Feis taught me a lot about the game,” Herbert said Monday, the first of two Big 12 media days in the Dallas area. “Taught me to believe in myself and my abilities. He’s a huge part of why I’m here right now. It’s still tough to talk about.”
That’s how most of the Kansas junior’s answers ended through repeated questions as different reporters cycled through the interview area, unaware of how many times Herbert had been asked about the shooting.
The questions came because coach David Beaty brought it up during his opening remarks, later making a point to say he didn’t want to go into too much detail out of respect for Herbert.
The Jayhawks worked with the NCAA to pay for Herbert to make the trip home for Feis’ funeral, and Beaty was asked how he tried to handle the sensitive topic once Herbert returned to the team.
“We were there for him,” Beaty said. “When he returned, we have a thing we do every week on Wednesday and it’s a thing we call, ‘Triple H.’ It’s guys that get up, they talk about their hero, their hardship (and highlight). Our guys were sitting on the edge of their seats because he had not spoken about it yet. That was a powerful day.”
Herbert got some football questions, too. After all, he had a career day with 291 yards and a 67-yard touchdown against West Virginia, a showing that accounts for 34 percent of his career yardage over two seasons.
That big day also was a 56-34 loss to the Mountaineers, the start of the second winless Big 12 season in three years under Beaty. Kansas went 1-11 last year and is 3-33 under the former Texas high school coach.
The conversation kept coming back to Feis, and Herbert would open up a little when asked what made their relationship special.
“He was always driving around in his golf cart, giving me rides to class, giving everybody rides to class,” Herbert said. “He was really friendly. If I ever needed anybody to talk to outside of football, he was there.”
Herbert said he didn’t know many Stoneman Douglas students because it had been nearly three years since he attended the school. But it was still hard for him to watch news coverage.
“It’s hard to like sum it all up,” he said. “It’s like, where I grew up, it’s home. So it’s kind of rough to look at that at be like, ‘Everybody knows it now.”’
Kudla, former Ohio State star, dies at 34
COLUMBUS, OHIO » Mike Kudla, a star defensive end who played on Ohio State’s 2002 national championship team, has died. He was 34.
The northeastern Ohio school district where he played in high school posted on Twitter on Monday that he died Sunday. The cause was not disclosed.
Kudla was named firstteam All-Big Ten and Ohio State’s most valuable player on defense in 2005. In his final college game, he set a Fiesta Bowl record with three sacks to help the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame. He finished his college career with 91 tackles and 14.5 sacks.
“Mike Kudla was a special young man,” former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said in a statement. “His love of family, OSU and country was so strong. Our heart aches for the Kudla family, his friends, teammates, and entire Buckeye Nation.”
Kudla was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent but was released in 2006 after sustaining a hamstring injury that ultimately ended his pro career.
Rivera, star left paralyzed, dies at 57
Gabe Rivera, the overpowering “Senor Sack” lineman for Texas Tech who was paralyzed in a car accident while a Pittsburgh Steelers rookie, has died. He was 57.
The university on Tuesday confirmed Rivera’s death. He had been living in San Antonio with his wife, Nancy, who told KENS-TV her husband had taken ill last week and died Monday night.
Rivera, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, played at Texas Tech from 1979-82 and was an All-America defensive lineman. He had five sacks and 62 tackles as a senior in 1982.
Rivera was drafted 21st overall by Pittsburgh in 1983. He had two sacks in his first six games, but in October of that year he was in an automobile accident that left him a paraplegic. He was intoxicated when his car collided with another vehicle.
McAuliffe, star of ’52 Spartans title team, dies
Former Michigan State running back Don McAuliffe, a fighter in his youth, battled to the very end.
The captain of Michigan State’s undefeated 1952 national championship team died Saturday in La Jolla, California, according to Kevin McAuliffe, his oldest son. He was 90.
McAuliffe finished eighth in the 1952 Heisman Trophy balloting.
In nine games that season, he rushed for 531 yards and seven touchdowns. He also had 194 yards receiving and two more scores.
Kevin McAuliffe said his father, an accomplished Golden Gloves boxer, had fought off sickness for years — he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer 28 years ago and had bouts with prostate cancer, skin cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease.