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Football News Headlines

2024

NOTE: The intent of the News Section is not to dwell on negative stories that are more suited to be found in the Police and Crime Section of your local newspaper, but to report and document stories that cover the entire realm of The World of Football. Chances are, you may not have seen some of these stories before.


 

News Archives  

 

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February

February 4, 2024 Tony Hutson, a guard in the NFL for four seasons, dies at the age of 49. Hutson played college football at Northeastern Oklahoma State University, an NAIA school, and signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys, where he played for three seasons, from 1997-1999. He finished his brief playing career with the Washington Redskins in 2000. His career was cut short due to a lingering knee injury.

February 4, 2024 – Rich Caster, a tight end and wide receiver in the NFL for 13 seasons, dies at the age of 75. Caster played college football at HBCU Jackson State and was selected in the second round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played for the Jets for eight seasons, from 1970-1977, He then played with the Houston Oilers from 1978-1980. He signed with the New Orleans Saints in 1981 but was traded during the season to the Washington Redskins and finished his playing career there in 1982. He won Super Bowl XVII (17) with the Redskins.     

February 1, 2024 Carl Weathers, the Hollywood actor who also played linebacker in the NFL and the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 76. Weathers played college football at San Diego State and signed as a free agent with the Oakland Raiders where he played for two seasons in 1970 and 1971. He then played for the CFL BC Lions for three seasons, from 1971-1973. After his brief pro football career, Weathers went on to make many movies. He appeared in the first four “Rocky” movies as Apollo Creed alongside Sylvester Stallone as well as in the movie “Happy Gilmore” with Adam Sandler. One of his most recent roles was in “The Mandalorian” TV series.

February 1, 2024 Alonzo Johnson, a linebacker in the NFL for two seasons, dies at the age of 60. Johnson played college football at Florida and was selected in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played for the Eagles in 1986 and 1987. He then entered a drug rehabilitation program and never played again. Johnson was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2002.

January

January 31, 2024 Terry Beasley, a wide receiver in the NFL for three seasons, dies at the age of 73. Beasley played college football at Auburn and was the 19th overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played for the 49ers in 1972, 1974 and 1975. His playing career was cut short by injuries. Beasley is one of three Auburn players to have his number (88) retired by the School, along with Pat Sullivan and Bo Jackson. Beasley was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

January 28, 2024 Jim Furey, a linebacker in the American Football League and the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 91. Furey played college football at Kansas State and was selected in the 13th round of the 1956 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. However, he chose to sign with the CFL Calgary Stampeders and played for the team in 1958. He also played for the CFL BC Lions in 1959 and 1960 and finished his brief playing career with the AFL New York Titans in 1961.

January 24, 2024 Kelly Malveaux, a defensive back in the Canadian Football League, the XFL, NFL Europe and the United Football League, dies at the age of 47. The cause of death was not immediately released. Malveaux played college football at Arizona and went on to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1999. He also played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe that same year. In 2001, he played for the Orlando Rage of the original XFL as well as the CFL Calgary Stampeders. He continued to play for Calgary through 2003 before moving on to the Montreal Alouettes for two seasons, from 2004-2005. He also played three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2006-2008 and the Edmonton Eskimos in 2009. He finished his playing career with the United Football League’s Sacramento Mountain Lions in 2010.

January 24, 2024 Bob Landsee, a guard and center in the NFL for two seasons, dies at the age of 59. Landsee played college football at Wisconsin and was selected in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played for the Eagles in 1986 and 1987. He went on to be the head coach of the Arena Football League’s Milwaukee Iron in 2010, the Milwaukee Mustangs in 2011 and 2012 and for two games with the Jacksonville Sharks in 2016.  

January 23, 2024 - Uga X, the University of Georgia bulldog mascot fondly known as Que, died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 10. Born May 27, 2013, he formally began his tenure in a collaring ceremony at the Georgia-Georgia Southern football game on Nov. 21, 2015. Que retired following the 2022 season after becoming the most decorated of all the Bulldog mascots. He compiled a football record of 91-18, presided over two SEC titles, the 2021 and 2022 College Football Playoff national championships, and seven New Year’s Six bowl appearances.

January 23, 2024 Bruce Covernton, a guard and tackle in the Canadian Football League for five seasons, dies at the age of 57. Covernton played college football at Weber State and was selected with the first overall pick in the 1992 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders. He played his entire career with Calgary from 1992-1996 and won a Grey Cup title with the team in 1992.

January 22, 2024 Tom Nettles, a wide receiver in the Canadian Football League for two seasons, dies at the age of 79. Nettles played college football at San Diego State and was selected in the seventh round of the 1969 NFL Draft by the by the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he chose to sign with the CFL Edmonton Eskimos and played for the team in 1969 and 1970. After football, he became a pro golfer.  

January 16, 2024 Jerry Hilgenberg, dies at the age of 92. Hilgenberg played college football at Iowa and was selected in the fourth round of the 1954 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. However, he was also drafted into the U.S. Air Force, and he never played pro football. When he returned from military service, he became and assistant coach at Iowa from 1965-1963. He was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.

January 15, 2024 Ronald Powel, a linebacker in the NFL for one season, dies at the age of 32. The cause of death was not immediately released. Powell played college football at Florida and was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He played one season in New Orleans and was then placed on Injured Reserve. He was later signed and released by the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks but never played in the NFL again.  

January 14, 2024 Norm Snead, a quarterback in the NFL for 16 seasons, dies at the age of 84. Snead played college football at Wake Forest and was the second overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He was also selected in the fifth round of the 1961 American Football League Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He signed with the Redskins and played in Washington from 1961-1963. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1964-1970, the Minnesota Vikings in 1971 and the New York Giants from 1972-1974. He was traded to the San Fransico 49ers during the 1974 season and finished his playing career with the 49ers in 1976. Snead was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.

January 13, 2024 Art Baker, a college football coach in the 1970s and 1980s, dies at the age of 94. Baker was the head coach at Furman from 1973-1977. He was also the head coach at The Citadel from 1978-1982 and at East Carolina from 1985-1988. Baker began his college coaching career as an assistant coach at Clemson from 1965-1969 and at Texas Tech from 1970-1972. He also served as an assistant at Florida State in 1984. Baker was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.

January 11, 2024 Richard Kaser, and end and halfback in the Canadian Football League for three seasons, dies at the age of 91. Kaser played college football at Toledo and was selected in the 17th round of the 1954 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. However, after spending a few years serving in the military, he signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He played in British Columbia from 1957-1958 and finished his brief football career the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1960.

January 7, 2024 Wendell Harris, a defensive back and kicker in the NFL for six seasons, dies at the age of 83. Harris played college football at LSU and was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He was also selected in the seventh round of the 1962 American Football League Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He signed with the Colts and played for the team from 1962-1965. He also played for the New York Giants from 1966-1967.

January 6, 2024 Burke Dales, a punter in the Canadian Football League for 9 seasons, dies at the age of 46. The cause of death was not immediately released. Dales played college football at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. He signed with the Calgary Stampeders in 2005 and played for the team for seven seasons, through 2011. He also played for the Edmonton Eskimos in 2012 and 2013 and finished his playing career as a member of the Montral Alouettes at the end of the 2013 season. His sister, Stacey Dales is an NFL sideline reporter for the NFL Network.    

January 6, 2024 Bob Gaiters, a halfback in the NFL, the American Football League and the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 85. Gaiters played college football at New Mexico State and was selected in the second round of the 1961 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He was also selected with the fourth overall pick in the 1961 American Football League Draft by the Denver Broncos. He signed with the Giants and played for the team in 1961 and 1962. He was traded to the San Fransico 49ers during the 1962 season. In 1963, he played for the Broncos in the AFL. Gaiters went on to play in the CFL for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1964. He finished his career in the Continental Football League and played for the Newark Bears in 1965, the Hartford Charter Oaks in 1966 and the Orange County Ramblers in 1967.

January 5, 2024 Jack Squirek, a linebacker in the NFL for five seasons, dies at the age of 64. Squirek played college football at Illinois and was selected in the second round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders. He played for the Raiders from 1982-1985. He won Super Bowl XLIII (18) with the Raiders. Squirek finished his playing career with the Miami Dolphins in 1986.

January 5, 2024 Tavares Washington, a guard and tackle who played briefly in the NFL, NFL Europe and the United Football League, dies at the age of 40. Washington played college football at Florida and signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers. He was on the team’s practice squad in 2006 and 2007. He also played for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe in 2007. He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008 and appeared in just two regular-season games. In 2009, Washington played for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League and won a UFL title with the team.

January 5, 2024 Willie Bethea, a fullback and halfback in the Canadian Football League for eight seasons, dies at the age of 84. Bethea played college football at Rider University. He signed with the CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1963 and played his entire career with the team from 1963-1970, winning three Grey Cup titles in 1963, 1965 and 1967. Bethea was inducted into the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Wall of Honor in 2012.

January 4, 2024 Marty Amsler, a defensive end in the NFL for three seasons, dies at the age of 81. Amsler played college football at Indiana and was selected in the 18th round of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. However, he signed with the Chicago Bears and played for the team in 1967 and 1969. In 1970, he spent time playing for both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers.

January 1, 2024 Frank Ryan, a quarterback in the NFL for 13 seasons, dies at the age of 87. Ryan played college football at Rice and was selected in the fifth round of the 1958 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He played in LA from 1958-1961. He also played for the Cleveland Browns from 1962-1968 and won an NFL title with the Browns in 1964. He finished his playing career with the Washington Redskins in 1969 and 1970.