OFF THE WALL
Game to honor 1970 Marshall crash victims
We just couldn’t let this stuff go …
Marshall and East Carolina will open the 2020 football season a week earlier than scheduled to accommodate a national television broadcast marking the 50th anniversary of the worst disaster in U.S. sports history, according to The Associated Press.
The schools announced Thursday that the game originally set for Sept. 5 in Greenville, N.C., now will be played Aug. 29. The network was not announced.
The schools were bonded forever when Marshall’s chartered plane crashed while returning from a game at East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970.
The jet crashed into a hillside short of an airport in rain and fog near Huntington, W.VA. Among the 75 people killed were 36 football players.
It remains the deadliest crash involving a sports team in U.S. history.
“There is a special bond and indomitable spirit that exists between our communities, universities and football programs,” East Carolina Athletic Director Jon Gilbert said.
“This opportunity will allow us to properly pay our respect to those we tragically lost 50 years ago and share our enduring support for Marshall University with the rest of the country.”
Rather than drop football altogether, Marshall persevered. Jack Lengyel was hired as coach for the 1971 season. The tragedy was chronicled in the 2006 movie “We Are Marshall,” starring Matthew Mcconaughey as Lengyel.
Marshall holds a memorial service each year at a campus fountain dedicated to the crash victims.
“We are grateful to Jon Gilbert and everyone at East Carolina University for their efforts in making this schedule change come to fruition,” Marshall Athletic Director Mike Hamrick said. “Our people, our universities and our football programs will forever be linked by the tragedy that occurred 50 years ago. This change will allow a national audience to join us in paying proper respect to the 75.”
Tennis icon Roger Federer needs surgery and will miss this year’s French Open. Federer has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles. Which Grand Slam has he won the most?
Gambling mess
The brother of Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker
and nine others, including a police officer, have been charged with operating an offshore sports gambling business, federal prosecutors announced Thursday, per the A.P.
Casey Urlacher, the mayor of the Illinois village of Mettawa, is accused in U.S. District Court of conspiracy and running an illegal gambling business. Prosecutors allege that Urlacher and the others ran a ring that raked in millions of dollars.
Prosecutors said the 40-yearold Urlacher acted as an agent for the gambling ring. He is accused of recruiting bettors in exchange for a cut of their eventual losses.
Brian Urlacher wasn’t named in the indictment.
“I don’t know nothing about it,” Urlacher told the Chicago Suntimes when asked about the charges.
She’s faster
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey became the fastest to 600 wins Tuesday night when the Bears topped Texas Texas 77-62.
Mulkey (600-100) reached the milestone in 700 games. The previous women’s mark belonged to Uconn’s Geno Auriemma, who did it in 716.
“Coaches are only as good as their players, that’s the God’s truth,“Mulkey said on Baylor Bear Insider. “I can draw up every play in America. I can be the smartest coach in the world. But if you don’t have players, and they don’t go out there and perform, you don’t win basketball games.“
Auriemma is the fastest to 700 wins (822 games), 800 wins (928), 900 wins (1,034), and 1,000 wins (1,135).
Trivia answer
Federer has won eight Wimbledon titles, six Australian Open crowns, five U.S. Opens and one French Open.
In Thursday’s editions, we stated that Hawaii won the 1970 Pacific Coast League title. The Islanders had the best record in the regular season. But it was the Dodgers’ triple-a team, the Spokane Indians, who won the playoffs, sweeping the Islanders in four games and outscoring them 38-9. Tommy
Lasorda was the Indians’ manager.