Occidental cancels rest of football season
Occidental College canceled the remaining four games of its football season after deciding the health of the roster has not and will not improve to the point where it could safely field a team.
“A decision of this magnitude was not made lightly,” Occidental President Jonathan Veitch said in a statement. “No one wanted or expected the season to end this way. Making this decision now provides needed clarity to players, their parents, coaches, and other [conference] members. After canceling two of our first five games because of a depleted roster, including last weekend’s Homecoming game, the need to address the viability of the season became unavoidable.”
The San Antonio Stars are moving to Las Vegas after being bought by MGM Resorts International, the WNBA said.
Maria Sharapova was beaten by Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the first round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Sharapova won the Tianjin Open in China two days earlier.
Former Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino is suing Adidas and Auburn wide receiver Kyle Davis was dismissed from the team. Coach Gus Malzahn announced the decision, saying only that Davis broke team rules.
Davis was one of three players suspended from the Tigers’ opener against Georgia Southern for undisclosed reasons.
John L. Johnson, a former UCLA football teammate of Jackie Robinson who went on to found the Cal State Dominguez Hills athletics department and serve as its golf coach for 45 years, died in his sleep Saturday. He was 96.
Known as the original “Dr. J” after having obtained a doctorate in education and administration from UCLA, Johnson played fullback and linebacker for a Bruins team that won its first 10 games in 1946 before losing to Illinois in the Rose Bowl.
He later scored two touchdowns and was named most valuable player of the Hula Bowl, the postseason AllStar game for collegiate seniors.
Johnson’s stardom came after serving as an airship pilot in the South Atlantic during World War II. His initial experiences as a member of the UCLA football team alongside Robinson in 1940 were far more humbling.
“I scrimmaged against him every day,” Johnson told The Times in 2009, “and I haven’t tackled him yet. He was a great running back, unbelievable.”