By Woodrow Carroll Cody Parkey is alive and kicking. Parkey, the former Chicago Bears’ kicker best remembered for his double-doink missed field goal in the National Football League (NFL) playoffs two years ago against the Philadelphia Eagles. He will play with the Cleveland Browns at the Kansas City Chiefs in
The end of the college football season ended with another success for Alabama in its 52-24 victory against Ohio State in the National championship game Monday in Miami Gardens, Fla.. The Alabama championship was its sixth in 12 years. Ohio State has won one championship in a comparable time, in
By Bobby Narang Three days into this calendar year, the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball program made headlines. In a shocking in-season move, the Huskies parted ways with long-time head coach Mark Montgomery, January 3, Northern Illinois athletic director Sean T. Frazier announced. “We thank coach Montgomery for his commitment
By Woodrow Carroll With the most uneven college football season in history coming to an end at 7 p.m. Monday, when Alabama will square off against Ohio State in the college football playoff championship game, we might offer thanks to Georgia and Ball State. Only Alabama, 12-0, and Ohio State,
The American Hockey League announced Monday that the 2020-2021 regular season will begin Friday, Feb. 5. The Chicago Wolves are among the 28 teams ready to play a shortened season that will feature an adjusted divisional alignment and a tentative postseason format. The Wolves plan to play all home games
The National Football League, just as does other high-profile professional sports, has a long reach through the country. Sunday’s first-round playoff game between the visiting Chicago Bears and host New Orleans Saints will not absorb all of the fans’ cheer for the Bears, 8-8 as an at-large team which qualified
By Bobby Narang Basketball runs in the Cohn family. So does the Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament. Let former York High School star point guard, David Cohn, explain the long-running Tournament’s worth to his family. “My uncle is a huge high school sports fan,” Cohn said. “He went to York games
By Woodrow Carroll Because of COVID-19 pandemic, at least 19 college football bowl games have been canceled, moved, or reworked. In the case of the Rose Bowl, the operative word is moved. The ugly virus has forced the Rose Bowl to move from Pasadena, Calif. to Arlington, Texas. Opponents Alabama
The sports world, inhibited by the COVID-19 more than we want, nonetheless chugs along best way possible. Best examples are on the one hand games are postponed and canceled by infectious COVID-19, which has reached more than 335,000 deaths, and on the other hand the National Football League, other professional
By Bobby Narang York High School first-year boys basketball head coach, Mike Dunn, will have to wait a bit longer for his first coaching experience at his new school. The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has yet to name a start date for the basketball season, despite surrounding states already
Northern Illinois University football player Kyle Pugh was named a semifinalist for the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America in association with The Associated Press and the Fiesta Bowl organization December 14. Pugh, who played in five games season,
Del Dufrain was the consummate teacher. He was comfortable on the football field and in the classroom. He enjoyed involvement with students and helping them succeed. He retired as head coach of the East Aurora High School football team following the 1978 season and he retired from teaching biology in
By Bobby Narang The more things change, the more they stay the same. That old saying certainly held true, at least in regards to the Illinois High School Association Board meeting Monday. The IHSA did not add much clarity to an already muddled and reduced high school sports scene. The
By Woodrow Carroll Lovie Smith’s five-year run as Illinois’ head football coach came to an end after a particularly ugly 28-10 loss at Northwestern Saturday. To many, the hiring of Smith, who guided the Chicago Bears football fortunes from 2004-2012 and an appearance in Super Bowl XLI, the 2006 season,
Chicago Steel’s Sam Lipkin, left, and Dylan Robbins, right, are in a battle with Youngstown Phantoms’ John Larkins, center, Thursday, Dec. 10, at Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva.
By Bobby Narang The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors held a virtual meeting December 2 to discuss numerous topics, most notably the timeline of Winter sports. IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said that when a timeline is set for the lifting of the restrictions, then the IHSA
By Woodrow Carroll Northern Illinois, University of Illinois, and Northwestern, each has one regular-season football game remaining which will be played Saturday. Notre Dame, 10-0 overall and ranked No. 2 in the country in both major polls, had its final game of the regular season canceled by the Atlantic Coast
Just in time! The list of recognizable players, coaches, and schools arrived just in time Tuesday morning this week from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) with this year’s Hall of Fame list. Thoughts had focused on the high school, and, even college, holiday tournaments which usually begin to take
“The IHSA Board of Directors met virtually December 2 for an update session, where they discussed several topics, including the timeline of winter sports. Given governor JB Pritzker’s current mitigations, the Board has no expectation of starting low risk winter sports prior to January. The Board and IHSA staff will
By Bobby Narang The Northern Illinois University football team is right on track. Unfortunately, for Huskie Nation, the final destination for the historic 2020 season is the basement of the Mid-American Conference West Division. The Huskies, in the second year under the direction of former star Northern Illinois running Thomas
