Boxing Challenge

The boxing challenge is all about DAZN this weekend with all four bouts from their card from New York City.

The main event pits "the People's Champion" Gennady Golovkin facing Sergiy Dereyvanchenko for the IBF middleweight title stripped from Golovkin nemesis Canelo Alvarez when Alvarez could not reach an agreement to defend against mandatory challenger Dereyvanchenko.
Golovkin did look impressive in his first post-Alvarez fight against a less than strong opponent in Steve Rolls, but Dereyvanchenko will be a far sterner test as he is a solid top ten middleweight and will give the 37-year-old Golovkin a good idea of where he stands as he ages.
Stylewise, this should be a good matchup that also looks like that there should be several exchanges and should Golovkin stop the sturdy Dereyvanchenko in a flashy style, the drumbeats for a certain gentleman with red hair to step up to the plate, especially from the provider that pays both of these boxers with the intent to match them for the third time.

The undercard is interesting with Golovkin protege Ali Akhmedov fighting for a minor title against journeyman Andrew Hernandez in a super middleweight bout and another Golovkin associated fighter in Israil Madrimov taking on Alejandro Barrera.
Akhmedov is a "walk them down" type" and Hernandez has losses each time that he has stepped, including losses to current IBF 168 pound champ Caleb Plant and former two-time title challenger Jesse Hart (Plant via decision, Hart via third-round knockout), so I'm interested to see how Akhmedov compares to those fighters.
Madrimov is fighting only his fourth pro bout and looks to overwhelm Barrera, who hasn't fought in over a year, just four in just under the last four years and has lost three of those fights, although the win was an upset split decision over prospect Eddie Gomez.
Both fighters seem to be on the fast track with strong amateur backgrounds and are in fights that are made to make the pair look very strong.
Former IBF junior welterweight champion Ivan Baranchyk returns for his first outing since losing his title in the World Boxing Super Series in May to Josh Taylor in an exciting battle.
Baranchyk was floored twice in the sixth round by Taylor but fought through the adversity in an excellent effort.
Baranchyk is also being matched carefully as his opponent, Gabriel Bracero has a good record at 25-3-1, but is 37 years old, has stopped his opponents in only six of his twenty-five wins and hasn't fought in over a year, so Baranchyk is expected to have things all his way as he establishes his claim to an eventual try at regaining a world title.

In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 231-202.

Vacant IBF Middleweight Title. 12 Rds
Gennady Golovkin vs Sergiy Dereyvanchenko
R.L:  Golovkin Unanimous Decision
TRS: Golovkin KO 8

Junior Welterweights. 10 Rds
Ivan Baranchyk vs Gabriel Bracero
R.L:  Baranchyk Unanimous Decision
TRS: Baranchyk KO 7

Super Middleweights 12 Rds
Ali Akhmedov vs Andrew Hernandez
R.L:  Akhmedov Unanimous Decision
TRS: Akhmedov KO 6

Junior Middleweights. 10 Rds
Israil Madrimov vs Alejandro Barrera
R.L:  Madrimov KO 4
TRS: Madrimov KO 5

Devils throw away victory in opener.

For nearly two entire periods, the New Jersey Devils and their fans could not have scripted a better opening night than they were receiving from their team.
After all, the Devils had raced up, down and around the Winnipeg Jets and built a four-goal lead.
But games aren't won for play over thirty-nine minutes and forty-nine seconds and when Winnipeg's Dmitry Kulikov beat Cory Schneider with just eleven seconds to go in the second period, little did the Devils or I know it, but it was all bad news from there as the Jets would score three times in the third period, almost end the game in regulation and eventually deal the Devils a 5-4 loss via the shootout.
It wasn't all bad news as the Devils at least landed one point on the evening, but this could have been so much more.
Devils goals to Blake Coleman (1 and 2), Nikita Gusev (1) and Sami Vatanen (1).
The Devils travel to Buffalo on Saturday night, so there is no coverage here due to conflict with Ohio State-Michigan State.

Hell Raisers

1) Cory Schneider left the game after the initial goal in the third period by Winnipeg with an undisclosed injury and there is no word at this writing of the injury or its seriousness.
Schneider was good in goal until the Kulikov goal which was soft, as Schneider finished with 19 saves before leaving the game.
I wonder how much the game was affected by the Schneider absence?

2) Considering the circumstances, it is hard to criticize Mackenzie Blackwood too much for his problems in the loss.
Blackwood wasn't stretched and ready physically on short notice and when you add that to the hoopla of opening night for a player going through that for the first time, it's tough to knock anyone's performance- even if it wasn't very good.

3) The defensive breakdowns were glaring, particularly on the game-tying goal where it seemed like the Devils were on the ice since the Carter Administration and simply couldn't get off under any circumstances.
It didn't take a hockey expert to see what was going to occur and sure enough, it did.

4) That breakdown alone should have been on the coaching staff, but one other thing stood out to me.
Remember when I commented in the preview that I was always hesitant to try to figure out lines and defensive pairings because they were often obsolete quickly?
Well, that was true by the first game as the Devils placed captain Andy Greene with new acquisition P.K. Subban, breaking Greene up with his pairing with Damon Severson.
Severson was moved with Mirco Mueller and they were really bad.
Bad to the point that after the game-tying goal, they rode the pine for the rest of the game and deservedly so.
I'm not saying that this is more than a bad night, but even on the surface-Severson and Mueller's strengths and weaknesses don't seem to be a good match.

5) Some good news- I had forgotten how much I loved the grit of Blake Coleman.
Coleman's second goal was one of those that contained a large amount of luck, but luck often arrives through hustle and effort and the pair arrived together as Coleman swatted the puck with one hand, a defender on his back and falling to the ice.
Plays like that don't come often and they come along even less for the high effort players, so it was good to see that work be rewarded.

6) Nikita Gusev is going to be a star.
I know it's one game, but you can see the vision and the offensive skills with the ability to finish that isn't as common for even scorers as you would think.
This guy is going to be a standout and I think it might be sooner than one thinks.
The only thing that keeps Gusev from being a first-line forward is the Devils also having Taylor Hall on the roster.

7) Jack Hughes showed what he'll become, but he seemed a bit jittery and overwhelmed, but that's understandable, he's 18.
I can't imagine being in that situation at 18.
There will plenty of nights that you see the growth and struggles and then there will be others that you'll smile and think forward to the great days to come.

8) The Gusev/Hughes/Jesper Bratt line is going to be exciting to watch grow as well and I hope that John Hynes sticks with these guys as a unit.
The offensive creativity and skills combined with their speed on the ice will cause so many matchup problems for defenses that there will be times that they will seem to be overwhelming to rival teams.
There will be plenty of defensive breakdowns and there will be nights that will cost the Devils a game, but keeping these three together will be worth it.

9) I was surprised to see rookie Jesper Boqvist not dressed for the game and off-season addition John Hayden in the lineup.
Hayden's just a journeyman and even though it was only one game, I hate to already see Boqvist sitting when he could be learning, so that a guy like Hayden can play.
If this becomes a pattern, I would have rather seen Boqvist returned to Sweden for the year.

10) In the shootout, the Devils looked to use their best possible lineup with Nikita Gusev, Jack Hughes, Taylor Hall, and Kyle Palmieri before the game ended.
I'm not sure about the Devils other shootout performers (after missing most of last season), but on the surface, I'd wonder who would be the fifth and sixth shooters?
Just a guess, but maybe Myles Wood or Pavel Zacha?

11) I know it seems that I'm overly bothered about losing an opener with 81 games to go, but I hate giving away points that should have been safely in the pocket.
When you are a team that has playoff hopes, but you aren't a powerhouse that figures to steam into the playoffs with few roadblocks, every point means a lot when April rolls around.

12) Every recap won't be this long, it'll depend on time to both watch and write.

Please forgive a personal note as I wrap up.
I didn't really lose my love for the Devils or the game as part of my hiatus and although there were times that I missed both and especially last winter when I found myself a little bored without the Devils or Cavaliers to watch.
What I discovered that what I missed most was time with Rachel.
Hockey is the only thing that really bonds us together, she likes to spend more time with her mom with more things in common and that makes all the more reason that Devils hockey became even more important to me.
I knew from the first day when she gained such a passion for the team and for Adam Henrique that the day that Henrique left the organization was going to be difficult.
It always is with your first sports love as a fan, it's intense and passionate and when it changes, it changes you as a fan.
The love is never as pure, never quite as intense and it's never the same as that first time.
That doesn't mean that you don't care or lack passion, it's just different.

I expected Rachel to have a hard time with the trade, but I didn't quite expect the long-term issues to the point of rarely watching the team for the rest of that season.
Without watching with her, I didn't enjoy it as much and when she lacked interest for the 2018-19 season, I decided not to pay the money for Center Ice for the first time in close in two decades.
I missed it and watching the games with her.
I'm glad to have that back and to share my thoughts on the season here with whoever reads this.
Anything else that happens on the ice won't be this a bad season for me- Promise.

PPM

Back for another football weekend and all that goes with football in October.

Last Week: 6-5
Overall: 47-15

College
Ohio State over Michigan State 34-17
Oklahoma State over Texas Tech 40-21
Boise State over UNLV 35-10
Notre Dame over Bowling Green 54-6
LSU over Utah State 42-17
Washington over Stanford 28-13
Georgia Southern over South Alabama 23-20
Marshall over Middle Tennessee State 28-16

Games of the Week
Auburn over Florida 27-13
Iowa over Michigan 27-21

NFL
Browns over 49ers 23-17
Saints over Buccaneers 32-28

Game of the Week
Packers over Cowboys 24-23

I tell ya, Herbie

Time for another installment of  "I tell ya' Herbie", where I offer various thoughts on teams and issues in college football.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                           Maryland football looked like it had finally begun to work its way back from beyond just a few weeks ago when it blasted nationally ranked Syracuse 63-20.
With hindsight, we now know how awful the ACC is and that victory at home was deceiving in its quality, but at the time it looked huge for new coach Mike Locksley and his Terrapins.
Fast forward a month and the Terrapins lost to non-power five school Temple before an off week and resulting home game against "rival" Penn State in what Maryland fans were referring to as the biggest game since entering the Big Ten.
Even though Maryland (and Rutgers for that matter) look at Penn State as their rival ( like Penn State does Ohio State), both schools are dismissed by the Nittany Lions as such ( in the same manner that Ohio State scoffs at a Penn State rivalry), so to Maryland it was a huge game, while to Penn State it was just another conference game.
Penn State led 38-0 at the half, the Maryland student section had cleared out so completely that by the end of the 59-0 loss, Penn State's traveling fans had moved down and taken over the Maryland student section!
So much for that return to prominence.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                           Tennessee has been a staple of this column since I started it this season, but this time it makes sense as athletic director Phil Fulmer ruled out a return to the sidelines after the rumor mill had run rampant that Fulmer would take the reigns of the program should the Volunteers continue to struggle as they are expected to do under Jeremy Pruitt in SEC play.
Fulmer announced today that he will not take over and in the dreaded "Vote of confidence" said that he is fully behind Pruitt.
I'll believe that when I see it, but even if it isn't Fulmer as the replacement, Pruitt will have to finish strong as the 1-3 Vols will be underdogs in their next three games (Georgia, Mississippi State, and Alabama) before the schedule somewhat softens down the stretch (South Carolina, UAB and Vanderbilt at home with road trips to Kentucky and Missouri) in order to feel safe about returning for 2020.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          Our weekly hit on the ACC continues as Georgia Tech continues to embarrass the league, this time with a 24-2 loss to Temple.
The Yellow Jackets awful play does have an excuse for a year as Geoff Collins changes the offense from the spread option favored by former coach Paul Johnson while having most of his talent recruited to play in the old offense, but two points against Temple after a home loss to the Citadel isn't going to win Collins a lot of goodwill.
Meanwhile, Pitt had to rally for a three-point win over Delaware at home and the stunning deterioration of the Virginia Tech Hokies (a 35 point loss at home to Duke can do that) eats away at a league's credibility that needs a different reputation other than Clemson, a few has-beens, and a bunch basketball schools.
Only the surprising 5-0 start by Wake Forest, who climbed into the top 25 this week, has been any decent news for the league.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          I was asked about the early Heisman race and the fast start by Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts at Oklahoma that has placed Hurts at the forefront after the first month.
I don't generally have favorites this early, but the Hurts scenario is interesting to follow.
Assuming that Hurts can continue his current level of play, here is what I find interesting- Will Heisman voters be more likely to give him their votes because he has a great story with leaving Alabama and then competing for the Heisman against the player that took his job?
Or will the same voters have a backlash against Oklahoma quarterbacks after giving the award to OU passers in the previous seasons (Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray) and begin to consider the system in question as very player friendly?
I don't have an answer or opinion yet, but it's interesting to consider.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          I mentioned Appalachian State's win over North Carolina last week and I thought about the Mountaineers as the week moved on.
What are the chances that Appalachian State, should they run the table and go undefeated, grabs the group of five bid to the "New Years Day" grouping of games?
Well, the Sun Belt is the least regarded of the group of five leagues, although I wouldn't argue that they are, but they certainly will have their problems leaping a one-loss UCF (that loss being a one-point loss at Pitt) and maybe even a one-loss Boise State, should the Broncos slip up (they are currently undefeated) in what looks to be a very strong year for the Mountain West, but keep this in mind- Should Appalachian State go undefeated, they would have to defeat South Carolina in Columbia, but should they do that, they would have not only two wins over Power Five opposition, both would have been on the road.
That would be a nice resume' and would make a decision very interesting.
                       

New Jersey Devils Preview

Entering last season, the New Jersey Devils seemed to be at a crossroads after a surprising 2017-18 year that saw the Devils make the playoffs.
Often, when teams that make a huge leap forward in one season, they will take a step back the following year, but it didn't seem that way going into 2018-19.

Things aren't always as they seem though and the Devils would finish ahead of only two teams in the entire league and dead last in the Metropolitan Division.
With plenty of cap space and room to maneuver, Ray Shero looked to be one of the busier executives in hockey over the summer in an attempt to improve the franchise.
Instead, Shero might have improved the team most over the long run through nothing of his own doing as the Devils would win the lottery and grab a potential franchise level center in Jack Hughes.
Shero wasn't content to just settle for a talented rookie, so Shero took on a big salary and gambled on P.K. Subban returning to past form in trading with Nashville to upgrade the defensive corps.
Not satisfied with Hughes and a healthy Taylor Hall being enough to make the offense as good as it needs to be, Shero swung a trade with Las Vegas to add KHL standout Nikita Gusev, who won an MVP in the top Russian league, signed Swedish standout Jesper Boqvist and veteran Wayne Simmonds to hopefully give the team the offensive jolt that they needed to move up the standings.

I usually try to avoid figuring out lines in previews because often those evaluations quickly become obsolete by the end of the first week of the season, but I'll try to give a general idea of who could go where throughout a season.
The top line is easy at the center spot with Nico Hischier, at left wing with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri on the right.
Hischier and Hall should stay together, while the right-wing spot held by Palmieri might be the position that could see movement between lines when things need to be shaken up a bit.

The second line might be the "skill" line with the rookie standouts Jack Hughes and Nikita Gusev joining third-year man, Jesper Bratt.
I think John Hynes will, as in the case of Hischier and Hall, attempt to keep Hughes and Gusev together as much as possible until it's proven to be a bad idea.
Bratt makes sense to pair with the rookies as far as skill, but if opponents begin to take liberties with Hughes and Gusev, look for Wayne Simmonds to have an occasional run with the youngsters to keep the foes honest.

Simmonds, who was signed as a free agent from Nashville after the Predators traded for him from the Flyers at the trade deadline, brings toughness and an underrated scoring touch, but his scoring had dropped from 31 goals three years ago to 24 and then 17 last season.
At 31, this could be the last chance for Simmonds to prove that he is not a player in decline.
Pass first center Travis Zajac could be just the person to help Simmonds along in that quest.
Zajac might not be a top-six forward at this point in his career, but he still could be excellent in a third-line role.
Banger Blake Coleman seems to be the best choice, although Miles Wood could be interchangeable with Coleman.
Coleman was one of the few Devils to breakthrough last year with 22 goals and should he post similar statistics this season in a third-line role, New Jersey should be playing very well.

The fourth line is often used as a checking line, but the Devils aren't filling those positions as such, instead, they seem to be planning to use it as a fourth scoring line.
Myles Wood, Pavel Zacha and rookie Jesper Boqvist all bring speed and offensive ability that rarely appear on the fourth line.
I'm intrigued by the potential of this line or if one breaks out, they could see themselves moving up the line ladder.
Kevin Rooney and newcomer John Hayden will provide the depth at forward.

The Devils needed an impact player on defense and they have hope that they have added one after acquiring P.K. Subban from Nashville,
Subban's play slumped last season after an excellent 2017-18 and the Devils are hoping that they are buying low on an elite defenseman.
Subban will likely pair with Will Butcher, who seemed to hit his stride last season.
Butcher makes sense with Subban as the team puts their top two defenders together anyway, but it also allows their other two pairings to stay intact
One will continue to see the Devils captain Andy Greene teamed with Damon Severson.
The two were often overmatched against top lines, but as a second or third group should be very solid.
Veterans Mirco Mueller and Sami Vatanen are the third defensive group and should be decent enough, if not tremendously exciting.
Connor Carrick was acquired last season from Dallas and will be the seventh defenseman.

The Devils appear to be gambling at goaltender that Cory Schneider can be decent as last season Schneider was very streaky, ranging from excellent to awful.
What does Schneider have left at 33?
I'm not sure, but if it turns out that he is well past his prime, the Devils will be in deep trouble,
Unless Mackenzie Blackwood is truly the goaltender that the team decides to build around.
Blackwood played well at times last season, but his time was limited behind Schneider after Keith Kinkaid was traded away during the season.
Blackwood should at minimum play in more games than last season, which would give the Devils a chance to see what they have in Blackwood before deciding on making moves for the future, whether keeping him or acquiring someone else.
One question that I cannot answer for Ray Shero is this-If Cory Schneider plays poorly and the Devils don't feel that Mackenzie Blackwood is ready for the heavy lifting of being the main goaltender for a playoff contender, will Shero attempt to land a goaltender during the season via trade or wait until the off-season to shore things up.
Hopefully, that problem will not arrive.

I think this is a playoff team, perhaps not a top-four playoff team, but a playoff team nonetheless.
Actually, I'll go farther.
If the Devils miss the playoffs, it'll be a disappointing season.
I'm not saying that the Devils are a stone-cold lock for the playoffs as the goaltending is questionable and I do wonder how that holds up, but if the goaltending is decent the Devils should be OK.

Cleaning out the inbox: Non-Sports Passings

There has been such a sad run of people of note that have passed away that I had enough for a football-only post and for a non-sports version along with yet another sports version when I have time.

If you have been around long enough to notice, I'm sure that you see the trend that I write a lot during football season, a reasonable amount in the three winter months and whenever I have the time during the baseball season, so as Jim Ross used to yell on Mid-South Wrestling- Business is about to pick up.

Goodbye to Rob Garrison at the age of 59.

Garrison portrayed "Tommy" of the Cobra Kai in the original Karate Kid film and uttered the one line that, among the many that became part of pop culture from the film, is remembered most.

As a battered Daniel LaRusso was whacked around the mat by the superior skills of John Lawrence, it was Garrison as Tommy that stood behind the inspirational leadership of Sensei John Kreese and shrieked "GET HIM A BODY BAG, YEAHHHHH!"

Garrison would appear with Cobra Kai members in the music video "Sweep the Leg" by No More Kings and of course, would repeat his trademark phrase (at 5;53 of the video, if interested)

Garrison appeared in an episode of the YouTube series "Cobra Kai" (which is excellent by the way) during its second season and was scheduled to return for the upcoming season three.

If you've known me, I'd be stunned if you didn't know what a huge fan of the film and the Cobra Kai that I am and I have often said if there ever was an event that I could get to that had all of the Cobra Kai members available, I'd go for a picture with all them/

Garrison and others were at the Pittsburgh comic convention last year, but all of them were not in attendance, so I didn't go and now a full reunion will never happen.

Goodbye to Aron Eisenberg at the age of 50.

As a Star Trek fan, I've always thought that Deep Space Nine was the best of the Trek spinoffs shows and yet often isn't mentioned when Star Trek shows are discussed by the casual watcher.

Eisenberg portrayed Nog, the delinquent station runabout that becomes the first Ferengi to enter Starfleet.

The character evolved over the seven-year arc of the show (Arguably too much, but that's a minor quibble), but Eisenberg played the role well and didn't become an annoying presence as so many supporting characters can be.

The diminutive Eisenberg had only one functioning kidney and as a result, would have his height slowed and resulted in his height stopping at 4'11.

Eisenberg didn't stop acting after DS9, but would also own his own photography studio.

Goodbye to Cokie Roberts at the age of 75.

Roberts was a longtime political reporter and commentator, working for National Public Radio for over forty years and for ABC News for over thirty years as well.

Roberts was often recognized as one of the female trailblazers in Washington journalism, winning several awards including the Edward R, Murrow award for contributions to public radio and the Walter Cronkite Award for excellence in journalism.

Both of Roberts's parents represented Louisiana in the House of Representatives as her father Hale Boggs was the Majority Leader in 1972 (Boggs served 15 terms over two tenures) when his plane disappeared over Alaska, and her mother Lindy Boggs would succeed her late husband and serve for eight terms.

Goodbye to Rick Bognar at the age of 49.

Bognar was a professional wrestler that was best remembered for a failed run in the then-WWF in the late 90s.

In 1996, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash had left the WWF to move to WCW and even though the WWF couldn't stop the pair from going to the competing organization, however, they could stop them from using the wrestling names that they used for the WWF in "Razor Ramon" and "Diesel" as those were trademarked by their company.

In an ill-advised decision, the company attempted to emulate soap operas, which often slide a new actor into an existing role in their program with a one time voice over acknowledgment of the new actor playing the character and then move along as nothing had changed.

Bognar was installed as "Razor Ramon" and Glen Jacobs (who would reach stardom later as "Kane")

would be inserted into the position as "Diesel"

The pair were quickly dubbed by fans as "Fake Razor" and "Fake Diesel", but the experiment was a huge failure and would last just a few months before being dropped. 

Bognar would injure his neck in Japan in 1998, which for the most part ended his career, although he still would wrestle occasionally in Japan and his native Canada using the name "Rick Titan", which played off the Razor character to a certain degree.

Cleaning out the inbox: Football Passings

Sadly, there have been plenty of noteworthy passings of late, so many in fact that from football alone there have been more than enough for its own post.

Goodbye to Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy at the age of 85.
Cassidy won the 1955 Heisman Trophy for Ohio State, finished 3rd in the 1954 Heisman voting as the star of Ohio State's 1954 National Champions and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Cassidy started on running back on offense, was a starter at defensive back on the other side of the football and held Buckeye record for rushing, all-purpose yards and scoring into the seventies.
Cassidy also was the leading hitter for the OSU baseball team and in his retirement years was a scout for the New York Yankees and a coach for the AAA Columbus Clippers, when the Clippers were affiliated with the Yankees.
Cassady was the 3rd overall selection by the Detroit Lions in the 1956 draft and would spend most of his careers with the Lions, including being a part of the last Lion championship team in 1957 as a defensive back and occasional offensive threat.

Goodbye to E.J.Holub at the age of 81.
Holub was inducted as a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 from Texas Tech and
was the first Red Raider to have his jersey retired.
Holub was part of the AFL-NFL bidding war for talent and along with TCU's Bob Lilly was the subject of the Dallas Cowboys-Dallas Texans (Now the Kansas City Chiefs) biggest contract battle as Holub was the Texans first-round pick and the Cowboys second with Lilly the inverse for the Cowboys in 1961.
Both teams pursued both and signed their top pick while missing on the other.
Holub played both ways as center and linebacker for the first few years of his career before playing a few seasons at linebacker only and finished it as a center only.
Holub made five all-AFL teams and played on three AFL champions (1962 Texans and 1966 and 1969 Chiefs) before retiring after a 1971 knee injury in training camp.

Goodbye to Tommy Brooker at the age of 79.
Brooker played split end and was the regular kicker for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs from 1962-66 and was also a member of Alabama's 1961 national championship team.
Brooker is best remembered for his game-winning field goal in the 1962 AFL championship game in double overtime to give the Texans the AFL title over the two-time defending champion Houston Oilers in what would be the final game for the Texans before their move to Kansas City.

Goodbye to Barron Hilton at the age of 91.
Hilton was the owner of the Hilton corporation with the namesake Hilton hotels, but to me will be better remembered as the original owner of the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers of the AFL.
Hilton was forced to sell the Chargers in 1966 when after the passing of his father, Hilton was offered the position of president and CEO of Hilton Hotels on the condition that he sell the Chargers.
Hilton's majority interest was sold for ten million dollars, a record for the time,(equal to 79 million dollars today) after an initial investment of only $25,000 in 1960.
Hilton was the final owner of the AFL's "foolish club" to pass away from the original eight AFL franchises.

Goodbye to John Ralston at the age of 92.
Ralston won a Rose Bowl at Stanford with Jim Plunkett as the Heisman winning quarterback in 1970 and repeated in 1971 without Plunkett before moving to the NFL as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Ralston never made the playoffs in his five years as the Broncos coach, but the Broncos enjoyed their first winning records under Ralston and many of the players that led the Broncos to the 1977 Super Bowl under Red Miller were acquired during the Ralston years.
Ralston was also the first head coach of the Oakland Invaders of the USFL and was also involved in personnel before the league's first season for their version of the NFL scouting combine.
Ralston's one season as the head coach of the Invaders saw Oakland finish 9-9 but was good enough to win the USFL Pacific Division.

Goodbye to Wally Chambers at the age of 68.
Chambers was a dominant defensive tackle for the Bears in his first four seasons after being Chicago's first-round selection in 1973.
Chambers was the defensive rookie of the year in 1973, made three pro bowls (73, 75, 76), was named to either first or second-team All-Pro in those seasons and won the UPI defensive player of the year award in 1976.
Chambers career ended quickly as he damaged his knee in the 1976 Pro Bowl and would only play in four games in 1977.
Chambers filed an injury grievance against the Bears and Chicago responded by trading him to Tampa Bay for the Buccaneers first-rounder in 1978.
Chambers hobbled through two seasons in tangerine and orange, while with the pick obtained from Tampa, Chicago tabbed eventual Hall of Famer Dan Hampton.

Goodbye to Jevan Snead at the age of 32.
Snead was one of the best quarterback recruits coming out of high school in 2006, but narrowly lost the Texas starting job as a true freshman to redshirt freshman Colt McCoy.
Snead would then transfer to Ole Miss, where he would play well in 2008 (26 TD 13 INT) and led the Rebels to an upset win over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.
Entering the 2009 season, Snead was thought to be one of the two top passers in the country and was thought to be dueling with Oklahoma's Sam Bradford for the top QB in the 2010 draft.
Snead had health problems and had an off-year (20 TD, 20 INT) and could have returned to Ole Miss to raise his draft stock, but was given a 4th round draft grade and decided to enter the draft anyway.
Snead went undrafted, didn't make Tampa Bay's roster as an undrafted free agent and other than a camp visit to an Arena League team would never play again.
Snead's family has donated his brain for testing as the family (and Snead himself) suspected that he may have suffered from CTE with several of the symptoms.