Pro Football Hall Of Fame Class: Curtis Martin Highlights Sextet

Six players were elected on Saturday to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:


Curtis Martin, a running back who played for eleven seasons (with the New England Patriots and New York Jets).  He ran for 14,101 yards and 90 touchdowns.  The 1995 Offensive Rookie of the Year (with the Patriots), led the league in rushing with the Jets in 2004 with 1, 697 yards.


Chris Doleman, a defensive end who played most of his 15 years with the Minnesota Vikings, registered 150.5 sacks.


Cortez Kennedy, a defensive tackle who played his entire 11-year career with the Seattle Seahawks, was a force inside the defensive line, both as a run stopper and a threat to quarterbacks.


Willie Roaf, who played offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints (1993-2001) and Kansas City Chiefs (2002-05), played the left side of the offensive line in 12 of his 13 seasons.  He made eleven Pro Bowls and was elected to the All-Decade Team of the 1990s.


Dermontti Dawson made seven Pro Bowls as the Pittsburgh Steelers' center (succeeding fellow Hall of Famer Mike Webster).  He started for the Steelers for most of his 13 seasons.


Another former Steeler, Jack Butler, a senior selection, played cornerback for Pittsburgh from 1951 to 1959.  He picked off 52 passes, at that time the second most in NFL history.

Hot Shooting Second Half Helps Carry Pilots Past Broncos

At Santa Clara, California:


Ryan Nicholas scored 19 points and eight rebounds as the Portland Pilots (6-17 overall, 3-7 in WCC play) shot 73.9% from the field in the second half as they defeated the Santa Clara Broncos (8-14, 0-9) 84-78 on the road Thursday night in a nationally-televised contest.

Damian Lillard Too Much For Vikings---Again

At Ogden, Utah:


The nation's leading scorer, Damian Lillard, scored 40 points on Thursday night as the Weber State Wildcats (17-4 overall, 9-1 in Big Sky play) rebounded from their first conference defeat of the season with a 92-79 home win over the Portland State Vikings (10-12, 4-6), who have now dropped three in a row.

Ducks Bounce Back To Top Runnin' Utes

At Salt Lake City:


Devoe Johnson scored 20 points while Carlos Emory (who made all four field goal attempts and all five free throws) added 14 and E. J. Singler 12 as the Oregon Ducks (16-6 overall, 7-3 in Pac-12 play) won their fifth game in their last six starts, 79-68 over the Utah Runnin' Utes (5-17, 2-8) on the road.

Colorado Buffaloes Oregon State, Ending Beavers' Winning Streak

At Boulder, Colorado:


Andre Roberson scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Colorado Buffaloes (15-7 overall, 7-3 in Pac-12 play) manhandled the visiting Oregon State Beavers (14-8, 4-6) 82-60 on Thursday, ending the Beavers' three-game winning streak.

Angelo Dundee, Legendary Former Trainer For Muhammed Ali, R. I. P.

Angelo Dundee, the legendary boxing trainer who helped Muhammed Ali become the first fighter to win the World's Heavyweight title three times, passed away at his Tampa, Florida apartment on Wednesday night at age 90.

Mr. Dundee, who recently attended the celebration for Mr. Ali's 70th birthday, also trained Sugar Ray Leonard in many of his biggest bouts.

Don Cornelius, Creator and Long-Time Original Host of "Soul Train," R.I.P

Don Cornelius, the creator and long-time original host of the long-running syndicated television musical-variety series Soul Train, passed away from an apparently self-afflicted gunshot wound at age 75.


Mr. Cornelius' remains were found on Wednesday morning at his Sherman Oaks, California home.


Soul Train, over the course of its' 35-year run, would go on to become the longest-running first-run syndicated series in television history.



Don hosted the show from the beginning in 1971 until he stepped down in 1993.  The series ceased production in 2006.