Fullback Jim Taylor, Hall of Famer for Packers, dies at 83

Hall of Fame fullback Jim Taylor of the Green Bay Packers died at 83 early Saturday, the Packers said. Taylor was the league MVP in 1962, won four NFL titles and scored the first rushing TD in Super Bowl history. He spent 10 seasons in the NFL after being drafted by Green Bay in 1958 out of LSU, joining a backfield that featured Paul Hornung, and began to thrive when Packers coach Vince Lombardi took over in 1959.

NBA: The Knicks waived center Joakim Noah with two years and $37.8 million remaining on his contract.

NASCAR: Kurt Busch led a Stewart-Haas Racing sweep to put all four of the company cars up front at Talladega Superspeedway. Busch turned a lap at 195.804 mph to qualify in the top spot for today’s race. He edged teammate Clint Bowyer, who qualified second, ahead of Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola as Ford horsepower proved superior.

■ Timothy Peters bumped leader Noah Gragson out of his way on the final lap at Talladega, then blocked traffic for the final mile to win the NASCAR Truck Series race.

Gymnastics: USA Gymnastics hired ex-Congresswoman Mary Bono as interim president/CEO. She’ll hold the position during the search for a successor to Kerry Perry, who resigned under pressure in September. Bono, 57, has a gymnastics background. She trained for several clubs for a decade. USA Gymnastics is struggling to emerge from the fallout of a sexual abuse scandal.

Tennis: Croatian Borna Coric upset defending champ Roger Federer to earn a match vs. Novak Djokovic today in the Shanghai Masters final in China. Coric took down top-seeded Federer 6-4, 6-4. Djokovic booked a final appointment by crushing No. 5 Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-1.

■ In Austria, Russian qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Andrea Petkovic at the Ladies Linz tournament to reach her first final with a 0-6, 6-4, 6-0 win. Alexandrova plays Italy’s Camila Giorgi today. Giorgi beat Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium 6-3, 6-4.

■ Wang Qiang, the best Chinese women’s player in tennis with a ranking of No. 24, will play Ukrainian teen Dayana Yastremska for a third career title at the Hong Kong Open today. Wang posted two upset victories Saturday — finishing her rainpostponed quarterfinal vs. top seed Elina Svitolina and winning 6-2, 6-4, then upsetting Garbine Muguruza 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5. Yastremska reached her first career final by defeating 40th-ranked Zhang Shuai of China 7-5, 6-4.

Golf: Gary Woodland birdied the 18th hole for a 5-under 67 to move into a three-way tie for the lead with Marc Leishman and Shubhankar Sharma after three rounds of the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The trio was at 19-under 197.

■ Eddie Pepperell will take a three-shot lead into the British Masters final round after a 1-under 71. Pepperell was at 9-under 207.

■ In Cary, N.C., Bernhard Langer birdied three of the final four holes for a 5-under 67 and part of the SAS Championship lead with Gene Sauers. Langer kept pace with Sauers at 15-under 129 in the PGA Tour Champions event.

■ In Incheon, South Korea, DanielleKangandCharleyHull shot 4-under 68s to keep the lead after the KEB Hana Bank Championship’s third round.