THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” FRIDAY JULY 25, 2025

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“THE SCOREBOARD”

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WNBA SCORES

INDIANA 80 LAS VEGAS 70

LOS ANGELES 101 CONNECTICUT 86

SEATTLE 95 CHICAGO 57

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MLB SCORES

BALTIMORE 4 CLEVELAND 3

TORONTO 11 DETROIT 4

ST. LOUIS 9 SAN DIEGO 7

LAS VEGAS 5 HOUSTON 2

SEATTLE 4 LA ANGELS 2

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MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INDIANAPOLIS 3 TOLEDO 2

DAYTON 7 SOUTH BEND 4

FT. WAYNE 2 CEDAR RAPIDS 1

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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

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COLTS TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE

FRI., JULY 25: PRACTICE (10-11:15 A.M.)

SAT., JULY 26: PRACTICE (4-5:30 P.M.)

MON., JULY 28: PRACTICE (10-11:15 A.M.)

TUE., JULY 29: PRACTICE (10-11:30 A.M.)

THUR., JULY 31: PRACTICE (8-10 P.M.)

SAT., AUG. 2: PRACTICE (10-11:35 A.M.)

SUN., AUG. 3: PRACTICE (10-11:30 A.M.)

SAT., AUG. 9: PRACTICE (4-5:10 P.M.)

SUN., AUG. 10: PRACTICE (4-5:30 P.M.)

MON., AUG. 11: PRACTICE (4-5:40 P.M.)

THUR., AUG. 14: PRACTICE (3-5 P.M.)

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2025 NFL PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE

NFL/HALL OF FAME GAME – JULY 31

L.A. CHARGERS VS. DETROIT (NBC), 8:00

*****WEEK 1*****

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7

INDIANAPOLIS AT BALTIMORE, 7:00
CINCINNATI AT PHILADELPHIA, 7:30
LAS VEGAS AT SEATTLE, 10:00

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8

DETROIT AT ATLANTA, 7:00
CLEVELAND AT CAROLINA, 7:00
WASHINGTON AT NEW ENGLAND, 7:30

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9

N.Y. GIANTS AT BUFFALO, 1:00
HOUSTON AT MINNESOTA, 4:00
PITTSBURGH AT JACKSONVILLE, 7:00
DALLAS AT L.A. RAMS, 7:00
TENNESSEE AT TAMPA BAY, 7:30
KANSAS CITY AT ARIZONA, 8:00
N.Y. JETS AT GREEN BAY, 8:00
DENVER AT SAN FRANCISCO, 8:30

SUNDAY, AUGUST 10

MIAMI AT CHICAGO, 1:00
NEW ORLEANS AT L.A. CHARGERS, 4:05

*****WEEK 2*****

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15

TENNESSEE AT ATLANTA, 7:00
KANSAS CITY AT SEATTLE, 10:00

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16

MIAMI AT DETROIT, 1:00
CAROLINA AT HOUSTON, 1:00
GREEN BAY AT INDIANAPOLIS, 1:00
NEW ENGLAND AT MINNESOTA, 1:00
CLEVELAND AT PHILADELPHIA, 1:00
SAN FRANCISCO AT LAS VEGAS, 4:00
BALTIMORE AT DALLAS, 7:00
L.A. CHARGERS AT L.A. RAMS, 7:00
N.Y. JETS AT N.Y. GIANTS, 7:00
TAMPA BAY AT PITTSBURGH, 7:00
ARIZONA AT DENVER, 9:30

SUNDAY, AUGUST 17

JACKSONVILLE AT NEW ORLEANS, 1:00
BUFFALO AT CHICAGO (FOX), 8:00

MONDAY, AUGUST 18

CINCINNATI AT WASHINGTON (ESPN), 8:00

*****WEEK 3*****

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21

PITTSBURGH AT CAROLINA, 7:00
NEW ENGLAND AT N.Y. GIANTS (PRIME VIDEO), 8:00

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22

PHILADELPHIA AT N.Y. JETS, 7:30
ATLANTA AT DALLAS, 8:00
MINNESOTA AT TENNESSEE (CBS), 8:00
CHICAGO AT KANSAS CITY, 8:20

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23

BALTIMORE AT WASHINGTON, NOON
INDIANAPOLIS AT CINCINNATI, 1:00
L.A. RAMS AT CLEVELAND, 1:00
HOUSTON AT DETROIT, 1:00
DENVER AT NEW ORLEANS, 1:00
SEATTLE AT GREEN BAY, 4:00
JACKSONVILLE AT MIAMI, 7:00
BUFFALO AT TAMPA BAY, 7:30
L.A. CHARGERS AT SAN FRANCISCO, 8:30
LAS VEGAS AT ARIZONA, 10:00

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WEEK ONE SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, SEPT. 4, 2025
DALLAS COWBOYS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES	8:20P (ET)	8:20P	NBC
FRIDAY, SEPT. 5, 2025
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (SAO PAULO)	9:00P (BRT)	8:00P	YOUTUBE
SUNDAY, SEPT. 07, 2025
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS	1:00P (ET)	1:00P	FOX
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS	1:00P (ET)	1:00P	FOX
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS	1:00P (ET)	1:00P	CBS
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS	1:00P (ET)	1:00P	FOX
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS	1:00P (ET)	1:00P	CBS
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS	12:00P (CT)	1:00P	CBS
PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT NEW YORK JETS	1:00P (ET)	1:00P	CBS
NEW YORK GIANTS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS	1:00P (ET)	1:00P	FOX
TENNESSEE TITANS AT DENVER BRONCOS	2:05P (MT)	4:05P	FOX
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS	1:05P (PT)	4:05P	FOX
DETROIT LIONS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS	3:25P (CT)	4:25P	CBS
HOUSTON TEXANS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS	1:25P (PT)	4:25P	CBS
BALTIMORE RAVENS AT BUFFALO BILLS	8:20P (ET)	8:20P	NBC
MONDAY, SEPT. 8, 2025
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT CHICAGO BEARS	7:15P (CT)	8:15P	ABC/ESPN

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TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/PRESS RELEASES

PRO WRESTLING

HULK HOGAN, ICON IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING, DIES AT AGE 71

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Hulk Hogan, the mustachioed, headscarf-wearing, bicep-busting icon of professional wrestling who turned the sport into a massive business and stretched his cultural influence far beyond the ring, died Thursday in Florida at age 71.

Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital after authorities in Clearwater responded to a morning call about a cardiac arrest, police said.

“There were no signs of foul play or suspicious activity,” Maj. Nate Burnside told reporters.

Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was perhaps the biggest star in WWE’s long history. He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon.

He won at least six WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

“One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans,” WWE said.

Hogan’s own brand of passion

“Hulkamania,” as the energy he created was called, started running wild in the mid-1980s and pushed professional wrestling into the mainstream. He was a flag-waving American hero with the horseshoe mustache, red and yellow gear and massive arms he called his “24-inch pythons.” Crowds were hysterical when he ripped off his T-shirt in the ring — a trademark move — revealing a tan, sculpted body.

Hogan was also a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including a reality show about his life on VH1, “Hogan Knows Best.”

In recent years, Hogan added his celebrity to politics. At the 2024 Republican National Convention, he merged classic WWE maneuvers with then-candidate Donald Trump’s rhetoric to passionately endorse him for president.

“Let Trumpamania run wild brother! Let Trumpamania rule again! Let Trumpamania make America great again!” Hogan shouted into the raucous crowd.

He ripped off a T-shirt emblazoned with a picture of himself on a motorcycle to reveal a bright red Trump-Vance campaign shirt underneath. Trump stood to applaud the move.

“We lost a great friend today, the “Hulkster,”” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social. “Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart.”

Hogan lately began to invest in alternatives to theatrical, professional wrestling, announcing plans in April to serve as the first commissioner for the Real American Freestyle organization, which describes itself as “the first unscripted pro wrestling” leagues in the world. The first event is Aug. 30 at Cleveland State University.

“The idea was so exciting that I get a chance to be involved with all these young people and help guide them in any way, especially to make them huge stars and create a future for them,” Hogan said. “People might be surprised, but wrestling is wrestling, brother.”

Broken leg and a new attitude

Hogan was born in Georgia but lived much of his life in the Tampa, Florida, area. He recalled skipping school to watch wrestlers at the Sportatorium, a professional wrestling studio in Tampa.

“I had been running my mouth, telling everybody I’m going to be a wrestler, and in a small town, the word gets out,” Hogan told the Tampa Bay Times in 2021. “And so when I went down there, they were laying low for me. They exercised me till I was ready to faint.”

The result: a broken leg and a subsequent warning from his dad.

“Don’t you ever let anybody hurt you again,” Hogan recalled his father saying. “So I went back four or five months later with a whole new attitude. The rest is history.”

Hogan first became champion in what was then the World Wrestling Federation in 1984, and pro wrestling took off from there. His popularity helped lead to the creation of the annual WrestleMania event in 1985, when he teamed up with Mr. T to beat “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff in the main event.

He slammed and beat Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III in 1987, and the WWF gained momentum. His feud with the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage – perhaps his greatest rival — carried pro wrestling even further.

Hogan was a central figure in what is known as the Monday Night Wars. The WWE and World Championship Wrestling were battling for ratings supremacy in 1996. Hogan tilted things in WCW’s favor with the birth of the Hollywood Hogan character and the formation of the New World Order, a villainous stable that put WCW ahead in the ratings.

He returned to the WWE in 2002 and became a champion again. His match with The Rock at WrestleMania X8, a loss during which fans cheered for his “bad guy” character, was seen as a passing of the torch.

Hogan was perhaps as well known for his larger-than-life personality as he was his in-ring exploits. He was beloved for his “promos” — hype sessions he used to draw fans into matches. He often would play off his interviewer, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, starting his interviews off with, “Well, lemme tell ya something, Mean Gene!”

Outside the ring

He crossed over into movies and television as well. He was Thunderlips in the movie “Rocky III” in 1982.

In 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan $115 million in a lawsuit against Gawker Media and then added $25 million in punitive damages. Hogan sued after Gawker in 2012 posted a video of him having sex with his former best friend’s wife. He contended the post violated his privacy.

But there was other fallout outside the court case. WWE for a time cut ties with Hogan after it was reported that he used racial slurs on the tape. Hogan apologized and said his words were “unacceptable.”

During the three-week trial, Hogan smiled and wore black.

“Everywhere I show up, people treat me like I’m still the champ,” he said of the support from fans.

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PRESIDENT TRUMP, RIC FLAIR, LEE GREENWOOD REACT TO DEATH OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING ICON HULK HOGAN

Hulk Hogan, perhaps the most recognizable showman of professional wrestling with his muscles for miles, long blond locks and handlebar mustache, has died. He was 71.

Hogan, whose given name was Terry Bollea, was WWE’s biggest star and an actor who once had his own reality show, “Hogan Knows Best.” He died Thursday in Clearwater, Florida, where he lived.

Here’s some notable reaction to his death:

President Donald Trump

“We lost a great friend today, the “Hulkster.” Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart. He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive. To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!” — on Truth Social

Vice president JD Vance

“Hulk Hogan was a great American icon. One of the first people I ever truly admired as a kid. The last time I saw him we promised we’d get beers together next time we saw each other. The next time will have to be on the other side, my friend! Rest in peace. — on X

Vince McMahon

“The world lost a treasure today. Hulk Hogan was the greatest WWE Superstar of ALL TIME, someone who was loved and admired around the world. He was a trailblazer, the first performer who transitioned from being a wrestling star into a global phenomenon. … His grit and unbridled thirst for success were unparalleled — and made him the consummate performer. He gave everything he had to the audience whom he appreciated, respected and loved.” — the WWE co-founder and visionary who stepped down last year amid a cloud of hush money and sexual assault accusations, in a statement.

Ric Flair

“I Am Absolutely Shocked To Hear About The Passing Of My Close Friend @HulkHogan! Hulk Has Been By My Side Since We Started In The Wrestling Business. An Incredible Athlete, Talent, Friend, And Father! Our Friendship Has Meant The World To Me. He Was Always There For Me Even When I Didn’t Ask For Him To Be. He Was One Of The First To Visit Me When I Was In The Hospital With A 2% Chance Of Living, And He Prayed By My Bedside. Hulk Also Lent Me Money When Reid Was Sick. Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace My Friend!” — on X

Triple H

“WWE would not be where it is today without the larger-than-life characters that compete in the ring … and few, if any, loomed larger than Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea. He was the archetype of what it meant to be a “Superstar” — a global sensation that inspired millions to work hard at whatever it was they wanted to accomplish and a look that made him recognizable to fans around the world.” — WWE chief content officer, on X

Jim Ross

“I equate Hulk’s passing to MLB losing Babe Ruth. Hulk was the biggest star ever in pro wrestling.” — the legendary wrestling announcer, to The Associated Press

Brutus Beefcake

“Through the good times and the bad, I always loved my brother Terry! I am devastated by the loss of my friend, I only wish we had time to mend our broken friendship before his passing. Until I see you Brother, in the big squared circle in the sky! I love you #hulkhogan#RIP” — on X

WWE

“WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.” — on X

Mike Johnson

‘We all have fond memories of @hulkhogan. From my childhood in the ’80s, to campaigning with him last year, I always saw him as a giant in stature and in life. May he rest in peace.” — the House speaker, on Instagram

Donald Trump Jr.

“R.I.P to a legend.” — on Instagram

Elijah Wood

“He and so many of those people, Macho Man and the kind of characters from WWF were ubiquitous in my childhood. You know, in the 1980s and early 90s, those guys were everywhere. Even if you weren’t a wrestling fan, they were a fixture of pop culture. So yeah, it’s wild.” — in Associated Press interview

Sgt. Slaughter

“Saddened To Hear About The Passing of Hulk Hogan…I Guess God Needed An Incredible Angel R.I.P. My Friend” — on X

Lee Greenwood

“Sending love and deepest condolences to the Hogan family, friends, and the millions of fans around the world. A heartbreaking loss felt by so many.” — the country star, on Instagram

Piers Morgan

“RIP Hulk Hogan – the most iconic wrestler in history, a wonderful character, and in person, a far gentler, charming, intelligent man far removed from his snarling beast ring (and Rocky movie!) persona. Sad news.” — on X

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NFL NEWS

JETS QUARTERBACK JUSTIN FIELDS DISLOCATES TOE, TEAM EVALUATING INJURY DAY-TO-DAY

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields has a dislocated toe on his right foot and will be evaluated by the team on a daily basis.

The team announced the diagnosis a few hours after Fields limped off the practice field Thursday morning and was carted into the facility. It eased some initial concerns that the quarterback, in his first season with the Jets, could miss significant practice time.

Fields threw an incomplete pass to Jeremy Ruckert on his fifth play of team drills when he went down. The quarterback sat on the grass for a few moments before getting up and limping to the sideline while helped by a trainer.

“I know it was a quick throw, so I’m assuming someone stepped on his toe,” coach Aaron Glenn said after the Jets’ second practice of training camp. “It had to be because of the nature of the call that we had as far as offensive play call. I want to look at the tape and be sure.”

Fields spent a few minutes in the injury tent on the sideline as trainers examined him before a cart came out to transport him into the facility. Fields sat in the passenger seat next to the driver in the cart and then got up under his own power before stepping inside to be further evaluated.

Glenn stopped the team period after Fields was hurt and the Jets ran special teams drills.

“When anybody goes down, there’s a lump in my throat,” Glenn said. “Listen, I hate injuries for any player, but the thing is I want to make sure that I understand exactly what the injury is before I move forward on my thought process.”

Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract as a free agent in March after playing last season in Pittsburgh and is expected to be New York’s starter this season. Veteran Tyrod Taylor, the team’s oldest player who turns 36 next month, is the backup and replaced Fields in team drills.

“I think the most important part is, if anything does happen to Justin, I don’t think there’s any drop-off as far as what we want to do when it comes to play calls,” Glenn said. “Very similar when you talk about skill set, so that was like enticing for us. And then the leadership ability … you could just tell the players really gravitate to him. When he says something, everybody really listens, even the coaching staff. He’s been around this league a long time. He knows what it takes to win, and he’s a really good person. So, we’re all excited to have that guy here.

“Listen, Justin is who he is and if something happens to him, we’ve got Tyrod and we’re ready to go.”

New York also has Adrian Martinez, the 2024 United Football League MVP, and rookie Brady Cook on its roster, but neither has thrown a pass in an NFL game. Glenn noted that Martinez was in camp with the Lions in 2023, so he has some familiarity with the offense that the Jets are running with Tanner Engstrand, Detroit’s former passing game coordinator.

The news of Fields’ injury sent Jets fans into a frenzy on social media, with many recalling how Aaron Rodgers’ torn Achilles tendon in the team’s opening game in 2023 sunk their Super Bowl hopes and how Zach Wilson missed time early in the 2022 season with a knee injury.

Glenn urged fans to remain calm because “I’ve been there and done that” — referring to how he adjusted to various injuries in Detroit last season as the Lions’ defensive coordinator — and it’s still early in training camp.

“I understand how this league is and I understand how social media starts to take over and everybody starts to panic,” Glenn said. “The one thing I would say is, listen, we have a number of men in that locker room that want to win. And we have a number of men in the locker room that’s learning how to win and it’s my job to make sure that I push that over the edge. And that’s my plan.”

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RAIDERS RELEASING DT CHRISTIAN WILKINS AFTER 1 SEASON

The Las Vegas Raiders informed Christian Wilkins on Thursday that he will be released, ending the defensive tackle’s time with the team after one injury-shortened season.

The Raiders, who had signed Wilkins in March 2024 to a four-year, $110 million contract with $84.75 million guaranteed, had placed him on the physically unable to perform list on Friday before the start of training camp.

Wilkins, 29, was working his way back from a season-ending Jones fracture to his left foot, sustained in the Raiders’ 34-18 loss to the Denver Broncos on Oct. 6. Wilkins did not participate in drills during OTAs in May nor in mandatory minicamp, according to media reports.

NFL Network reported Thursday that the Raiders want Wilkins to undergo surgery on the injured foot, while Wilkins declined to after several opinions.

ESPN reported that the Raiders have voided the remaining $35.2 million of guaranteed money and that Wilkins filed a grievance with the NFLPA on Thursday.

“We have decided that it is in the best interests of the organization to move on from Christian Wilkins and he has been informed of his release from the team,” the Raiders said in a statement. “This franchise has a Commitment to Excellence on and off the field. With no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian, this transaction is necessary for the entire organization to move forward and prepare for the new season.”

Wilkins recorded 17 tackles and two sacks in five games (all starts) before having season-ending surgery.

He has totaled 372 tackles, 22.5 sacks, one interception, four forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 86 career regular-season games (82 starts) with the Miami Dolphins and Raiders. He was selected by the Dolphins with the 13th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Clemson.

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DETROIT LIONS OFFENSIVE LINE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS A YEAR AFTER BEING AMONG NFL’S BEST

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions had one of the NFL’s best offensive lines last season.

This year is more of a work in progress.

Center Frank Ragnow’s retirement and the loss of right guard Kevin Zeitler in free agency have opened up competition for at least two new starters. Graham Glasgow, who started at left guard last season and has experience at center, along with rookie Tate Ratledge are getting reps at center through four days of training camp.

And then there’s the banged-up veteran Taylor Decker at left tackle.

“It’s been great. Tate, I thought, was doing a good job. Graham was in there today and I’ve been comfortable with Graham for quite some time,’’ Lions quarterback Jared Goff said on Thursday. “Whoever it ends up being I’ll be good with.’’

After Ratledge saw the bulk of center reps the first three days of camp, Glasgow took the center snaps Thursday.

Ratledge played only guard at Georgia except for a few practice snaps at center. So he’s adjusting to the NFL game and to playing a new position.

“I think just the speed of everything happening. At guard you have a little bit of a delay being off the ball and then, of course, you get up here and you’re going against quicker guys,’’ Ratledge said.

He has no preference for guard or center.

“I enjoy football, it doesn’t matter where I am on the field,’’ said Ratledge, a second-round pick who sports a John Wayne tattoo on his left bicep.

Coach Dan Campbell said earlier in the week that he will keep his eye on the offensive line.

”(Ratledge is) getting it all at once. It’s everything, it is. It’s the mental and it’s the technique of it. So, yeah, look we’re putting a lot on him,’’ Campbell said. “He’s drinking out of a fire hose right now. But there are things that we saw with him in college at Georgia that we felt like, ‘You know what? We think this guy can play center.’’

Decker remains sidelined while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but is expected to join the team after the Hall of Fame game on July 31. He’s been on the sidelines at camp daily.

“The standard is the standard. We’re expected to be one of the top offensive lines in the league,’’ Decker said. “You lose big pieces, but we’ve put those expectations on ourselves and put ourselves in a position where we’re expected to perform a certain way and it doesn’t matter.’’

Pro Bowl right tackle Penei Sewell is healthy and practicing daily.

Christian Mahogany has been a sort of utility lineman for the Lions the past couple of years. He played in seven games in 2024 and started two, including a playoff game. Kayode Awosika, who started 11 games at guard in 2024, will also contend for a starting guard spot.

NOTES: Lions LB Alex Anzalone, who has not participated in camp, was on the sidelines again Thursday in street clothes. He told reporters earlier in the week that he is disappointed the Lions have not signed him to a contract extension.

INJURIES: LB Derrick Barnes (hand) and CB Terrion Arnold (leg) left practice early to be evaluated further for their injuries. … CB Ennis Rakestraw (chest) was working on the sidelines but has not practiced since he was injured on Sunday. He’s expected to return within days.

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PENIX BRINGS MORE CONFIDENCE INTO 1ST FULL SEASON AS FALCONS STARTER FOLLOWING 3-GAME 2024 AUDITION

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons may be better positioned for a winning season with second-year coach Raheem Morris because the offense will be led by a quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., who won’t feel like a first-year starter.

Penix said after Thursday’s opening practice of training camp he feels more confident entering his second season because he was given his first three starts to close the 2024 season after Kirk Cousins was benched.

“Yeah, it’s very important,” Penix said. “Just knowing, just being able to go out there and get those games with full-speed reps. It instills confidence, knowing I can go out there and do the same thing that you saw in college and all my life. So, you know, just I would say biggest thing is confidence.”

The Falcons were 1-2 with Penix as the starter to finish 8-9 for their seventh consecutive losing season. Though the switch to the rookie didn’t produce a playoff berth, Penix said the experience was important for his 2025 outlook and his chemistry with the offense.

“So Week 1 this year won’t be the first time I’m on the field with the starters in a game-time situation,” Penix said. “I feel like that was good as well. So the guys around me as well know what they’re going to get out of me.”

Penix spoke with confidence when he was asked about the potential for an offense that returns running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts and an experienced offensive line.

“We should be the best in the league with the guys we’ve got around us,” Penix said. “We should be unstoppable. So that’s that’s our goal. We want to be No. 1 in all categories.”

Penix spent extra time throwing to Pitts and London this offseason and had Pitts on his mind when he spoke with reporters Thursday.

“You see we got KP the ball today,” Penix said to open the interview session. “There’s going to be a lot of that.”

Penix has the confidence of his teammates as the new leader of the offense.

“He’s just that guy and he goes out there and he does the same thing every day and that’s work hard,” London said, adding Penix “has a cannon” as a passer.

Old news

Cousins returns in a backup role after disclosing on the Netflix docuseries “Quarterback” that he played through pain in his right arm in the second half of the season, in part to avoid losing his job to Penix. Cousins threw eight interceptions with no touchdowns in a stretch of four straight losses following a 6-3 start and insisted through the streak he was healthy.

Morris said Thursday the comment by Cousins in the Netflix show was “kind of old news” and added “we addressed that when it was happening. … Nothing was a shocker.”

Cousins, 36, signed a four-year, $180 million contract last March that included $100 million guaranteed. General manager Terry Fontenot has said the team is comfortable with Cousins as the backup to Penix. Morris said in the offseason “we won’t hold him back if the opportunity presents himself” to be traded to a team looking for a starter.

Morris finds 2nd year more settling

Morris said “it feels more settling, more at ease” as he begins his second season as coach.

“I think it feels even more familiar than it had felt before,” he said. “Being back the second time, being back with the same people … I’ll come back with the entire offensive staff coming back.”

Health update

Morris said all players reported on Wednesday and all are on schedule to be available for the season. Some players, including linebacker Troy Anderson (knee), won’t be exposed to all contact at the start of camp. The team’s first practice in pads will be on Tuesday.

Right tackle Kaleb McGary showed off a new short haircut and said he is “all good” after having bone spurs removed from his ankle in an arthroscopic procedure.

Fans fire up Morris

Fans were invited to the opening practice, producing a long line at the gate surrounding the practice facility an hour before the session.

Morris said he is “really fired up about this team, really fired up about this organization, really fired up about the fan base.”

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Giants’ busy offseason got stamps of approval from standout young receiver Malik Nabers

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Like what the New York Giants did this offseason? Thank Malik Nabers.

No, the wide receiver coming off an impressive rookie year didn’t add co-general manager with Joe Schoen to his responsibilities. But Nabers did give coach Brian Daboll some input during a busy spring that included signing quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, trading up to take Jaxson Dart late in the first round and also drafting running back Cam Skattebo.

“I think Dabes did a great job of asking me questions about making moves, and me and him were in contact about moves to be made,” Nabers said. “That was a great job of him reaching out to the players about things that we were missing that we want.”

On defense, New York got a potential difference maker in edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick and filled some holes in the secondary in free agency by signing cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland. Daboll mentioned Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence among the other players he talks to about additions.

Nabers did not have much to say for the other side of the ball. Offensively, where the Giants ranked third-worst in the league last season, he was happy to share his thoughts.

“He was really telling me: ‘How do you like this decision? How do you like this decision?’” Nabers said. “He was able to ask me questions like that because he knew I was going to give great feedback. Having that as a head coach to come to a rookie player to decide on what decisions to be made with the team next year, I feel like it shows the confidence that he has in me, the confidence that the organization has in me and I’m hoping that we made some of the great decisions to be made.”

While Nabers turns 22 next week and is just one season into his professional career, having Daboll’s ear did not happen by accident. The two started building a relationship at their first training camp together last year when Nabers wasn’t shy about speaking up despite his lack of experience.

“He’s a smart player,” Daboll said. “I’m close with him. And I think those relationships with all your players are important — and particularly ones that play like Malik.”

Nabers caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns — from four different quarterbacks — as a rookie. Only one (now fourth-stringer Tommy DeVito) is back, with Wilson opening as the starter, Dart waiting in the wings and Winston around as a reliable backup.

After unsuccessful QB roulette played a role in a 3-14 season, receiver Darius Slayton said Wilson brings a measure of clarity to the Giants.

“He’s been playing football for a long time, so he knows what’s worked for him in his career,” said Slayton, who along with defensive tackle Lawrence are New York’s longest-tenured players dating to their arrival in 2019. “He knows what he likes, what he doesn’t like and that makes it really simple on all of us just to be able to get on the same page as him.”

More for Lawrence

The Giants rewarded Lawrence on Thursday by adding $3 million in incentives to his contract for this season, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the reworked deal had not been announced.

Lawrence at a salary of $17 million was the ninth-highest-paid player at his position. After the first practice of camp Wednesday, he brushed off wanting to get paid more.

“I’m just going handle my business,” Lawrence said. “I do what I do. It is going to take care of itself. Right now, I just want to win. I know if I do that and I keep being who I know I am, it is all going to take care of itself and that’s all I can do.”

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WHICH TEAM HAS THE BEST CHANCE TO GO FROM WORST TO FIRST IN NFL IN 2025?

A team going from worst to first in the division is nearly an annual occurrence in the NFL.

With last-place teams getting advantages like favorable schedules and higher draft picks, there have been 25 teams since the 2002 realignment that followed up a last-place finish with a division title the following year.

While no team pulled off the trick last season, it had happened least once in each of the previous four seasons. Perhaps no team is better positioned to do it this season than the San Francisco 49ers, who followed up a Super Bowl loss in the 2023 season with a 6-11 last-place finish in 2024.

The Niners were done in by a string of injuries to key players and now head into the 2025 season with the weakest projected schedule thanks in part to three games against fellow last-place teams Chicago, the New York Giants and Cleveland.

Here’s a look at the contenders based on their odds to finish first from BetMGM Sportsbook:

San Francisco 49ers

BetMGM odds to win division: +165.

Reason for optimism: The 49ers still have star power with players like Fred Warner, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams and one of the top offensive coaches in the game in Kyle Shanahan. With the last-place schedule and a rotation that includes eight games against the weaker South divisions, the Niners are favored to win the NFC West.

Reason for pessimism: San Francisco let several defensive starters leave in the offseason as part of a movement to get cheaper and younger. But if their rookie class can’t step in and contribute immediately, the defense could have some holes even with the return of coordinator Robert Saleh.

New England Patriots

BetMGM odds to win division: +475.

Reason for optimism: QB Drake Maye showed flashes as a rookie and should get a boost in Year 2 with a better coaching staff led by Mike Vrabel and coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Reason for pessimism: Maye still has very little support even after the offseason acquisitions of rookie lineman Will Campbell and veteran receiver Stefon Diggs.

Chicago Bears

BetMGM odds to win division: +550.

Reason for optimism: The Bears brought in the most highly sought after coaching candidate when Ben Johnson was hired after a strong run as offensive coordinator in Detroit. They also upgraded the interior of the offensive line by acquiring Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson in the offseason to help second-year QB Caleb Williams.

Reason for pessimism: Chicago is in a division with three returning playoff teams and has one of the more difficult schedules in the NFL. If Williams’ struggles as a rookie were more about holding onto the ball too long instead of the surrounding environment, the upgrades might not be enough.

Tennessee Titans

BetMGM odds to win division: +800.

Reason for optimism: Last year’s struggles delivered Tennessee the No. 1 overall pick. QB Cam Ward brings his playmaking ability to Tennessee and should be helped by an improved offensive line following the additions of Dan Moore and Kevin Zeitler and anticipated improvement from recent first-rounders JC Latham and Peter Skoronski.

Reason for pessimism: Ward doesn’t have a strong group of pass catchers even after the signing of veteran Tyler Lockett and Tennessee hasn’t done much to upgrade a defense that allowed 27.1 points per game last season.

New Orleans Saints

BetMGM odds to win division: +1,300.

Reason for optimism: The offense could get a boost if first-round tackle Kelvin Banks can step in immediately and receivers Chris Olave and Rasheed Shaheed are healthy.

Reason for pessimism: New Orleans has uncertainty at quarterback after Derek Carr’s retirement and is counting on either second-round rookie Tyler Shough or 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler to perform at a high enough level to compete.

Las Vegas Raiders

BetMGM odds to win division: +1,500.

Reason for optimism: Perhaps no team upgraded at quarterback and head coach as much as the Raiders with Pete Carroll replacing Antonio Pierce at coach and Geno Smith coming in at quarterback after a platoon of Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. The offense under new coordinator Chip Kelly could be intriguing with record-setting second-year tight end Brock Bowers and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.

Reason for pessimism: Las Vegas is in a division that had three playoff teams last season, making it a difficult proposition to climb too high in the standings. There are major questions in the secondary that could prove fatal in a division with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix.

New York Giants

BetMGM odds to win division: +2,800.

Reason for optimism: The Giants should have one of the top defensive lines with No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter joining Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. The return of left tackle Andrew Thomas after he missed 11 games last season should help boost the offense under new quarterback Russell Wilson.

Reason for pessimism: While Wilson may be an upgrade at quarterback, his play has fallen significantly since leaving Seattle following the 2021 season. New York traded up to draft Jaxson Dart in the first round but he might not be ready to take over as a rookie on a team that still has many holes on offense.

Cleveland Browns

BetMGM odds to win division: +3,000.

Reason for optimism: The Browns feature one of the game’s top defensive players in four-time All-Pro Myles Garrett after he got a new contract last season and Kevin Stefanski has won AP Coach of the Year twice in five seasons with Cleveland.

Reason for pessimism: Cleveland is still searching for a QB three years after trading for Deshaun Watson. Veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are all in the mix but none provide immediate hope for success.

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THERE ARE 5 FIRST-TIME NFL HEAD COACHES THIS SEASON AND THEY EACH FACE DISTINCT CHALLENGES

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Glenn has been mapping out exactly how he wants to lead an NFL team for a few years.

Before he was hired as the New York Jets’ head coach in January, Glenn spent four seasons as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator and was empowered by coach Dan Campbell to make some crucial calls for the team off the field.

“He allowed me to actually act in the position of being the head coach,” Glenn said. “To be able to do the calendar for the offseason, plan training camp out, be able to make decisions that he was supposed to make.

“But he allowed me to make those decisions to get me ready to be in this position.”

Glenn, a three-time Pro Bowl cornerback during a 15-year playing career, is charged with trying to turn around the fortunes of a Jets franchise that has the NFL’s longest playoff drought at 14 seasons.

He opened training camp this week as one of five first-time head coaches in the league, joining Jacksonville’s Liam Coen, Chicago’s Ben Johnson, New Orleans’ Kellen Moore and Dallas’ Brian Schottenheimer.

All five are long-time assistants who now each face distinct challenges and must balance the responsibilities of managing an entire roster and staff instead of focusing on one particular side of the football.

Aaron Glenn, Jets

Age: 53

Background: Jets’ first-round pick (No. 12 overall) in 1994 out of Texas A&M. Played eight seasons for New York before three with Houston, two with Dallas and one each with Jacksonville and New Orleans. After retiring from playing, Glenn served as the general manager of the Houston Stallions of the indoor Texas Lone Star Football League in 2012 before being hired as a personnel scout with the Jets later that year. He then had stints as an assistant with Cleveland, New Orleans and Detroit.

Task: He and new GM Darren Mougey focused on making the Jets’ roster younger, parting ways with veterans such as QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Davante Adams, LB C.J. Mosley, K Greg Zuerlein and P Thomas Morstead. Glenn, who considers his former coach Bill Parcells a mentor, spoke often during the offseason about changing the Jets’ culture. Ending their long postseason drought will help and there’s key foundational talent — WR Garrett Wilson, CB Sauce Gardner, RB Breece Hall, DT Quinnen Williams, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson — but the youth movement could temper some first-year expectations.

Liam Coen, Jaguars

Age: 39

Background: Played quarterback at UMass. Spent last season as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator before being hired by Jacksonville in January to replace the fired Doug Pederson. Coen had two stints with the Los Angeles Rams, including serving as Sean McVay’s offensive coordinator in 2022. He also had college stops as an assistant at Brown, Rhode Island, UMass, Maine and Kentucky.

Task: His awkward Jaguars intro — “Duuuval” — went viral, but Coen was hired for his offensive prowess after he helped Baker Mayfield to the best season of his career with the Buccaneers. Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, has not yet fully lived up to expectations and that will be the focus for Coen, who’ll call the plays, and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. Adding versatile No. 2 pick Travis Hunter to the offense (and defense) should help Lawrence and a franchise that has just one playoff appearance in the past seven seasons.

Ben Johnson, Bears

Age: 39

Background: A former backup QB at North Carolina, Johnson was Detroit’s offensive coordinator the past three years and helped Jared Goff and the Lions lead the league in scoring last season. Johnson’s path to the NFL began as an assistant at Boston College before seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He joined the Lions in 2019 as an offensive quality control coach and was retained by Campbell when he took over as coach in 2020, serving as the tight ends coach and then passing game coordinator before becoming the OC in 2022.

Task: The Bears drafted Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft and Chicago is hoping Johnson will be able to develop the quarterback into a playmaking star. Williams showed promise while starting all 17 games, throwing for a franchise rookie-record 3,541 yard with 20 touchdown passes and six interceptions, but his 68 sacks led the league. Getting Williams to get rid of the ball faster and improve on his accuracy should help, so should GM Ryan Poles’ trade acquisitions of guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson to bolster the offensive line.

Kellen Moore, Saints

Age: 37

Background: A former backup quarterback with Detroit and Dallas over six NFL seasons, Moore was long considered a head coaching candidate during his stops as an offensive coordinator with the Cowboys, Chargers and Eagles. In his only season in Philadelphia, he guided a high-scoring offense that powered the Eagles to the Super Bowl behind quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley.

Task: Moore doesn’t have the talent-rich roster he had last season. He also isn’t quite sure who his quarterback will be after Derek Carr unexpectedly retired in May with a shoulder injury. The Saints drafted Tyler Shough in the second round and also have Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, who each started games last season. The offense has some talent with WR Chris Olave and RB Alvin Kamara, but the defense needs to improve after allowing the second-most yards rushing in the NFL.

Brian Schottenheimer, Cowboys

Age: 51

Background: The son of the late Marty Schottenheimer was a bit of a surprise pick by Jerry Jones to replace Mike McCarthy as Dallas’ coach. But the younger Schottenheimer has a lengthy resume in both the pros and at the college level, with stints as an offensive coordinator with the Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams and Jets among them.

Task: Schottenheimer will need to build an even better rapport with quarterback Dak Prescott, who played in only eight games last season because of a hamstring injury. The coach also made some headlines during the offseason when he said Prescott is still “in the developmental phase” of his career and the team is tweaking some things with him. With Philadelphia still among the NFL’s elite teams and Washington one of the league’s most promising squads, Schottenheimer and the Cowboys will have a tough road to make the playoffs out of the NFC East. That’s despite Jones saying he’s ”excited about our team’s ability to compete right now.”

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DOLPHINS’ MATOS IN STABLE CONDITION, REMAINS IN HOSPITAL FOR OBSERVATION AFTER TRAINING CAMP INJURY

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Bayron Matos remained under observation at the Ryder Trauma Care Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital on Thursday, one day after he was transported there by helicopter from training camp with an undisclosed injury.

The Dolphins said in a statement that Matos “has movement in all extremities and is in stable condition,” but they did not provide any other details of his injury. The team also did not say how long Matos would be under the care of doctors.

“It’s a really heartbreaking part of the game,” fellow Dolphins offensive lineman Austin Jackson said of the injury, which occurred in the final minutes of Day 1 of training camp. “Very tough.”

The 24-year-old Matos was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and played his college football at New Mexico and South Florida. He was undrafted in 2024 and signed with the Dolphins as a free agent through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, an initiative that gives athletes from countries outside the U.S. a chance to play in the league.

Matos, who signed a reserve/future contract in January, had spent time with Miami’s practice squad over the past year.

Matos only started playing football a few years ago. He grew up playing baseball and basketball, and after moving to Tennessee for high school, popped up on the radar of hoops coaches. Matos wound up redshirting and playing one season for New Mexico before transferring to South Florida, where he continued playing basketball and walked onto the football team.

The 6-foot-7, 334-pound Matos started off as a defensive lineman and special teams player before switching to offensive line.

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CHARGERS RAVE ABOUT WIDEOUT MCCONKEY, WITH HARBAUGH SAYING HE’S ‘UNCOVERABLE’ 1 ON 1

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Wide receiver Ladd McConkey is making such an impression with the Los Angeles Chargers that coach Jim Harbaugh says he’s “uncoverable” one on one and linebacker Daiyan Henley is still arguing about a catch the second-year pro made in workouts a month ago.

McConkey is coming off a sensational season in which he set team rookie records with 82 catches and 1,149 yards receiving, while scoring seven touchdowns.

Everyone is expecting more from McConkey — except for maybe Henley during their friendly practice rivalry — as he and quarterback Justin Herbert continue to develop the chemistry that has made them one of the NFL’s top pass-and-catch duos.

Harbaugh, who brought the Chargers to their former hometown for two days of training camp practices this week, said fellow receiver Quentin Johnston and Ladd are “playing at an elite level.”

Then he added about McConkey: “Ladd, he’s even better than he was last year. It’s not like hyperbole. It’s not. He’s uncoverable right now by one guy. That’s awesome.”

McConkey let out a little chuckle when asked about Harbaugh’s comment.

“I don’t know about that,” McConkey said Wednesday at the University of San Diego, where Harbaugh began his head coaching career in 2004. “Obviously, as receivers, like yeah, we’re striving for that. But other guys, they’re getting paid on the other side of the ball, too. You’re going to win some and lose some. Hopefully I win more than I lose.

“It’s obviously a great feeling knowing he has confidence in me,” said McConkey, a second-round draft pick out of Georgia in 2024. “You go out there and make plays, he believes in me, go out and show him what I’m about.”

After completing 332 of 504 passes for 3,870 yards and 23 touchdowns last year, Herbert has the most completions (1,945) and yards passing (21,093) by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history.

Herbert said McConkey is “the perfect combination of athleticism and intelligence. The way he understands the game of football and how he sees defenses, I think that’s what makes him like that. he’s just got a great understanding of how people are going to try to guard him and where the leverage is and just the way to break it. He’s done such a great job with the quarterbacks, just being friendly and always being in the right spot, so it’s been huge to see.”

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said the Chargers are “hoping for a long, long fruitful career for Ladd,” and his relationship with Herbert will be a big part of it.

“I think we’re seeing that right now. It takes two to tango and those guys getting more time on task together, more chemistry, ‘Hey, if you see this, I want you to hook up here and I’ll put it on your inside shoulder,’ those types of things, those next-level type things,” Roman said.

The coordinator said there were a few times during the first four games last year where McConkey “wasn’t perfect at all. We had to correct some things, a couple plays in particular. He learned from it and it never happened again. He got that and he moved on and he kept climbing the ladder and you saw that chemistry grow.”

McConkey said there’s plenty to work on despite his success last year, including running better routes.

“When I go back and watch games, I want to just eat myself up over it because there are so many plays we left out there last year that we’ve been working on throughout this offseason,” he said. “There’s so much more to gain and we’re going to continue to try and build on that and hopefully it takes off as the season goes.”

During workouts last month at the team’s base in El Segundo, McConkey did a quick curl route in the end zone. Herbert threw it low and Henley, heading into his third year, went down with the receiver. Harbaugh signaled touchdown, but Henley still disputes that.

Henley was asked about a sack during practice on Wednesday and immediately pivoted to last month’s disputed pass play.

“I watched the playback. I hope you watched the playback. The ball hit the ground. OK, well I’ve got the tape. You know how you guys are, offense, offense, offense.”

Asked about the rivalry with Henley, McConkey said: “He hasn’t come over there for one-on-ones yet, so still waiting on that one. It’s all fun and games. Obviously, Daiyan’s a heck of a player. but if we line up one on one, I like my chances.”

The Chargers played in San Diego for 56 seasons before moving to Los Angeles in 2017 after failing to secure a deal for a new stadium. They pay $1 a year to play at SoFi Stadium, built by Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

The Chargers were 11-6 last year before losing at Houston in the wild card round.

Tickets for Tuesday’s practice were distributed to active-duty military and veterans, and Wednesday’s tickets went to season ticket holders. Neither day’s crowds came close to filling 6,500-seat Torero Stadium.

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SEEKING TO LEARN, PUKA NACUA ASKS DAVANTE ADAMS TO LEAD THE LA RAMS’ RECEIVING DRILLS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although Puka Nacua is one of the NFL’s top receivers as he heads into his third season with the Los Angeles Rams, he thinks he still has plenty to learn from the new teammate wearing his old uniform number.

Nacua was full of praise and admiration for Davante Adams after just one practice in training camp at Loyola Marymount University on Wednesday. Nacua is determined to soak up the techniques and teachings of the six-time Pro Bowl selection who joined the Rams as a replacement for Cooper Kupp in the spring.

“I’ve asked Davante to lead our position group drills,” Nacua said. “There was respect from him coming in, saying, ‘I don’t want to push you out of the way, or to try to take your spot,’ or that I should be up there No. 1, but it’s something (where) I have a huge amount of respect for his game, and I’m blessed to be around people like Coop, and to have Davante come in.”

There’s also a practical reason for Nacua’s invitation to Adams: “When I was in the front, I’m trying to sprint as fast as I can so I can turn around and watch him. So I was like, ‘Hey, I think it would make my job a little easier if you go first.’”

Nacua’s respect for Adams has been obvious from the day Adams signed. Nacua willingly ceded the No. 17 jersey he had worn for two seasons in Los Angeles, switching to the No. 12 he wore in college.

Adams got the ball frequently during the Rams’ opening workout, impressing the fans in the stands while catching passes from Jimmy Garoppolo. Matthew Stafford is starting training camp on the sidelines as he recovers from back soreness, leaving Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett in the pocket for the first week.

Nacua was observing Adams with admiration, watching everything from his famous release skills at the line of scrimmage to his ball concentration in traffic.

“His illusion of speed and lateral quickness is something I’m trying to add to my game in the way that it fits my skill set,” Nacua said. “I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of people that can replicate some of the things that he can do, but I try to understand the movement so I can add it to my game.”

But Adams also recognizes the remarkable ascent of Nacua, the former fifth-round pick. Nacua’s average of 88.4 yards receiving per game is the second-best in NFL history among non-scab players, trailing only Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (96.5).

Nacua has 184 catches for 2,476 yards in just 28 regular-season games for the Rams, but he could be even more dangerous with Adams as his counterpart. Defenses will be unable to focus primarily on Nacua, as they did at times in his first two seasons when Kupp was injured or ineffective, likely allowing Nacua to get into more advantageous matchups for Stafford.

The big picture looks good for Nacua, but he’s also concentrating on learning the small details from Adams, whose skills he can list in encyclopedic detail.

“I’d say his body control, and obviously his elusiveness at the line of scrimmage,” Nacua said. “But then his awareness, the rotation of defenders and how to attack leverage on anyone, everything down the field, and then to have the illusion of going the opposite direction of where you want to go. He does a great job, and he explains it so well in the meeting room, so it makes it fun to watch tape and to be like, ‘OK, how can I add some of these things to my toolbox?’”

Nacua is one year away from the chance to sign a contract extension, but he isn’t thinking much about the massive looming payday if he produces another prolific season with Stafford and Adams.

“A little bit, but I try my best to stay completely present where my feet are,” Nacua said. “It’s exciting to see guys push the envelope for the wide receiver game.”

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GENO SMITH AIMS TO BRING STABILITY AND FIREPOWER TO RAIDERS’ STRUGGLING OFFENSE

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Raiders have been searching at quarterback since a messy divorce late in the 2022 season ended Derek Carr’s nine-year reign.

And even Carr’s tenure came up short of expectations with the team making the playoffs just twice.

Now the Raiders are counting on veteran Geno Smith to provide much-needed stability and add punch to an offense among the NFL’s worst last season. But, he isn’t expected to do it by himself in Las Vegas.

He has two potentially dynamic offensive weapons in tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty, as well as wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who comes off his first 1,000-yard season. All three are 28 and younger, and Smith is closing in on 35 as he enters his 12th season.

“In this league, every day you got to prove yourself, not only to your guys but to the rest of the league,” Smith said. “So for me, when you’re coming to a new team, you got to set the standard, set the example, and it’s through hard work. I wanted to make sure that my guys know that I was going to be here 100% of the time, going to put all the work in, going to maximize our resources and just really put our best foot forward.

“I’m not a big talker. I just want guys to kind of follow me through example, and I just try to push myself, push the guys and let the rest handle itself.”

It may be a new city and a new group of teammates for Smith, but there is a sense of familiarity as he goes back to work for coach Pete Carroll. His career was in limbo when Carroll signed him in 2019 to join Seattle.

He became the starter in 2022 and led the NFL that season by completing 69.8% of his passes while throwing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He was named the AP Comeback Player of the Year, and the Seahawks had winning records in all three seasons with Smith at the controls.

Smith threw for 4,320 yards and 21 touchdowns with 15 interceptions last season, but he failed to reach an agreement to stay in Seattle. The Raiders acquired him in a March 7 trade in which they sent back a third-round draft pick.

The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback then signed a two-year, $75 million extension that takes him through the 2027 season. Smith said at his introductory news conference that he had “unfinished business,” given the way his time ended in Seattle.

“He’s such an all-in guy that there’s no question what his commitment is and his conviction, and so that just helps the message (get) embedded even more so,” Carroll said. “It’s why he’s so valuable to us.”

Smith is a major reason why the Raiders have genuine hope they can improve an offense that last season ranked 29th in scoring and 27th in yardage.

Having Bowers and Jeanty in the lineup are two other notable reasons for such optimism.

Bowers was second in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting last season to Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels. Bowers set an NFL rookie record with 112 catches for a first-year mark for a tight end with 1,194 yards receiving and was named to the AP All-Pro team.

“He’s one of the better tight ends in the NFL,” Smith said. “I can’t give him the ball enough. I feel bad every time I don’t throw him the ball. So I’m just trying to make sure that I’m maximizing his ability, his talent, because that’s going to help our team.”

Jeanty is expected to be the Raiders’ next Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, and in fact is the favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Las Vegas took him sixth in this year’s draft after Jeanty led the nation with 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns rushing to finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

“Ashton is a smooth running back out of the backfield,” Smith said. “We’ve seen what he can do against contact and breaking tackles. The thing that’s really impressing me is his ability to catch out of the backfield. He’s a real natural in that aspect.”

The NFL, in the end, is a quarterback-driven league, and the onus ultimately will be on Smith to make all the pieces work in Chip Kelly’s offense.

The Raiders have been searching for such a quarterback. Maybe Smith is the answer.

“Geno is a hell of a quarterback,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “He’s another guy that gets slept on for some reason, but Geno can play and he’s super competitive. Getting to see him and go against him every single day has been an awesome experience so far.”

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PACKERS TURN BACK TO 1923 FOR CLASSIC ALTERNATE UNIFORM IN 2025

The Green Bay Packers have joined a host of teams introducing new uniforms for the 2025 season.

On Thursday, the club debuted its “1923 Classic” uniform, highlighted by a leather-look, hand-painted helmet.

Harkening back to the roaring ’20s, the uniform features navy jerseys with dark gold numbers and stripes, tan pants and navy socks.

The 1923 season marked a turning point for the Packers. That year followed the first Green Bay stock sale, a pioneering move that made the team publicly owned. This financial boost enabled the club, which had previously relied on players buying their own gear, to issue matching navy-blue jerseys for the first time.

For the first time in NFL history, a team will don a hand-painted helmet designed to emulate the vintage leather look of bygone years. Per the club, the helmets feature realistic distressing and hand-decorated leather strap and stitching effects, with a navy face mask completing the look.

The team has yet to announce the dates that Green Bay will wear the navy jerseys.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS: NICO IAMALEAVA WANTS UCLA VYING FOR TITLES

Nico Iamaleava spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since his April transfer saga and claimed money was not his primary motivator for leaving Tennessee for UCLA.

Closing out Big Ten media days in Las Vegas, the quarterback also shared some lofty goals for a Bruins football program that has not been nationally relevant in many, many years.

“Family was the biggest thing to me,” Iamaleava said after calling the decision to leave Tennessee one of the hardest of his life.

“A lot of things about finance and stuff, it was never that. It was me getting back home closer to my family and playing at the highest level with my family’s support. In our Samoan culture, we’re always together and that was a very important thing for me.”

As a highly touted high school recruit, Iamaleava had signed a name, image and likeness deal with Tennessee’s collective that reportedly paid him $2.4 million per year. After his first season as the Volunteers’ starter in 2024, it was widely reported that Iamaleava’s representatives went to Tennessee seeking a raise to $4 million — and threatened Iamaleava would hold out otherwise.

When Iamaleava skipped practice and team meetings April 11, the day before the Volunteers’ spring game, it prompted coach Josh Heupel to part ways with the QB.

Iamaleava is from Long Beach, Calif., so transferring to UCLA did indeed bring him closer to home. It also offered the Bruins an upgrade at the position following a 5-7 campaign.

“We’re just excited to have a playoff quarterback, somebody that was able to lead his team to the playoffs,” UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said. “… (With Iamaleava) being able to come back home and be comfortable and being in a familiar environment, I think the sky is the limit. We’re excited about this.”

Iamaleava called himself “a big-time winner” and had big designs on what he wanted to accomplish at UCLA, whose only national title came in 1954.

“The main thing for me is to bring a championship culture back to Westwood. … I want to win games,” he said. “And that’s our main thing. Our main goals for this year is to bring championships back to Westwood.”

–Lincoln Riley wants Notre Dame rivalry game to continue

When Lincoln Riley got confirmation that he would be hired as the head coach at Oklahoma, his first thought was that he’d get to coach in the Red River Rivalry against Texas.

Now the coach at Southern California, Riley said Thursday that he had a similar moment when he accepted the Trojans’ job offer in late 2021.

“My first thought was, I get to coach in USC-Notre Dame. The first thought,” Riley said.

“So the rivalry — all these rivalries mean a great deal to me. They mean a great deal to anybody who cares about college football. Yes, I mean, do I want to play the game? Hell yeah, I want to play the game. Absolutely. It’s one of the reasons I came here. All right?”

Riley’s defense of the USC-Notre Dame rivalry is only newsworthy because of the game’s uncertain future.

It is only scheduled through 2026, and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua told Sports Illustrated back in May that the Fighting Irish want the series to continue. A USC associate athletic director shot back that his school had already offered to extend their agreement.

The ever-evolving College Football Playoff format, however, could be a reason USC does not want to face Notre Dame near the end of the season.

“I think depending on what happens here from a playoff perspective and do we expand, what model do we go to, that’s certainly going to have an impact,” Riley said. “Not only in the rivalry, but what time of year potentially that you would play it.”

–Michigan defensive end takes jab at Ohio State’s national title

Michigan defensive end Derrick Moore issued a barb toward Ohio State by claiming the Buckeyes’ national championship can’t be considered “real” since they didn’t win The Game first.

Ohio State appeared on shaky ground at the end of the 2024 regular season when unranked Michigan came into Columbus and won the annual rivalry game 13-10, knocking the Buckeyes out of the running for the Big Ten title game. It was Michigan’s fourth straight win in the series.

“First, I’ll congratulate them on the win, but you know it’s not no real win if y’all ain’t beat us,” Moore said Thursday. “But I’m going to congratulate them on that win, but this year it’s going to be different.”

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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

MLB ROUNDUP: ORIOLES AVERT 4-GAME SWEEP IN CLEVELAND

Alex Jackson scored on Gunnar Henderson’s two-out single in the seventh inning, providing the decisive run for the visiting Baltimore Orioles in a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday.

Henderson delivered against Erik Sabrowski as Baltimore avoided a four-game sweep to the surging Guardians. Cleveland has won 11 of its 14 contests since July 7.

The Orioles’ Ramon Laureano hit his third home run of the series, a two-run shot in the first inning, and Ramon Urias added an RBI double. Charlie Morton (6-8) allowed three runs and five hits over 6 2/3 innings. Gregory Soto tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his first save.

The Guardians’ Steven Kwan recorded his first career two-homer game, clearing the wall in right field in the third and fifth innings. Logan Allen (6-9) gave up four runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Blue Jays 11, Tigers 4

Ernie Clement’s four-RBI game included a three-run homer during a five-run, sixth-inning outburst, and visiting Toronto blasted slumping Detroit. Nathan Lukes had a double and two-run homer in the opener of a four-game series between the division leaders.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. supplied three hits, two runs and two RBIs for the Blue Jays. Addison Barger also drove in two runs, while Joey Loperfido added a solo homer. Eric Lauer (6-2) limited the Tigers to one run and five hits in eight innings as Toronto won for the sixth time in seven games since the All-Star break.

Jahmai Jones and Spencer Torkelson homered for the Tigers, who have lost 10 of their last 11 games. Reese Olson (4-4) was charged with five runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Cardinals 9, Padres 7

Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras hit three-run homers to power St. Louis past visiting San Diego.

Ivan Herrera was 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs and two RBIs for the Cardinals, who won for just the second time in seven games since the All-Star break. Cardinals starter Sonny Gray (10-4) allowed seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits in five innings. Ryan Helsley logged his 20th save.

Manny Machado went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer for the Padres, who lost for the third time in four games. Fernando Tatis Jr. went 3-for-5 with a homer and two runs. Yu Darvish (0-3) allowed eight runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Athletics 5, Astros 2

Rookie Nick Kurtz recorded his fourth career three-hit game while Luis Severino carried a shutout into the seventh inning as the visiting Athletics defeated Houston.

The A’s opened the four-game series by banging out 12 hits, as Gio Urshela went 3-for-4 and Luis Urias homered and singled. Severino (4-11) permitted two runs on four hits in seven innings.

Taylor Trammell collected three hits for the Astros. Jason Alexander (1-1) yielded five runs on 11 hits in six innings.

REPORTS: MARINERS ACQUIRE 1B JOSH NAYLOR FROM D-BACKS

The Seattle Mariners acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks, multiple media outlets reported on Thursday.

Although the news was not yet confirmed by the teams, reports indicated that the Mariners would send left-handed pitcher Brandyn Garcia and right-hander Ashton Izzi to Arizona.

After being traded from the Cleveland Guardians during the offseason with one year left on his contract, Naylor batted .292 with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs in 93 games for the Diamondbacks.

He is a career .267 hitter with 95 homers and 402 RBIs across seven major league seasons, including stops with the San Diego Padres (2019-20), Cleveland (2020-24) and Arizona (2025).

Garcia, Seattle’s No. 13 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline, made his big-league debut on Monday. In two games as a reliever for the Mariners, he logged two innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with a strikeout and three walks.

Garcia, 25, made a combined 32 appearances in Double-A and Triple-A this year, going 5-4 with five saves and a 3.51 ERA.

Izzi, the Mariners’ 16th-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, has spent the season with high Class-A Everett. In 12 games, all starts, the 21-year-old went 2-4 with a 5.51 ERA and 54 strikeouts over 47 1/3 innings.

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WNBA NEWS

SKYLAR DIGGINS RETURNS AND NETS 21 AS STORM OVERWHELM SKY

Skylar Diggins scored a game-high 21 points and Dominique Malonga had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Seattle Storm routed the Chicago Sky 95-57 on Thursday.

Playing the opener of a three-game trip, Seattle (15-10) won for the third time in its past four road games. The Storm shot 53.6 percent while collecting 25 assists on 37 made field goals.

Six players finished in double figures for the Storm. Erica Wheeler scored 13 points, Lexie Brown added 12 and Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams chipped in 10 apiece. Williams contributed seven assists while Malonga had 10 boards.

The Storm led by as many as 39 points.

Short-handed Chicago (7-17) lost its fourth straight game to match a season high. The Sky were without leading scorer Ariel Atkins (leg) as well as Angel Reese (back), who is tops on the team in rebounds and assists. Occasional starter Michaela Onyenwere (knee) also missed the game due to injury.

Kamilla Cardoso notched a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago, while Rachel Banham (13 points) and Elizabeth Williams (11) also scored in double figures.

The Sky slumped to 33.9 percent shooting, including a 4-for-21 effort from long range, and committed 20 turnovers. Chicago endured a field-goal drought of 8:29 spanning a Cardoso putback midway through the second quarter and a Banham trey with 7:21 to play in the third.

Hailey Van Lith had eight points and five assists for the Sky.

Seattle coasted to a 39-26 advantage at the break behind a 12-point effort from Diggins, who returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s home loss to Dallas due to personal reasons. The Storm shot 38.5 percent in the first half while forcing the Sky into 12 turnovers.

Cardoso had nine points and 10 rebounds at the break.

The Storm will aim to take the season series from the Sky when Chicago hosts Seattle on Aug. 19.

The Sky have lost by an average of 27.8 points during their current skid.

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SPARKS DOWN SUN AGAIN, EXTEND WIN STREAK TO 4

Kelsey Plum scored 30 points and Dearica Hambry added 20 to go along with 11 rebounds, lifting the Los Angeles Sparks to a 101-86 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday night in Uncasville, Conn.

Plum’s point total was her highest since she erupted for 37 in Los Angeles’ 84-67 win over the Golden State Valkyries on May 16.

Plum made 10 of 15 shots from the floor on Thursday and Hamby sank all but one of her nine attempts for the Sparks (10-14), who defeated the Sun (3-20) for the second time during their season-high four-game winning streak.

Plum scored a team-high 23 points and Hambry added 17 to go along with seven rebounds in Los Angeles’ 92-88 home victory over Connecticut on July 13.

Azura Stevens sank 4 of 7 attempts from 3-point range on Thursday to highlight her 17-point, eight-rebound performance.

The Sparks shot 52.4 percent from the floor and enjoyed a 42-32 edge in points in the paint to send the Sun to their fourth loss in a row and 14th in their last 15 games.

Connecticut’s Tina Charles collected 24 points and 10 rebounds while Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 17 points and Bria Hartley added 16.

Marina Mabrey scored seven points on 2-of-12 shooting off the bench for the Sun in her return from a nine-game absence due to an ankle injury.

The Sparks were nursing a slim one-point lead at halftime before scoring 19 of the first 29 points of the third quarter to take a 64-54 advantage. Plum exploited the interior for a trio of baskets to go along with three free throws during that stretch.

The Sun trimmed their deficit to seven points early in the fourth quarter, however the Sparks steadily increased their lead to 18 at 90-72 after Plum sandwiched two 3-pointers around two free throws.

The outcome was never in doubt the rest of the way.

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GOLF NEWS

STEVEN ALKER (63) OUT IN FRONT AT SENIOR OPEN

Steven Alker of New Zealand sits atop the leaderboard at the ISPS Handa Senior Open thanks to an opening round of 7-under-par 63 on Thursday at Sunningdale in Berkshire, England.

Alker was buoyed by a 5-under 30 on the back nine that featured an eagle at the par-5 14th hole. He leads Australian Mark Hensby by one stroke.

“I was just efficient today,” Alker said. “Drove it in the fairway when I needed to and iron play was solid and just made some putts, especially on the back nine, just kind of kept things rolling.”

One of the best senior players since joining the PGA Tour Champions in 2021, Alker has collected nine wins (including the Cologuard Classic in March) and two Charles Schwab Cups on the 50-and-older tour, but he’d like to add to his majors count. So far, he has won only the Senior PGA Championship in 2022.

“It’s hard at our age just to keep it up and maintain our bodies, but just across the board, I probably don’t practice as much as I used to,” Alker said of his consistency. “I don’t grind as much but I might spend more time on the body. Just try and balance everything and keep it in shape.”

Hensby’s only senior victory to date was at the 2023 Invited Celebrity Classic. Now he’s in contention for his first major, thanks to a white-hot start — five straight birdies at the first five holes.

“I was hitting it really close. Like I said the first three holes I wasn’t outside three feet,” Hensby said.

Joe Durant and South Korea’s K.J. Choi, the defending champion, are tied for third at 4-under 66. A host of players are knotted at 3-under 67, including Irishman Padraig Harrington, Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ernie Els and Retief Goosen of South Africa.

Jimenez and Harrington won the past two majors — Jimenez at the Kaulig Companies Championship, Harrington the next week at the U.S. Senior Open.

Harrington was befuddled by his round, in which he was even par through 12 holes, birdied Nos. 13-15 and No. 17, then bogeyed the last.

“I played lovely at the start and struggled to score well,” he explained. “I had a really bad three-putt early on and took three from the edge of the green. Then on the back nine, I didn’t play so well and scored great. I chipped in on 13. Holed a nice putt on the two par 3s.

“Yeah, disappointing to three-putt the last.”

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ADAM SVENSSON FIRES 60 TO SET COURSE RECORD AT 3M OPEN

Adam Svensson of Canada eagled the final hole at TPC Twin Cities to shoot a course-record 60 and take the first-round lead at the 3M Open on Thursday in Blaine, Minn.

Svensson was already working on a sterling round, with nine birdies and no bogeys through 17 holes. He reached the green at the par-5 18th hole in two shots and had two putts to break the course record.

He only needed one.

Svensson’s uphill eagle attempt from just more than 48 feet hit the flagstick and dropped for an eagle, finishing an 11-under round with matching 30s on both nines.

“I just didn’t want to leave it short,” Svensson said. “It was carrying a little bit of speed and (caddie Jace Walker) gave me a good line and it just happened to go in.”

It was a round few would have predicted. Svensson, who won the 2022 RSM Classic, has plummeted to 234th in the Official World Golf Ranking while missing 11 of his first 21 cuts in 2025. That includes his two most recent starts entering this week and four of his past five.

But Svensson could feel a memorable round incoming after what he described as a great range session before his tee time.

“Just really putted amazing,” Svensson added. “I made a bunch of breakers. It was probably my best putting round I ever had, so I’m pretty happy.”

He broke the previous course record of 62 originally set by Scott Piercy in 2019, and matched by Sam Stevens’ round that was completed just a few groups ahead of Svensson on Thursday.

Stevens is tied for second at 9 under with Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen.

Stevens was on 59 watch when he reached 10 under through 16 holes. He narrowly missed a birdie putt on the 17th hole and then put his approach on 18 in the water. Stevens had to settle for a 62 after closing with a bogey.

“I had a good drive and I probably made the decision trying to shoot 59 because I was in between — I have a pretty big gap between my 3-iron and my 3-wood, and I hit a terrible shot,” Stevens said. “But I thought if I hit a 3-wood, it was just going to fly to the back of the green, and I kind of had to hit a 3-iron perfect to even cover the water. But I figured that was my best chance to shoot 59, so I gave it a go.

“Didn’t hit a good shot, but made a nice up-and-down for 6, so I guess that’s a positive. Yeah, not the best way to finish the round, but gave it a crack.”

Chris Gotterup continued his hot streak after winning the Genesis Scottish Open and placing third in his debut at the Open Championship. Gotterup fired a bogey-free, 8-under 63 and was tied for fourth with Chad Ramey and Germany’s Matti Schmid.

“Someone asked me last week if you’ve ever been on a heater, and I said I guess this is kind of my first one,” Gotterup said. “Yeah, you know, I’m just going to try to ride it out as long as I can.”

Jake Knapp, Chris Kirk, Zac Blair and Brendan Valdes were tied at 7-under 64. Rickie Fowler was among those to shoot a 65, as he turned in a card with six birdies and no bogeys.

“A lot of good swings, a couple loose ones, but I’m definitely happy about (his round),” Fowler said. “Obviously, playing fairly easy out there with the soft conditions. Svensson put together a nice round. It was definitely out there, a lot of birdies to be made, but at the same time there’s a few holes that you have to keep your guard up in a way and make sure you execute.”

Fowler is searching for a jolt as the regular season winds down, as is Max Homa, a former top-five player in the world currently outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings. Homa opened with a 5-under 66.

Defending champion Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela posted a 3-under 68, and 2022 champ Tony Finau shot a 2-under 69.

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CHARLOTTE LAFFAR RIDES ‘AMAZING’ FIRST ROUND TO WOMEN’S SCOTTISH LEAD

World No. 1,184 Charlotte Laffar is the surprise name atop the leaderboard after the first round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open on Thursday in Gailes, Scotland.

The 32-year-old Englishwoman has six career top-10 finishes and zero wins on the Ladies European Tour, and she took a four-year break from competitive golf to have her sons, Freddie and Oscar.

That mattered little Thursday at Dundonald Links, as Laffar sank eight birdies in a 6-under-par 66 to set the early pace. She’s one stroke ahead of a five-way tie for second, which features established Irishwoman Leona Maguire and rising star Lottie Woad of England.

“It was an amazing day,” Laffar said. “Started (with) a bogey actually, but sometimes it goes that way. You relax into it. I holed some great putts and I hit my driver the best I’ve hit it for a long, long time.”

Laffar was asked if she was surprised to have such a start to the prestigious tournament, which features stars from both the LPGA Tour and Europe.

“Yes and no, really. I’ve got no pressure at all,” Laffar said. “Golf is a lot of people’s lives out here, but my children are my life. So this has become more of a working hobby I suppose you could say. I’ve just got to enjoy every moment.”

Woad nearly had a 66 of her own, but she made her only bogey at the par-4 17th hole to slip back to 5 under.

Woad, 21, was the No. 1 amateur in the world and turned pro earlier this month in order to accept membership on the LPGA Tour. This marks her first professional event, and it comes after a six-shot win at the Women’s Irish Open and a tie for third at the Evian Championship, the major held in France.

“It didn’t feel too different today,” said Woad, who reached 16 of 18 greens in regulation. “I think having all the experience I’ve had in majors and contending gave me all I needed and didn’t really have to change much.”

Maguire is familiar with life atop the amateur rankings, as she set the record for most weeks as the No. 1-ranked woman. Now she has three wins between the LPGA and LET, but she’s slipped to No. 74 in the world rankings amid a tough year.

But Maguire eagled her first hole Thursday on her way to a bogey-free round.

“Couldn’t really ask for a better start,” Maguire said. “Holed out with a 9-iron on 10, our first hole today in pretty much perfect conditions for most of the front nine. Tried to take advantage of that as much as I could.”

Tied with Woad and Maguire at 5-under 67 are Japan’s Rio Takeda, Spaniard Nuria Iturrioz and Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol.

A 10-woman logjam at 4-under 68 features World No. 1 Nelly Korda and recent major champion Minjee Lee of Australia. Korda recorded seven birdies to more than make up for three bogeys and place her in contention.

“It’s softer compared to the links that I typically played,” Korda said of Dundonald Links. “But it gets windy out here. I played Monday where it was no wind. I played this morning where there was no wind but all of a sudden, it’s a flip of a switch and it gets so windy out here and makes it very difficult.”

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TOP INDIANA HEADLINES/PRESS RELEASES

INDIANA FEVER

MITCHELL, HOWARD SPEARHEAD EFFORT OVER ACES

The Indiana Fever came into Thursday’s matchup with the Las Vegas Aces at a sprint. The second half of the WNBA season isn’t a time to work out kinks or have patience finding a groove. It’s an all-out sprint to the finish line, a race at breakneck pace to finish in the best possible position come playoff time.

“It’s a gut check game every game,” Kelsey Mitchell said after the Fever fell to the Liberty on Tuesday. “I think everybody’s trying to make the playoffs or everybody’s trying to be a contender for something. And I think it all comes down to who’s going to be tougher. Who’s going to be the tougher team for 40 minutes?

“And if we want to be that, we’re going to have to keep going through these kinds of things to be that. But we can’t keep taking steps back…[there] ain’t no more room for error.”

Indiana carried an urgent mentality into Thursday’s matchup with the Aces – a desire to dominate the margins. Their physicality, defense, and drive staunched the Aces attack throughout the first quarter, earning a tie going into the second. The defense faltered in the second period as the Fever ceded 23 points to Las Vegas and entered the halftime break down by six, 41-35.

The main themes for the Fever throughout the season consistently orbit around defense. Indiana goes as its defense goes, and good defense bleeds into good outcomes on the offensive end of the floor.

Natasha Howard sat to Mitchell’s right during Tuesday’s postgame media session and nodded in agreement as Mitchell emphasized just how critical Indiana’s sense of urgency is as they navigate the back stretch of the season.

Howard executed that in Thursday’s game, starting with defense.

“Our defense got our offense going,” Howard said on Thursday. “That’s how we make games like that. We don’t rely on our offense a lot. We rely on our defense…When our defense is going, our offense is going.”

Howard scored 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting for the Fever as they defeated the Aces, 80-70. She grabbed 13 rebounds and three steals, leading the team in both of those respective categories.

Mitchell made good on her word, too, as she fought through a tough shooting night to bring Indiana across the finish line in the fourth quarter. She scored nine of her 21 points in the final frame, and made four of her five final field goal attempts after starting the game 4-for-19.

Mitchell also recorded four assists – tying Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald for the team-high mark – as she leaned into her playmaking amid shooting struggles. She demonstrated the critical mental toughness she described after Tuesday’s loss in Thursday’s win, and led the Fever to a crucial win over the Aces.

Indiana took the second quarter lapses and turned them upside down in the third and fourth periods – the Fever held Las Vegas to just 29 points in the second half as they stormed ahead to score 45 of their own.

Despite a season riddled with rotational inconsistency, the Fever are finally finding a groove among Caitlin Clark’s indefinite absence. Indiana demonstrated a confidence on Thursday to go out and get the job done regardless, and Howard and Mitchell spearheaded that with their dominant play.

“If we have Caitlin, great,” Sophie Cunningham said. “And we know how to play with her. If we don’t have Caitlin, great, we know how to play without her. And I think that’s just so important. It gives people confidence that when she is back, they know their role. And when she’s not, they have the confidence to come out there and make big plays for us.”

It was that confidence that allowed McDonald to let the dagger 3-pointer fly with 35 seconds on the game clock and the Fever up by just five points. Her shot sealed a massive win for the Fever, who clinched the season series with the Aces after their win on Thursday.

Indiana looks to carry that momentum into the back half of the season, but looks to Chicago on Sunday first.

“We have to just understand the urgency and attention to detail that it takes,” coach Stephanie White said of the mentality needed to maintain consistency on the floor. “We don’t have the luxury of having breakdowns, of having lapses. We have to understand the sense of urgency that it takes with each possession. One possession can change a ball game, and we’ve got to understand and value that.”

The Fever play the Sky on the road on Sunday before returning to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, July 30, to match up with the Phoenix Mercury.

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INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

CHANDLER’S STRONG START LEADS INDIANS TO 3-2 WIN OVER TOLEDO

INDIANAPOLIS – Billy Cook’s RBI groundout paired with Ji Hwan Bae’s heads up baserunning in the third inning pushed the Indianapolis Indians to a 3-2 win over the Toledo Mud Hens on Thursday night at Victory Field. Indy improved to 21-7 in one-run games on the campaign.

Cook brought home the winning run for the Indians (17-7, 59-39) in the third frame when a potential double play ball was hit to third base. The Mud Hens (12-12, 51-48) recorded a force out at second base to retire Nick Solak, with Cook beating out the throw to first to keep the inning alive. Running from second base, Bae did not break stride on the play and took two bases to score for a 3-0 advantage.

Jared Triolo opened the scoring for Indianapolis in the second inning, launching his second home run of the season 413 feet to center field for a 1-0 lead.

The Indians then tacked on two runs in the third frame, with the rally starting on a walk by Ronny Simon. With Bae at the plate, Simon stole second and third base. On a successful steal of third, Mud Hens catcher Tomás Nido threw the ball away into left field, scoring Simon on the error. Bae walked, stole second base and subsequently scored on Cook’s groundout.

Toledo picked up a pair of runs in the sixth inning when Akil Baddoo got things started with a single and Hao-Yu Lee tripled him home to cut the deficit, 3-1. Jace Jung then hit a sacrifice fly to plate Lee for their second run of the inning.

Bubba Chandler (W, 5-3) led the charge for the Indy pitching staff as he tossed 5.2 innings of two-run ball with four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. Three of his seven strikeouts were on fastballs that registered 98.0 mph or faster. Michael Darrell-Hicks, Burch Smith and Eddy Jean (S, 5) covered the remainder of the game, with Yean blanking the Mud Hens in the ninth inning to seal victory. Yean has not allowed a run in eight consecutive outings and 10.0 innings since June 27.

Mud Hens starter Jordan Balazovic (L, 3-1) allowed one run in 2.0 innings en route to his first loss of the season.

The Indians and Mud Hens continue their six-game series at Victory Field on Friday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Drake Fellows (7-2, 4.45) takes the mound for the Indians and Toledo is yet to name a starting pitcher.

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INDY ELEVEN

#INDVTUL USL JÄGERMEISTER CUP PREVIEW

• Indy Eleven vs. FC Tulsa
  Sat., July 26, 2025 – 7:00 p.m.
• Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis
• Follow Live
• Watch:  WRTV 6
• Stream:  ESPN+
• In-game updates: IndyEleven
  Stats: #INDvTUL MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com

2025 USL Jägermeister Cup Records
Indy Eleven: 2-0-1 (6 GF), 8 pts; #1 in Group 3
FC Tulsa: 1-1-1 (7 GF), 4 pts; #3 in Group 3

Setting the Scene

Indy Eleven seeks to win the USL Jägermeister Cup Group 3 vs. Western Conference leader FC Tulsa on Saturday at 7:00 pm ET on WRTV 6 and ESPN+.

The Boys in Blue are 2-0-1 in USL Jägermeister Cup play with eight points atop Group 3, with Birmingham one point behind.  The final round of group play is Saturday.  The winner of the group + the two best second-place finishers will advance to the quarterfinals of the 38-team tournament on Wed. Aug. 20.

IND		TUL
16	Games	16
26	Goals	24
64	SOT	70
17	Assists	15
28	Goals Conceded	16
68	Shots Faced	46
4	Clean Sheets	5

Series

Saturday is the 10th meeting between the two sides with FC Tulsa leading the series 5-2-2.

TUL Leads 5-2-2  | GF 8, GA 12

• Recent Meetings
• July 26, 2024  |  D, 0-0  |  Away
• Oct. 7, 2023  |  W, 2-1  |  Away
• July 8, 2023  |  L, 1-0  |  Home   

Last Meeting

Tulsa– Indy Eleven and FC Tulsa played to a 0-0 draw on July 26, 2024 at ONEOK Field.

A scoreless first half saw Indy Eleven outshoot Tulsa, 4-2, with one chance coming on goal from Aedan Stanley. Tulsa had 53.2% of the possession in the half. The teams traded four shots apiece in the second frame, with Indy getting its second on target from Augi Williams.

Romario Williams and Augi Williams combined for half of Indy’s shots with two apiece, while Hunter Sulte earned his fourth clean sheet of the season.

• FC Tulsa 0:0 Indy Eleven
• Friday, July 26, 2024 – 8:30 p.m. ET
• ONEOK Field – Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Discipline Summary
• TUL – Phillip Goodrum (caution) 26’
• IND – Callum Chapman-Page (caution) 27’
• TUL – Edwin Laszo (caution) 47’
• TUL – Harvey St Clair (caution) 52’
• IND – Adrian Diz Pe (caution) 58’
• IND – Josh O’Brien (caution) 72’
• IND – Ben Ofeimu (caution) 79’

Indy Eleven line-up:  Hunter Sulte, Aedan Stanley, Adrian Diz Pe, Josh O’Brien, Callum Chapman-Page (Ben Ofeimu 60’), Ben Mines (Logan Neidlinger 60’), Cam Lindley (Diego Sanchez 89’), Tyler Gibson (captain), Sebastian Guenzatti (Augi Williams 60’), Douglas Martinez, Romario Williams (Karsen Henderlong 81’).

Indy Subs Not Used: Yannik Oettl.

FC Tulsa line-up:  Johan Penaranda, Owen Damm, Bradley Bourgeois, Alexis Souahy, Harvey St Clair (Patrick Seagrist 85’), Edwin Laszo, Andrew Booth, Diogo Pacheco, Stefan Stojanovic (Faysal Bettache 66’), Boubacar Diallo (Alexander Dalou 75’), Phillip Goodrum.

FC Tulsa Subs Not Used:  Michael Creek, Sebastian Sanchez, Santiago Sanchez, Rashid Tetteh, Milo Yosef.

2025 USL Jägermeister Cup

The 2025 USL Jägermeister Cup kicked off April 26 with the second edition of the in-season tournament expanded to feature all 38 clubs across the USL Championship and League One.

The 2025 tournament represents a significant milestone for domestic soccer, as it is the first time a U.S. soccer league has established its own interleague cup.

Adding more meaningful matches to the annual calendar, the USL Jägermeister Cup includes fan-first modifications to encourage attacking soccer, such as penalty shootouts to determine match winners during the group stage and goals scored as the first tiebreaker in the group standings.

The USL Jägermeister Cup consists of six regional groups with six or seven teams assigned by league or conference affiliation per group. Each team will play four matches – two home, two away – in group play with home assignments being randomly drawn. The group stage concludes on Saturday, July 26.

Single-elimination knockout rounds begin on Wednesday, August 20 with the Quarterfinals. The USL Jägermeister Cup will conclude with the Final on Saturday, Oct. 4.

USL Jägermeister Cup news is shared throughout the tournament on dedicated social media channels at USL Jägermeister Cup on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

• 2025 USL Jägermeister Cup Group 3
• Birmingham Legion FC (USL Championship)
• Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (USL League One)
• Forward Madison FC (USL League One)
• Indy Eleven (USL Championship)
• One Knoxville SC (USL League One)
• FC Tulsa (USL Championship)
• USL Jägermeister Cup Group 3 Standings
• Pos      Team                                        W-L-T   GF       GD       Pts.
•   1        Indy Eleven                              2-0-1      6           5         8
•   2        Birmingham Legion FC             2-0-1      6           3         7
•   3        FC Tulsa                                   1-1-1      7           2         4
•   4        Forward Madison FC                1-1-1      2          -3         4
•   5        Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 0-2-1      3          -5         2
•   6        One Knoxville SC                      0-2-1      2          -2         2

Indy Eleven USL Jägermeister Cup Schedule/Results (2-0-1)

• Date     Opponent                                 Time/Result
• 4/26      at Forward Madison FC             4-0
• 5/24      at One Knoxville SC1-0
• 6/28      BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC1-1 (7-6)
• 7/26      FC TULSA                                7:00 PM

USL Jägermeister Cup Stats

• Individual
• Category                       Player                           Rank    Total
• Goals                           Elvis Amoh                   T1        3
• Clean Sheets                Reice Charles-Cook      T3        1
•                                     Hunter Sulte                  T3        1
• Chances Created          James Murphy              T3        8
• Shots                            Elvis Amoh                   T4        8
• Crosses                        James Murphy              T5        8
• Team
• Category           Rank    Total
• Goals Allowed   T1        1
• Clean Sheets    T2        2
• Goals               T8        6

Sulte “Team of the Round”, “Save of the Round” nominee

Indy Eleven goalkeeper Hunter Sulte was selected to the USL Jägermeister Cup Team of the Round for round three after leading the Boys in Blue to a 7-6 shootout victory over Birmingham Legion FC on June 28 at Carroll Stadium.

With the shootout tied 4-4, the 6’7 Sulte dove to his right to thwart Ronaldo Damus’ potential game-winning shot to keep his team alive.

After Josh O’Brien gave the Boys in Blue a 7-6 lead in the shootout, Sulte again dove to his right, but this time he used his left hand to deflect Erik Centeno’s attempt and give his team the shootout triumph.

Sulte made an amazing kick save in the 21st minute on a close-range shot by Danny Trejo to earn a “Save of the Round” nomination.

In the 49th, the Anchorage, Alaska, native saved another shot from inside the six by Trejo.  This time, Sulte closed his legs to stop the shot with his left leg.

In the match, Sulte made six saves for the second time in 24 days vs. Birmingham Legion, following his 1-0 clean sheet on the road on June 4 in USLC play. That is one shy of his career-high seven saves vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies on July 20, 2024.

The “Team of the Week” honor is Sulte’s fourth in his two years with the Boys in Blue, having earned that recognition on June 10 and twice last season (June 15 and October 15) following back-to-back clean sheets in both of those weeks. He made the USLC “Save of the Week” four times in 2024.

Sulte and Reice Charles-Cook have combined to allow just one goal in three Jägermeister Cup matches this season.

USL Jägermeister Cup Recap June 28 vs. Birmingham

Indy Eleven goalkeeper Hunter Sulte made two saves in penalty kicks to give his team a 7-6 shoot-out win to earn an extra point that keeps the Boys in Blue on top of the USL Jägermeister Cup Group 3 standings after a wild 1(7):1(6) match vs. Birmingham Legion FC at Carroll Stadium.

Indy Eleven trailed the shootout after a save by Birmingham keeper Fernando Delgado on the first attempt.  The subsequent Boys in Blue shooters—Jack Blake, Cam Lindley, Aodhan Quinn, Finn McRobb, Bruno Rendon, and Elliot Collier all were successful to set the stage for roommates O’Brien and Sulte.

Indy Eleven broke through in the 28th minute when midfielder Oliver Brynéus curled a left-footed ball from the left side to the far post where O’Brien headed it home.  It was O’Brien’s second career goal for the Boys in Blue and the first point for Brynéus.

The home team had two good chances to add to its 1-0 lead late in the first half.  Brynéus intercepted a pass at midfield and dribbled down the left sideline, playing a ball forward to forward Maalique Foster.  Foster made a spin move outside the area and centered in back to Brynéus, who made a quick touch to midfielder Cam Lindley.  Lindley took one dribble and uncorked a laser from outside the area that caromed off the crossbar.

A minute later in the 44th, Quinn started another scoring chance sequence with an outlet pass down the left sideline to Foster.  Foster played a beautiful diagonal pass inside the area to Lindley, who touched it to forward Elvis Amoh, but his shot just missed.

In the 94th minute, Preston Tabort Etaka scored on a free kick to necessitate the Boys in Blue’s first-ever PK shootout at Carroll Stadium.

• USL Jägermeister Cup
• Indy Eleven 1(7):1(6) Birmingham Legion FC
• Sat., June 28, 2025 – 7:00 p.m.
• Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis
• Scoring Summary
• IND – Josh O’Brien (Oliver Brynéus) 28’
• BHM – Preston Tabort Etaka 90’+4
• Discipline Summary
• IND – Josh O’Brien (caution) 50’
• IND – James Musa (caution) 69’
• IND – James Murphy (caution) 88’
• BHM – Tyler Pasher (caution) 90’+6

Indy Eleven line-up:  Hunter Sulte, James Musa, Josh O’Brien, Hayden White, Oliver Brynéus (Finn McRobb 67’), Bruno Rendon, Aodhan Quinn (captain), James Murphy (Jack Blake 88’), Cam Lindley, Maalique Foster (Elliot Collier 82’), Elvis Amoh (Romario Williams 82’).

USL Jägermeister Cup Recap May 24 at Knoxville

Knoxville, Tenn. – Indy Eleven forward Elvis Amoh scored his eighth goal in the last seven matches to propel the Boys in Blue to a 1-0 USL Jägermeister Cup victory at One Knoxville SC in Round 2 on May 24.

In the 47th, Amoh stole a back pass off a free kick at midfield, took one dribble, and fired a laser from 45 yards into the top of the net for his third Jägermeister Cup goal in two games.  The Ghana native scored in five straight matches from April 19-May 10, the second-longest scoring streak in franchise history.

Amoh almost scored in the 14th minute after a quick throw-in by Bruno Rendon to forward Maalique Foster, who centered to Amoh, but Elvis’ shot hit the crossbar.  In 62 minutes, Amoh led the Boys in Blue in shots (5) and shots on target (2).

James Murphy helped his team to a season-high 17 shots with team bests of five chances created, 14 crosses, and 40 completed passes.

Goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook earned his second clean sheet in Cup action this season.  The Lewisham, England, native made a quality save in the 38th minute on Gio Calixtro’s shot from the left side.  In the 49th, Charles-Cook punched a shot by Jordan Skelton over the top.  One Knox had another chance in the 77th from substitute Nicola Rosamilia, but his shot was off target.

• 2025 USL Jägermeister Cup
• Indy Eleven 1:0 One Knoxville SC
• Sat., May 24, 2025 – 7:00 p.m.
• Covenant Health Park | Knoxville, Tenn.
• Scoring Summary
• IND – Elvis Amoh 47’
• Discipline Summary
• IND – Hayden White (caution) 6’
• IND – Jack Blake (caution) 78’
• KNX – Jordan Skelton (caution) 80’
• KNX – Jordan Skelton (ejection) 90’+1
• IND – Cam Lindley (caution) 90’+3

Indy Eleven line-up:  Reice Charles-Cook, Finn McRobb (Josh O’Brien 62’), James Musa, Ben Ofeimu, Hayden White (Edward Kizza 62’), Jack Blake (Cam Lindley 81’), Aodhan Quinn (captain), James Murphy, Bruno Rendon, Elvis Amoh (Romario Williams 62’), Maalique Foster (Elliot Collier 70’).

Indy Eleven Subs not used:  Hunter Sulte, Pat Hogan.

USL Jägermeister Cup Recap April 26 at Madison

Madison, Wis. – Indy Eleven made its USL Jägermeister Cup debut in impressive fashion with a 4-0 victory at Forward Madison FC on April 26 to take an early lead in the Group 3 standings.

Boys in Blue goalkeeper Hunter Sulte celebrated his 23rd birthday a day late with a clean sheet, making three saves.

Indy Eleven got its offense going in the second half after the insertion of subs Elvis Amoh and Elliot Collier in the 57th minute.

Captain Aodhan Quinn made a steal outside the area in the 69th minute, then took one dribble and delivered a quick strike to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, Amoh centered to Blake, who took three quick dribbles and made a quick touch to Collier.  The 6’5 Collier one-touched it back to Blake, who buried it to give his team a 2-0 edge.

In the 84th, Collier made a move inside the area and struck a right-footed shot that was stopped, but Amoh pounced on the rebound to make it 3-0.

Amoh struck again in the 93rd minute for his second goal of the match and his third in the last two games.  Blake started the play, feeding forward Maalique Foster on the right side.  Foster centered it to Amoh whose initial try was stopped, but once again he cashed in on the rebound for the final score of the night.

• 2025 USL Jägermeister Cup
• Indy Eleven 4:0 Forward Madison FC
• Sat., Apr. 26, 2025 – 7 p.m. ET
• Breese Stevens Field | Madison, Wis.
• Scoring Summary
• IND – Aodhan Quinn 69’
• IND – Jack Blake (Elliot Collier) 72’
• IND – Elvis Amoh 84’
• IND – Elvis Amoh 90’+3
• Discipline Summary
• IND – Bruno Rendon (caution) 20’
• IND – James Murphy (caution) 50’
• MAD – John Murphy (caution) 59’
• IND – Aodhan Quinn (caution) 60’
• MAD – Ferrety Sousa (caution) 70’
• IND – James Musa (caution) 90’+3

Indy Eleven line-up:  Hunter Sulte, James Musa, Ben Ofeimu, Hayden White, Aedan Stanley, Aodhan Quinn (captain), James Murphy, Bruno Rendon (Elliot Collier 57’), Jack Blake, Edward Kizza (Elvis Amoh 57’), Maalique Foster (Cam Lindley 90+3’).

Indy Eleven Subs not used:  Josh O’Brien, Pat Hogan, Finn McRobb, Reice Charles-Cook.

• Indy Eleven USL Championship Goals (All Competitions)
• 1.         Tyler Pasher                 24        2018-20
• 2.         Jack Blake                   18        2023-
• 3.         Sebastian Guenzatti      16        2023-24
• 4.         Manuel Arteaga             15        2021-22
• 5.         Aodhan Quinn             13        2023-
• Indy Eleven Appearances (All Competitions)
• 1.         Ayoze               126       2018-22
• 2.         Brad Ring         115       2014-18
• 3.         Karl Ouimette    108       2018-22
• 4.         Don Smart        101       2014-17
• 5.         Cam Lindley      98       2020, 2023-

USLC 50+ Regular Season Goals Best Strike Rate

3. Romario Williams – 64 goals, 158 app., 155.2 mins/goal

• Aodhan Quinn USLC All-Time Rankings
• Games Started | 264 | 1st
• Minutes | 23,147 | 2nd
• Assists | 56 | 3rd
• Appearances | 278 | 4th
• USL Championship Regular Season Goal Contributions
• 3.         Aodhan Quinn (IND)    113       (57 goals & 56 assists)*
• 4.         Solomon Asante            110       (52 goals, 58 assists)
• USL Championship Regular Season 55 Goals & 30 Assists
• 1.Enzo Martinez (BHM) – 76 goals, 52 assists
• 2.         Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 57 goals, 56 assists
• USL Championship Assists in Consecutive Games Streaks
• 2.         Aodhan Quinn (PHX)     5          2021
• 4.         Aodhan Quinn (OC)       4          2018
•             Aodhan Quinn (IND)    4          May 3-28, 2025
• Indy Eleven Goals in a 5-Game Stretch
• Elvis Amoh      7          Apr. 19-May 10, 2025
• Tyler Pasher     6          Nov. 2, 2019-July 22, 2020
• Augi Williams    5          May 8-22, 2024
• Manuel Arteaga 5          June 4-18, 2022
• Eamon Zayed   5          July 13-Aug. 3, 2016
• Eamon Zayed   5          May 21-June 11, 2016
• Blake Smith      5          May 28-June 17, 2014
• Indy Eleven Goals in Consecutive Games Streaks
• Tyler Pasher                 6          Nov. 2, 2019-July 22, 2020
• Elvis Amoh                  5          Apr. 19-May 10, 2025
• Augi Williams                4          May 8-22, 2024
• Sebastian Guenzatti      3          Aug. 26-Sept. 15, 2023
• Stefano Pinho               3          May 28-June 8, 2022
• Tyler Pasher                 3          June 1-15, 2019
• Dane Kelly                    3          Apr. 15-28, 2019
• Dane Richards              3          Aug. 19-29, 2015
• Kleberson                     3          July 19-Aug. 2, 2014
• Indy Eleven Saves, Game
• 11, Yannik Oettl at Chicago Fire FC II, 4/17/24, USOC 3rd Round
  10, Sean Lewis at Birmingham Legion FC, 10/12/22
  10, Reice Charles-Cook at Philadelphia, 5/7/25, USOC Rd. of 32
  9, Jon Busch at Minnesota United, 7/16/16
  8, Owain Fon Williams at Louisville City, 10/13/18
  8, Bobby Edwards at Sporting KC II, 6/20/21
• 8, Kristian Nicht vs. San Antonio Scorpions, 5/30/14
• 8, Kristian Nicht vs. Minnesota United, 10/11/14

USL Championship Stats

• Individual
• Category           Player               Rank    Total
• Assists              Aodhan Quinn   T3        6
•                         Jack Blake        T9        4
• Clearances                   Pat Hogan        4          103
•                                     James Musa     9          95
• Saves                           Hunter Sulte      T8        37
• Clean Sheets                Hunter Sulte      T9        4
• Shots                            Jack Blake        11        27
• Interceptions                 James Musa     T14      19
• Goals                           Jack Blake        T14      5
• Chances Created          Jack Blake        T20      20
• Team
• Category                       Rank    Total
• First-Half Goals             2          15
• Goals                           T3        26
• Conversion Rate           T5        18%
• Clean Sheets                T13      4
• Shots                            16        175

USL Career Regular Season Rankings

Individual Rankings

• Goals
• T14.     Romario Williams (IND) – 64
• T21.     Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 57
• Assists
• 2.         Solomon Asante – 58
• 3.         Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 56
• Games Started
• 1.         Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 264
• 2.         Sean Totsch (LOU) – 257
• Minutes
• 1.         Sean Totsch (LOU) – 23,249
• 2.         Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 23,147
• Appearances
• 4.         Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 278
• Team Leaders
• Stat                              Player                           Number
• Goals                           Jack Blake                    5
• Assists                          Aodhan Quinn               6
• Shots                            Jack Blake                    27
• Shots on Target             Jack Blake                    13
• Chances Created          Jack Blake                    20
• Crosses                        Aodhan Quinn               41
• Fouls Won                    Jack Blake                    26
• Duels Won                    Elvis Amoh                   71
• Aerial Duels Won          Pat Hogan                    38
• Clearances                   Pat Hogan                    103
• Blocks                          Pat Hogan                    8
• Interceptions                 James Musa                 19
• Tackles Won                 James Murphy              18
• Passes                         James Murphy              696
• Minutes                         James Murphy              1371

USL CHAMPIONSHIP HONORS

• Elvis Amoh
• Jägermeister Cup Team of the Round-Bench (4/29)
• USL Championship Team of the Week (Week 8/9 – 5/6)
• Jack Blake
• USL Championship Team of the Week (Week 2 – 3/18)
• USL Jägermeister Cup Team of the Round (4/29)
• USL Player of the Week (Week 17/18-7/7)
• USL Team of the Week (Week 17/18-7/7)
• Maalique Foster
• USL Team of the Week – Bench (Week 4 – 4/1)
• USL Team of the Week (Week 5 – 4/8)
• USL Goal of the Week nominee (Week 17/18-7/7)
• Pat Hogan
• USL Championship Team of the Week (Week 2 – 3/18)
• Ben Ofeimu
• USL Championship Team of the Week (Week 15 – 6/17)
• Aodhan Quinn
• USLC Goal of the Week nominee (Week 4 – 4/1)
• USLC Team of the Week – Bench (Week 17/18 – 7/7)
• Bruno Rendon
• USL Championship Team of the Week (Week 3 – 3/25)
• Hunter Sulte
• USL Championship Team of the Week (Weeks 13/14 – 6/10)
• USL Jägermeister Cup Team of the Round (7/1)
• USL Jägermeister Cup “Save of the Round” nominee (7/1)
• Romario Williams
• USL Championship Team of the Week (Weeks 13/14 – 6/10)

COACH SEAN McAULEY

Head coach Sean McAuley earned the USLC “Coach of the Month” last May and he was a nominee for USLC Midseason “Coach of the Year” after leading his team to a 12-match unbeaten streak in a two-month span from April 17 through June 15.

The Sheffield, England, native led Indy Eleven to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals with four straight wins, including a 2-1 victory at MLS-side Atlanta United.

McAuley is in his second season in Indy after previously serving as interim head coach/assistant at MLS-side Minnesota United FC. McAuley helped Minnesota to playoff appearances in his first three seasons, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2020.

In 2015, he hoisted the MLS Cup with the Portland Timbers. McAuley began his playing career with Manchester United and played for Portland Timbers and the Scottish U-21 National Team.

USLC:  19-17-14  |  USOC: 5-1-1  |  OVERALL: 26-18-16 (.567)

TEAM HIGH/LOWS

• Single-Match Highs
• Shots: 17 | May 28 vs HFD
• SOT: 8 | Mar. 15 at MIA
• Possession: 58.4% | May 28 vs HFD
• Corners: 11 | Mar. 29 vs COS
• Single-Match Lows
• Shots: 4 | June 4 at BHM
• SOT: 1 | June 4 at BHM
• Possession: 30.2% | May 10 at SAC
• Corners: 1 | Mar. 22 at LEX, May 10 at SAC, June 4 at BHM
• Opponent Highs
• Shots: 21 | June 28 vs. BHM^
• SOT: 9 | July 18 at NC
• Possession: 69.8% | May 10 at SAC
• Corners: 9 | June 28 vs. BHM^
• Opponent Lows
• Shots: 4 | June 14 vs PIT
• SOT: 0 | June 14 vs PIT, July 12 vs. RI
• Possession: 41.6% | May 28 vs HFD
• Corners: 2 | May 16 at ELP

USL Championship Regular-Season Player Milestones

• 60 Goals
• Romario Williams – 64
• 50 Goals
• Aodhan Quinn – 57
• 40 Goals
• Elvis Amoh – 44
• 30 Goals
• Jack Blake – 37
• 20 Goals
• Maalique Foster – 21
• Edward Kizza – (19)
• Elliot Collier – (18)
• 50 Assists
• Aodhan Quinn – 56
• 20 Assists
• Cam Lindley – 28 (T25 on USLC All-Time List)
• Jack Blake – 25
• 15 Assists
• Maalique Foster – 16
• James Murphy – 16
• Aedan Stanley – 15
• 110 Goals+Assists
• Aodhan Quinn – 113 (57 goals, 56 assists)
• 70 Goals+Assists
• Romario Williams – 75 (64 goals, 11 assists)
• 60 Goals+Assists
• Jack Blake – 62 (37 goals, 25 assists)
• 50 Goals+Assists
• Elvis Amoh – 53 (44 goals, 9 assists)
• 30 Goals+Assists
• Maalique Foster – 37 (21 goals, 16 assists)
• Cam Lindley – 33 (5 goals, 28 assists)
• 20 Goals+Assists
• Elliot Collier – 25 (18 goals, 7 assists)
• Edward Kizza – 21 (19 goals, 2 assists)
• 10 Penalties Converted (attempted)
• Aodhan Quinn – 25 (28)
• Jack Blake – 13 (15)
• Romario Williams – 8 (10)
• 250 Appearances
• Aodhan Quinn – 278
• 200 Appearances
• James Musa – 217
• 150 Appearances
  Jack Blake – 185
  Cam Lindley – 174
• Romario Williams – 158
• 100 Appearances
• James Murphy – 148
• Elvis Amoh – 145
• Ben Ofeimu – 140
  Aedan Stanley – 138
• Elliot Collier – 121
• Pat Hogan – 103
• 250 Games Started
• Aodhan Quinn – 264
• 200 Games Started
• James Musa – 204
• 150 Games Started
• Jack Blake – 157
• 100 Games Started
• Cam Lindley – 149
• Aedan Stanley – 134
• James Murphy – 122
• Romario Williams – 117
• 20,000 Minutes
• Aodhan Quinn – 23,147
• 15,000 Minutes
• James Musa – 17,980
• 10,000 Minutes
• Jack Blake – 13,340
  Cam Lindley – 13,021
• Aedan Stanley – 12,025
• James Murphy – 11,045
• Ben Ofeimu – 10,485
• Romario Williams – (9,933)
• ROSTER BREAKDOWN
• Goalkeepers (3):  Reice Charles-Cook, ^Ryan Hunsucker, Hunter Sulte
• Defenders (9):  Pat Hogan, ^Maverick McCoy, Finn McRobb, James Musa, Josh O’Brien, Ben Ofeimu, Bruno Rendon, Aedan Stanley, Hayden White
• Midfielders (7):  Jack Blake, Oliver Brynéus, Cam Lindley, James Murphy, Logan Neidlinger, Aodhan Quinn, Brem Soumaoro
• Forwards (5):  Elvis Amoh, Elliot Collier, Maalique Foster, Edward Kizza, Romario Williams
• ^USL Academy Contract

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INDIANA VOLLEYBALL                                                                                                                                      

VOLLEYBALL SEASON BEGINS WITH BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS

CHICAGO – Volleyball fans will get their first taste of the 2025 season as the Big Ten Conference hosts the fourth-annual Big Ten Volleyball Media Days at its network studios in Chicago. Each of the 18 member schools will send two select student-athletes and their head coach to speak on the state of the program ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Eighth-year head coach Steve Aird will be joined by senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum and junior middle blocker Ava Vickers for the annual trip to the Windy City. Each player is a returning starter from last season and is a multi-year contributor for the program.

The trio of Hoosiers will work through designated stations next Monday (July 28). The rotation list includes a press conference, live in-studio television time, social media interviews and a student-athlete photoshoot on the roof of the network offices.

Designed to promote the sport and the respective conference teams, the Big Ten has continued to be a major advocate for the growth of college volleyball. This season will continue the rise of nationally-televised matches – including contests on FOX, NBC, FS1 and the Big Ten Network.

The Hoosiers will do their part in taking the game of volleyball to a new level. IU will play its annual Monon Spike match against in-state rival Purdue at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and WNBA’s Indiana Fever.

It is believed to be one of the first volleyball matches inside the basketball arena and will precede the November debut of the IHSAA Girls State Volleyball finals in the same venue. The contest against Purdue on Thursday, October 16th will likely make an appearance on national television.

IU will begin fall practice on Wednesday, August 6th with the team arriving back to campus on the Monday prior. The Hoosiers open the 2025 campaign with a trip to Coral Gables to face Miami (Fla.) and VCU. It’s the third-straight season that IU will play Miami (Fla.) and the second of such matchups in Florida.

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BUTLER ATHLETICS

BUTLER UNIVERSITY TO UPGRADE ICONIC HINKLE FIELDHOUSE WITH DYNAMIC LED VIDEO

INDIANAPOLIS—Butler University Athletics is undertaking a major digital upgrade to enhance the fan experience at Hinkle Fieldhouse, known affectionately as “Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral.” Home to the Butler Bulldogs’ basketball and volleyball programs, the iconic venue was constructed in 1928, is a National Historic Landmark, and most recently served as a host site for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2021.

“There is nothing better than a gameday at Hinkle Fieldhouse and this project will dramatically enhance the fan and student-athlete experience at one of the nation’s most iconic venues,” said Grant Leiendecker, Butler Vice President and Director of Athletics. “Playfly Sports is a tremendous partner and has significantly supported this project. Together, we are excited for the opportunity to enhance our gameday environment and showcase our teams and corporate sponsors in a fashion that has never been possible at Hinkle Fieldhouse previously.”

Technology consultant Anthony James Partners (AJP) provided design, procurement, and construction administration services for the upgrades, supporting Butler in selecting SNA Displays to manufacture and install more than 2,700 square feet of LED video display technology, including a center hung display system, baseline LED ribbons, multiple courtside tables, and other digital signage. SNA Displays will also provide demolition and removal services for the venue’s outdated display technology.

“Hinkle Fieldhouse is one of the most storied venues in college sports, and it’s a privilege for our team to help carry its legacy forward through this upgrade,” said AJ Faxel, Executive Vice President of Business Development for AJP. “We create technology solutions customized to each site’s history and unique character. It’s an honor to work alongside Butler University and SNA Displays to deliver a modern, immersive experience that supports Butler’s tradition of excellence.”

The centerpiece of the project is a new LED center hung display consisting of four curved, 14-foot-tall video screens seamlessly connected to create a continuous 360-degree video surface. Each side features a 4 mm pixel pitch for increased pixel density and clarity. The center hung also includes custom static lettering along the top ring of the structure and a team-branded Bulldog logo facing downward toward the playing surface.

Other video signage includes 3-foot-high LED ribbons along the second-level fascia at both ends of the Fieldhouse, two 19-foot-long vomitory displays between the second and third levels, and eight new courtside mobile scorer’s tables equipped with LED screens. For recruitment and training purposes, the project also features two new ASPECT™ all-in-one 16:9 video screens from SNA Displays in an adjacent practice facility, directly integrated into the new control management system. 

“We’re more than honored to work with Butler Athletics and Anthony James Partners to bring this cherished landmark up to speed to give fans a fun and engaging experience on Game Day,” said Barbara Barry, Director of Sports and Live Events for SNA Displays. “We look forward to applying our extensive experience delicately merging historical landmarks with cutting-edge technology in a way that honors the past while looking forward into the future.”

Just a few years from its 100th birthday, Hinkle Fieldhouse has a rich basketball and cultural history. Six U.S. presidents have delivered speeches at the venue. It was also the site of a world record-tying 60-yard dash by future Olympic gold medalist Jessie Owens in 1935 and the first all-Black high school team in the U.S. to win a state championship in 1956 led by future Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson. The Fieldhouse was utilized as U.S. Army and Navy barracks during World War II. It was also the filming location of the dramatic final scenes of the 1986 movie Hoosiers, in addition to hosting the 1954 high school state championship game on which that movie is based.

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BALL STATE FOOTBALL

UREMOVICH, CONLEY AND KELLY REPRESENT CARDINALS AT FORD FIELD AND MAC MEDIA KICKOFF

DETROIT, Mich. — Less than 40 days from Ball State’s opening kickoff of the 2025 college football season and a week before training camp begins at Scheumann Stadium, the Cardinals were represented at the annual Mid-American Conference Media Kickoff by head coach Mike Uremovich and returning stars Darin Conley and Kiael Kelly.

Media members from around the 13-team MAC joined representatives from each MAC institution for photos, interviews and conversation in advance of the upcoming season.

For the Cardinals, the 2025 season marks their first under Uremovich, the 19th coach in Ball State history. Uremovich takes over the Ball State program after three years as head coach at Butler and 24 years as an offensive coach and head coach from Waynesburg College, St. Francis, NC State, Temple, Butler and three stints at MAC rival Northern Illinois. He begins his seventh year in the MAC, having spent six at NIU and accumulating two divisional titles, two conference championships and three bowl games. He has coached in six bowl games overall.

Uremovich-coached teams at Butler recently were top-ten-ranked among NCAA FCS programs on both offense and defense. Remarkably, 10 members of his full-time coaching staff have spent time with Coach U. as either a coach or player.

“I look forward to coming back to compete in the MAC again,” said Uremovich. “I think we’re in a good place at Ball State, but we have a lot of new players that we need to bring together. We have good people and a great program with tradition. We’re hungry. We know we’re going to be tough and we’re going to compete. I can’t wait to get things started.”

Beginning his first Ball State training camp next Wednesday, July 30, Uremovich and his staff welcome 54 newcomers including 34 transfers. Conley and Kelly are among a small handful of returning starters who will anchor units on both sides of the ball.

Conley, a redshirt sophomore and third-year standout from Kansas, made his way into the starting lineup at midseason last year, and finished the year with 16 tackles and three tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks.

Kelly has wound a circuitous route through the Cardinals depth chart the past two seasons, emerging as QB1 in Week 7 of the 2023 campaign and lining up at six different positions in 2024. Now a redshirt senior, the Tampa, Florida, native has twice returned to Ball State from the transfer portal and comes back for a final season to team with Uremovich whose recent coaching history has favored strong running quarterbacks. The last time Kelly started at QB for the Cardinals — Nov. 25, 2023 vs. Miami — he ran for 136 yards which was the third-most ever by a Ball State quarterback. He enters his final season in view of program records for rush yards by a QB.

Though a Cardinals depth chart is far from established, Ball State expects improvement from last year’s 3-9 record (2-6 in the MAC). Every team has optimism at this point each summer, and the annual goal is to return to Ford Field for the MAC Championship game on Dec. 6. MAC coaches were polled on their expectations for the upcoming season, with Toledo picked as the league champion and Ball State selected 10th, in the league’s first season with UMass as a conference member.

2025 MAC Football Coaches Preseason Poll

First Place votes in ( ) | *Coaches were not able to vote for themselves

1. Toledo (7) — 135 points

2. Miami (3) — 131 points

3. Ohio (3) — 123 points

4. Buffalo — 115 points

5. Northern Illinois — 94 points

6. Bowling Green — 81 points

7. Western Michigan — 71 points

8. Eastern Michigan — 68 points

9. Central Michigan — 65 points

10. Ball State — 41 points

T11. Akron — 39 points

T11. UMass — 39 points

13. Kent State — 12 points

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INDIANA STATE FOOTBALL

CLARK NAMED FCS FOOTBALL CENTRAL SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICAN

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State defensive back Kimal Clark picked up his second preseason All-American nod as the safety was named to the FCS Football Central Second Team on Thursday morning.

Clark, a transfer from Central Connecticut State, was previously named a Stats Perform FCS Preseason Third Team All-American this summer as the Lackawanna, N.Y. native heads into his first fall camp with the Sycamores football team.

Clark is the reigning Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year after setting the Central Connecticut State record in tackles (117), while adding three pass breakups. He was also honored as a Stats Perform Third Team All-American postseason selection following the 2024 season.

Clark looks to lead an Indiana State defense that lost its top six tackling leaders, including the 17th member of the Sycamores’ 300-tackle club, Geoffrey Brown. He is set to join with MVFC All-Newcomer selection Jorge Valdes to provide a powerful 1-2 punch in the Sycamore secondary.

Clark recorded five double-digit tackling efforts in the 2024 season on his way to finishing 16th in FCS in solo tackles (5.1) and 26th overall in total tackles (9.0) per game. He recorded a career-high 18-tackle game against Massachusetts, while adding 13 stops in games against both Fordham and Robert Morris.

Clark is set to be one of the leaders in the new-look defense under first-year defensive coordinator David Elson and joins Dallas Westhoff, Lucas McAllister, Valdes, and Braxton Sampson among the top Sycamores returning on the defensive side of the ball.

2025 Indiana State Single Game, Season Tickets On Sale Now

Season ticket membership renewals and new season ticket memberships remain on sale online for the upcoming 2025 season. Season tickets for the six ISU home football games will start at $60 for adults and $30 for youth. Faculty, staff, seniors, and members of the I-Club can purchase tickets for $55.

Additionally, anyone who renews or buys a reserved seat in Section F will have the option to rent a seat chairback for the season. Chairback rentals are available for $20. Access to Touchdown Corner is available with Varsity Club status starting at just $125. Contact the Sycamore Athletic Fund at 812-237-6134 for more information.

Single game tickets went on sale in mid-July starting at $15 for adults, $5 for kids, and group rates of $5 for 15+ attendees. Single game rates are higher for the 2025 Homecoming Game against South Dakota on October 11 with prices rising to $18 for adults, $8 for kids, and a group rate of $8.

Indiana State will employ mobile ticketing as the default option for all home games during the 2024 football season, enabling contactless entry into athletics venues. Offering greater convenience and safety, fans can access their ticket online and transfer to family and friends. Fans will also have the option to get their tickets printed for an additional $5 charge.

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SYCAMORE FOOTBALL PREPARES FOR 2025 U.S. LAWNS FALL CAMP

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State football prepares to return to campus next week for the 2025 U.S. Lawns Fall Camp as all eyes turn toward the upcoming 2025 season.

The Sycamores report back to campus on Sunday afternoon in preparation for the upcoming 2025 season set to start on Thursday, August 28, against McKendree. Kickoff time is set for 6 p.m. with single game and 2025 season tickets still on sale. Monday starts the first practice at Memorial Stadium with coaching staff and athletes available for interviews following the morning session.

Head Coach Curt Mallory, quarterback Elijah Owens, and linebacker Dallas Westhoff represented the Sycamores over the past weekend at the 2025 MVFC Media Day held at the Sanford Pentagon up in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Sycamores were selected ninth overall in the MVFC Preseason Poll as voted on by the league’s head coaches, media members, and communications personnel. Ten Indiana State players were honored on the league’s preseason watch list including Owens, Westhoff, Plez Lawrence (RB), Rashad Rochelle (WR/RS), Jorge Valdes (DB), Kimal Clark (DB), Harry Traum (P), Lance Rees (TE), Lucas McAllister (LB), and Braxton Sampson (LB).

2025 Indiana State Single Game, Season Tickets On Sale Now

Season ticket membership renewals and new season ticket memberships remain on sale online for the upcoming 2025 season. Season tickets for the six ISU home football games will start at $60 for adults and $30 for youth. Faculty, staff, seniors, and members of the I-Club can purchase tickets for $55.

Additionally, anyone who renews or buys a reserved seat in Section F will have the option to rent a seat chairback for the season. Chairback rentals are available for $20. Access to Touchdown Corner is available with Varsity Club status starting at just $125. Contact the Sycamore Athletic Fund at 812-237-6134 for more information.

Single game tickets went on sale in mid-July starting at $15 for adults, $5 for kids, and group rates of $5 for 15+ attendees. Single game rates are higher for the 2025 Homecoming Game against South Dakota on October 11 with prices rising to $18 for adults, $8 for kids, and a group rate of $8.

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INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL

SYCAMORES ANNOUNCE SIGNING OF LINDSAY HENSON

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head softball coach Windy Thees announced the addition of Lindsay Henson to the 2025-26 softball roster as the Marshall University transfer will join the Sycamores for the upcoming season.

Henson joins the Sycamores by way of Lawrenceburg, Ind. and Marshall University after two seasons with the Thundering Herd. The right-handed pitcher lined up in seven games inside the circle over her two seasons, while adding 26 games and three starts in the field.

Henson posted a 4.77 ERA over four appearances inside the circle in the 2025 season with a 1-0 mark on the year. She went 7.1 innings, including a 3.2-inning stint where she allowed four hits and an unearned run in earning the win over Loyola. She added a .222 batting average at the plate with four hits in 18 at-bats, including a 2-for-2 game with a double, home run, and four RBIs in a win over Georgia State.

The rising graduate student saw action with four relief appearances in the 2024 season going 2.1 innings inside the circle. She added four at-bats on the year.

Henson transferred to Marshall from Drury University where she compiled a 1.23 ERA with 42 strikeouts in the 2023 season. She posted a 3-4 overall record with 10 appearances, including seven starts, while recording four complete games. She added a 42:17 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit just .222 from the plate. She added 13 hits offensively with four doubles, a triple, and 10 RBIs.

Henson started her collegiate career at Jones College in 2022, earning Second Team All-American honors.

The Lawrenceburg native played at East Central High School and guided the team to a 26-2 overall record in her senior season. She was a three-time All-Conference selection and was the All-County Player of the Year all four years of high school. She graduated holding the school’s career and single season home run record.

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“SPORTS EXTRA”

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

July 25

1918 — Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators pitched a four-hitter in 15 innings to beat the St. Louis Browns 1-0. The only hit off him in the first 11 innings was a triple by George Sisler.

1930 — The Philadelphia Athletics came up with a triple steal in the first inning and again in the fourth in a 14-1 win over the Cleveland Indians.

1939 — Atley Donald of the New York Yankees set a rookie pitching record in the AL when he registered his 12th consecutive victory since May 9, with a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Browns.

1941 — Lefty Grove of the Boston Red Sox won his 300th and last game, beating the Cleveland Indians 10-6.

1949 — Stan Musial of St. Louis hit for the cycle, going 4-5 and driving in four runs to lead the Cardinals to a 14-1 rout of the Broolyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

1956 — Roberto Clemente hit a game-winning inside-the-park grand slam to give Pittsburgh a 9-8 win over the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field.

1961 — En route to his 61-homer season, Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit four homers against the Chicago White Sox in a doubleheader to give him 40 for the year. The Yankees took both games, 5-1 and 12-0, and Maris moved 25 games ahead of Babe Ruth’s 1927 pace.

1962 — Stan Musial of St. Louis became the all-time RBI leader in the NL. His two-run home run, in a 5-2 loss to Los Angeles, gave him 1,862 RBIs, passing Mel Ott.

1978 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds singled to left off New York’s Craig Swan in the third inning to set a NL record of hitting safely in 38 consecutive games. The Mets won the game 9-2.

1990 — Kansas City’s George Brett hit for the cycle in the Royals 6-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

2000 — Mike Lansing of Colorado hit for the cycle. The Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 19-2.

2011 — Ian Kinsler homered and drove in four runs as the Texas Rangers pounded out the most runs and hits in the majors this season with a 20-6 rout of the Minnesota Twins.

2014 — Yasiel Puig tied a franchise record with three triples and added a double and two RBIs as Los Angeles moved within a half-game of NL West-leading San Francisco with an 8-1 win over the Giants.

2015 — Cole Hamels became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs in 50 years while leading Philadelphia to a 5-0 win. There was drama down to the final out, when rookie center fielder Odubel Herrera stumbled on the warning track, but managed to lean forward and catch Kris Bryant’s flyball to end the game. Hamels struck out 13 in the first no-hitter versus the Cubs since Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game in 1965.

2023 — The Braves turn the first triple play of the MLB season and it comes in highly unusual fashion. The play goes 8-3-5, a combination of outs not seen since 1884, as with runners on first and second in the 3rd, CF Michael Harris II catches a fly ball hit by Triston Casas of the Red Sox and fires to 1B Matt Olson to retire Adam Duvall, who had misjudged the force with which the ball was hit. Olson then fires to 3B Austin Riley to nab Masataka Yoshida, who had tagged up and was trying to advance while the Braves were busy attending to the other runner. In spite of the triple killing, Boston wins the game handily, 7 – 1.

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July 26

1928 — Bob Meusel of the New York Yankees hit for the cycle for the third time in his career. The Yankees scored 11 runs in the top of the 12th to beat the Detroit Tigers 12-1 in 12 innings.

1939 — The New York Yankees tied a major league record by scoring in every inning against the St. Louis Browns. Bill Dickey hit three home runs in the 14-1 win.

1962 — Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves set the National League record for home runs by a pitcher when he hit his 31st off New York’s Craig Anderson. Spahn dealt the Mets their 11th straight loss with a 6-1 victory.

1970 — Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds hit three straight homers off Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals. On the same day, Orlando Cepeda of the Atlanta Braves connected for three consecutive homers in an 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

1984 — Pete Rose of the Montreal Expos tied Ty Cobb on the career singles list, No. 3,052, with a base hit in the eighth inning in a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1991 — Montreal’s Mark Gardner became the first to pitch nine no-hit innings against a Dodger home team since Johnny Vander Meer beat Brooklyn at Ebbets Field on June 15, 1938, for his second straight gem. But the Dodgers won in the 10th on two singles off Gardner and Darryl Strawberry’s RBI single off Jeff Fassero.

1998 — Trevor Hoffman’s bid to set a major league record with 42 straight saves ended when the San Diego closer gave up a home run to Moises Alou on his first delivery in the ninth inning, tying the game. The Padres wound up beating Houston 5-4 in the 10th, but Hoffman blew his chance at history.

2005 — Greg Maddux reached 3,000 career strikeouts, striking out Omar Vizquel in the third inning of a 3-2, 11-inning victory for San Francisco.

2008 — Skip Schumaker went 6-for-7 to help St. Louis beat the New York Mets 10-8 in 14 innings. He became the first Cardinals player to have six hits in a game since 1935 when Terry Moore did it against Boston.

2009 — Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice and Joe Gordon are inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. Gordon is the first player to be voted in by the Veterans Committee since its rules were reformulated following the controversial election of Bill Mazeroski in 2001.

2010 — Matt Garza pitched the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history and the fifth in the major leagues this season, beating the Detroit Tigers 5-0. Garza faced the minimum 27 batters, allowing only a second-inning walk.

2013 — Edwin Encarnacion hit two home runs in one inning, including his sixth career grand slam, to power the Toronto Blue Jays past the Houston Astros 12-6.

2014 — The Hall of Fame announces a change in voting rules, as players will now be able to stay on the BBWAA ballot for a maximum of 10 and not 15 years, as long as they meet the minimum 5% threshold. The move is designed to prevent the ballot from becoming overly crowded because of players tainted by steroids staying on the ballot for years on end with no realistic chance of election, but drawing votes away from more legitimate candidates. However, a number of inductees with an untainted record have had to wait over 10 years for election in recent years, such as Jim Rice, Bert Blyleven or Andre Dawson, making it likely that the rule change will have the effect of also squeezing out some worthy candidates.

2015 — Zack Greinke’s shutout streak ended at 45 2/3 innings when the Mets scored the first of two scratch runs against him. The streak was the longest in the majors since Orel Hershiser set the record with 59 for the Dodgers in 1988. New York beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Juan Uribe’s single off the wall in the 10th.

2015 — Four players, all elected by the BBWAA, are inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as the Class of 2015: pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz, all elected on their first presence on the ballot, and 2B Craig Biggio. Martinez steals the show by dancing on stage and entertaining the large contingent of visitors from the Dominican Republic who have come to witness his induction.

2017 — Dee Gordon homered on the first pitch by Yu Darvish, and Miami set a franchise scoring record with a 22-10 rout of the Texas Rangers.

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July 27

1918 — Brooklyn rookie Henry Heitman completed one of the shortest careers in major league history. Heitman appeared on the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals, gave up four consecutive hits and then left the game, never to play a major league game again.

1930 — Ken Ash of Cincinnati got his last major league victory by throwing one pitch. Ash came into relieve in the fifth inning and got Chicago’s Charlie Grimm to hit into a triple play. Ash was removed for a pinch hitter and the Reds beat the Cubs 6-5.

1946 — Rudy York of Boston hit two grand slams and drove in 10 runs as the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns 13-6.

1950 — Del Ennis of the Philadelphia Phillies drove in seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings of a 13-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Ennis doubled with the bases loaded in the seventh and hit a grand slam in the eighth.

1959 — New York lawyer William Shea announced the formation of the Continental League. New York, Houston, Toronto, Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul were the five cities named and Branch Rickey was named league president.

1978 — Duane Kuiper of Cleveland tied a major league record by becoming the third player in the 20th century to hit two triples in a game. Both came with the bases loaded as the Indians beat the New York Yankees 17-5.

1984 — Montreal’s Pete Rose passed Ty Cobb for the most singles in a career with No. 3,053, against the Philadelphia Phillies.

1986 — Two 300-game winners faced each other , with Don Sutton going six strong innings to outpitch Tom Seaver and give the California Angels a 3-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

1996 — The San Diego Padres pounded the Florida Marlins 20-12. Wally Joyner led the way with five RBIs and John Flaherty hit a grand slam. The Padres were the sixth club to score 20 runs in a game this season. The last time that happened was 1929.

2008 — Oakland reliever Brad Ziegler recorded six outs to set a major league record with 27 scoreless innings to begin his career. Ziegler broke the previous mark of 25 innings set by Philadelphia Phillies right-hander George McQuillan in 1907.

2009 — Washington’s Josh Willingham became the 13th player to hit two grand slams in a game, doing so in the Nationals’ 14-6 win at Milwaukee. Willingham’s eight RBIs were the most in Nationals history and tied the franchise mark.

2011 — Major League Baseball acknowledged umpire Jerry Meals made the wrong call in Atlanta’s 4-3, 19th-inning win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates filed a complaint hours after the longest game in team history.

2011 — Ervin Santana pitched the first solo no-hitter for the Angels in nearly 27 years, striking out 10 and leading Los Angeles over Cleveland 3-1. Santana allowed two runners — an error on the leadoff batter that resulted in a first-inning run and a walk in the eighth.

2011 — The Tampa Bay Rays broke one of baseball’s oldest records when they played their 705th consecutive game with a starting pitcher younger than 30 years old. The Rays lost to Oakland 13-4.

2013 — Tampa Bay Rays rookie Chris Archer helped American League teams pitch a trio of 1-0 games, the first time that’s happened on the same day in nearly a half-century. The last time three AL games ended 1-0 on the same day was Sept. 4, 1965. Archer and Tampa Bay edged New York at Yankee Stadium, Justin Masterson and the Cleveland bullpen blanked Texas and Wade Davis and Royals relievers shut out the Chicago White Sox by the same 1-0 score.

2014 — A huge crowd estimated at 48,000 is on hand for the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. This year’s class is unusually large and prestigious, featuring three players elected on the first ballot: 300-game winnersGreg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas, a member of the 500 home run club. Joining them are three managers who stand at #3, 4 and 5 on the all-time win list in Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre. Maddux, Glavine and Cox all found their greatest success in the great Atlanta Braves teams of the late 1990s.

2015 — Alex Rodriguez became the fourth player in major league history to homer as a teen and in his 40s, marking his birthday by lining an opposite-field shot to right against his former team to help the New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 6-2. Ty Cobb, Rusty Staub and Gary Sheffield are the only other players to achieve the feat.

2017 — The Nationals tied a franchise record with eight home runs, including two apiece by Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman, in a 15-2 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers. Washington matched two major league records in a seven-run third inning: Most consecutive home runs (four) and most home runs in an inning (five).

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July 28

1931 — Bob Fothergill of Chicago hit a home run and a triple in an 11-run eighth inning. The White Sox set an American League record with 12 hits in the inning and beat the New York Yankees 14-12.

1940 — King Kong Keller hit three homers to give the New York Yankees a 10-9 win over Chicago in the first game of a doubleheader split.

1951 — Clyde Vollmer of Boston hit a grand slam in the 16th inning, the latest ever hit in a major league game. The Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 8-4.

1971 — Sixteen-time Gold Glove winner Brooks Robinson committed three errors in the sixth inning against the Oakland A’s. Frank Robinson’s three-run homer in the ninth won the game for the Orioles.

1976 — John Odom (five innings) and Francisco Barrios (four innings) combined on a no-hitter, and the Chicago White Sox defeated Oakland 2-1.

1983 — AL President Lee McPhail ruled that George Brett’s “pine tar” home run against New York on July 24 should count. The umpires had disallowed the homer because the pine tar on Brett’s bat exceeded the 18-inch limit. The rest of the game was played Aug. 18 with the Kansas City Royals beating the Yankees, 5-4.

1989 — Atlanta’s Dale Murphy tied two major league records by hitting two homers and driving in six runs in the sixth inning in the Braves’ 10-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Murphy’s two home runs equaled the record shared by 13 others and the six runs batted in matched a record shared by nine players.

1990 — Shawon Dunston tied a major league record with three triples and led the Chicago Cubs to a 10-7 win over the Montreal Expos.

1990 — Cal Ripken’s errorless streak ends at 95 consecutive games, as Baltimore loses to Kansas City, 10 – 9. The streak is a new major-league record for a shortstop, eclipsing Kevin Elster’s 89-game mark.

1991 — Dennis Martinez pitched a perfect game for the Montreal Expos, who topped Los Angeles 2-0 at Dodger Stadium.

1993 — Ken Griffey Jr. tied a major league record by homering in his eighth consecutive game, but it wasn’t enough for the Seattle Mariners in a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

1994 — On the night the baseball players set an Aug. 12 strike date, Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers pitched a perfect game for a 4-0 victory over California.

2004 — Troy Percival recorded his 300th save after John Lackey allowed three hits over 8 1-3 innings to help Anaheim beat Texas 2-0.

2006 — Houston rookie Luke Scott hit for the cycle and drove in five runs, but the Astros lost to Arizona 8-7.

2018 — Rookie Francisco Arcia had a homer and six RBIs, giving him a major league-record 10 RBIs in two career games, and Los Angeles Angels rolled past Seattle 11-5.

2021 — In the first Olympic baseball game in thirteen years, Japan rallies to defeat the Dominican Republic 4-3.

July 29

1908 — Rube Waddell struck out 16, sending the St. Louis Browns past the Philadelphia A’s 5-4.

1911 — Joe Wood of the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns with a 5-0 no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader. Wood fanned 12 and allowed three baserunners on two walks and a hit batsman.

1915 — Honus Wagner, 41, became the oldest player to hit a grand slam as Pittsburgh beat Brooklyn 8-2. The grand slam was an inside-the-park homer. Wagner remained the record holder until 1985, when Tony Perez hit one the day before his 43rd birthday.

1928 — The Cleveland Indians scored eight runs in the first inning and nine more in the second and went on to beat the New York Yankees 24-6 at Dunn Field. Johnny Hodapp singled twice in the second and sixth innings.

1936 — The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 22-7 in the first game of a doubleheader, then lost the second game 5-4.

1955 — Smoky Burgess of the Cincinnati Reds hit three home runs and drove in nine runs in a 16-5 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates at Crosley Field.

1968 — George Culver of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a 6-1 no-hitter against the Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader at Philadelphia.

1983 — Steve Garvey of the San Diego Padres ended his NL record of 1,207 consecutive games. The streak ended when he dislocated his thumb in a collision with Atlanta pitcher Pascual Perez while trying to score.

2000 — Eddie Taubensee hit a game-tying homer with two outs in the ninth and homered again in the 11th to lead Cincinnati to a 4-3 win over Montreal.

2001 — Craig Monroe homered in his first major league at-bat, and the Texas Rangers beat Tampa Bay 2-0.

2003 — Boston’s Bill Mueller became the first player in major league history to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a game and connected for three homers in a 14-7 win at Texas.

2006 — Tomas Perez tied a major league record with four doubles, going 5-for-5 and leading the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to a 19-6 rout of the New York Yankees.

2010 — Anibal Sanchez pitched a one-hitter, leading the Florida Marlins past the San Francisco Giants 5-0. Sanchez retired his first 13 batters and matched a career high with eight strikeouts.

2018 — The Hall of Fame inducts one of the largest classes in its history. Honored are Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris, Jim Thome and Alan Trammell.

2022 — Aaron Judge hits two more homers in leading the Yankees to an 11 – 5 win over the Royals. He now has 41 on the season, tying the American League record for most before the end of July held by Hall of FamersBabe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Ken Griffey Jr. Judge will set a new record with another homer tomorrow.

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July 30

1917 — Ty Cobb, Bobby Veach and Ossie Vitt, each went 5-for-5 in Detroit’s 16-4 romp over Washington.

1933 — Dizzy Dean struck out 17 Cubs for the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat Chicago 8-2.

1947 — The New York Giants defeated Ewell Blackwell and the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 in 10 innings, ending Blackwell’s 16-game winning streak.

1959 — Willie McCovey had four hits in four at-bats in his major league debut, with the San Francisco Giants. His hits included two triples in a 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

1962 — The American League, led by homers from Leon Wagner, Pete Runnels and Rocky Colavito, powered past the National League 9-4, in the second All-Star Game of the year. Wagner of the Angels was named MVP.

1968 — Washington shortstop Ron Hansen pulled off an unassisted triple play, but the Cleveland Indians still won the game 10-1.

1969 — Houston, behind grand slams by Denis Menke and Jim Wynn, scored 11 runs in the ninth inning to pound the New York Mets 16-3 in a doubleheader opener at Shea Stadium. Mets pitchers Cal Koonce and Ron Taylor gave up the slams, marking the first time this century that two grand slams were hit in the same inning of a National League game.

1973 — Jim Bibby of the Texas Rangers pitched a 6-0 no-hitter against the Oakland A’s.

1980 — Houston Astros pitcher J.R. Richard had a stroke during a workout at the Astrodome and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot behind his right collarbone.

1982 — The Atlanta Braves returned Chief Noc-A-Homa and his teepee to left field after losing 19 of 21 games and blowing a 10½-game lead. The teepee was removed for more seats. The team recovered to regain first place.

1988 — John Franco of the Cincinnati Reds set a major league record with 13 saves in one month. Franco was tied with Sparky Lyle, Bruce Sutter and Bob Stanley.

1990 — George Steinbrenner was forced to resign as general partner of the New York Yankees by Commissioner Fay Vincent.

2008 — Kelly Shoppach of Cleveland tied a major league record with five extra-base hits, including a game-tying homer in the ninth, but Detroit beat the Indians 14-12 in 13 innings. Shoppach had two homers and three doubles.

2009 — A story in the New York Times states that sluggers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are among the 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. The test results were supposed to be kept secret, but Alex Rodriguez’s presence on the list of those who tested positive had already been leaked earlier this year. Ortiz states that he was not aware he had tested positive six years earlier and denies using steroids.

2011 — The New York Yankees broke loose for 12 runs in the first inning of the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader, setting a franchise record en route to a 17-3 rout of Baltimore.

2012 — Kendrys Morales homered from both sides of the plate during a nine-run sixth inning, capping the burst with a grand slam that sent the Los Angeles Angels romping past the Texas Rangers 15-8. Morales became the third switch-hitter in major league history to homer as a lefty and righty in the same inning. Carlos Baerga did it for Cleveland in 1993 and Mark Bellhorn of the Chicago Cubs duplicated the feat in 2002.

2017 — Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

_____

July 31

1930 — Lou Gehrig drove in eight runs with a grand slam and two doubles, and the New York Yankees outlasted the Boston Red Sox 14-13.

1932 — Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium opened and Lefty Grove and the Philadelphia A’s beat the Indians 1-0 before 76,979 fans.

1934 — The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 in 18 innings at Cincinnati as Dizzy Dean and Tony Freitas both went the distance.

1954 — Joe Adcock hit four home runs and a double to lead the Milwaukee Braves to a 15-7 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Adcock’s 18 total bases set a major league record at the time. Adcock homered in the second inning off Don Newcombe, doubled in the third and homered in the fifth off Erv Palica. He connected off Pete Wojey in the seventh and off Johnny Podres in the ninth. Adcock saw only seven pitches and his double off the left-center field fence just missed going out by inches.

1961 — The All-Star Game ended in a 1-1 tie at Fenway Park because of heavy rain.

1981 — The second baseball strike ended after 42 days.

1990 — Nolan Ryan, 43, won his 300th game, reaching the milestone in his second try, as the Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3.

2002 — Mike Mussina became the second pitcher in major league history to give up six doubles in one inning, during the New York Yankees’ 17-6 loss to Texas. Hall of Famer Lefty Grove allowed that many with Boston in 1934 against Washington.

2003 — John Smoltz broke his own record as the fastest pitcher to record 40 saves by pitching a scoreless ninth in Atlanta’s 7-4 win over Houston. Last year, he got his 40th save on Aug. 8, en route to breaking the NL record with 55.

2007 — The New York Yankees tied a franchise record by hitting eight home runs, including two by Hideki Matsui, in a 16-3 rout of the Chicago White Sox. New York last hit eight homers in a game in a doubleheader opener at the Philadelphia Athletics on June 28, 1939.

2010 — Carlos Gonzalez hit a game-ending home run to complete the cycle, and Colorado rallied to a 6-5 win after blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning to the Chicago Cubs.

2011 — Ricky Nolasco scattered 12 hits, Emilio Bonifacio homered and Florida handed the Atlanta Braves the 10,000th loss in franchise history. With the 3-1 loss, the Braves become the second big league team with 10,000 losses. The Phillies reached that mark in 2007.

2015 — New York’s Mark Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate for the record 14th time, hitting his 10th grand slam and a two-run homer that led the Yankees past the Chicago White Sox 13-6.

2021 — Seby Zavala becomes the first player in MLB history to record his first three home runs in the same game.

_____

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

July 25

1902 — Jim Jeffries knocks out Bob Fitzsimmons in the eighth round to retain the world heavyweight title.

1941 — Lefty Grove of the Boston Red Sox wins his 300th and last game, beating the Cleveland Indians 10-6.

1956 — Swaps sets an American record in a 1 5/8-mile race at Hollywood Park. Swaps runs the course in 2:38 1-5.

1956 — Jack Burke Jr. defeats Ted Kroll 3 and 2 in the final round to win the PGA championship.

1976 — In Montreal, Edwin Moses of the United States sets an Olympic record in the 400 hurdles with a time of 47.63.

1982 — Janet Anderson wins the U.S. Women’s Open golf title, her first tournament victory.

1999 — 86th Tour de France: Lance Armstrong wins 1st of 7 consecutive Tour de France titles but is later disqualified for drug cheating.

2004 — Copa América Final, Estadio Nacional, Lima: Brazil beats Argentina, 4-2 on penalties; 2-2 after extra time.

2007 — Michael Rasmussen, the leader of the Tour de France, is removed from the race by his Rabobank team after winning the 16th stage. Rasmussen is sent home for violating (the team’s) internal rules. The Danish cyclist missed random drug tests May 8 and June 28, saying he was in Mexico.

2010 — Alberto Contador wins the Tour de France for the third time in four years. Contador holds off a next-to-last day challenge from Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, his runner-up for a second consecutive year.

2010 — Jamie McMurray’s victory in the Brickyard 400 gives owner Chip Ganassi the first team triple crown in American auto racing: winning the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same year. McMurray won the season-opening Daytona 500 in February, and Ganassi IndyCar series driver Dario Franchitti won the Indy 500 in May.

2011 — The NFL Players Association executive board and 32 team reps vote unanimously to approve the terms of a deal to the end the 4½-month lockout. The final pact is for 10 years, without an opt-out clause.

2011 — Taylor Hoagland hits a two-run home run, Valerie Arioto and Megan Langenfeld have RBI singles and the United States beats rival Japan 6-4 to win its fifth straight World Cup of Softball championship.

2012 — Triple jumper Voula Papachristou is kicked off Greece’s Olympic team by the Hellenic Olympic Committee for her comments on Twitter mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far-right political party.

2015 — Maya Moore scores a record 30 points to lead the West to a 117-112 victory over the East in the WNBA All-Star Game. The league’s reigning MVP scores eight straight points in the final 2 minutes to turn a one-point deficit into a 113-106 advantage.

2021 — USA’s men’s basketball lose to France 83-76 ending their 25-game Olympic winning streak.

_____

July 26

1859 — The first intercollegiate Regatta is held in Worcester, Mass., with Harvard beating Yale and Brown.

1928 — Gene Tunney beats Tom Heeney on a technical knockout in the 11th round at Yankee Stadium to retain the world heavyweight title.

1952 — Bob Mathias wins his second Olympic decathlon in Helsinki, Finland.

1955 — Doug Ford defeats Cary Middlecoff 4 and 3 in the final round to capture the PGA title.

1981 — Pat Bradley shoots a record 279 total to win the U.S. Women’s Open. Kathy Whitworth, who finishes third, becomes the first million-dollar golfer in LPGA history.

1987 — Stephen Roche of Ireland wins the Tour de France by 40 seconds over Spain’s Pedro Delgado. Jeannie Longo of France wins the women’s race, finishing 2:52 ahead of Italy’s Maria Canins.

1992 — Miguel Indurain of Spain, the holder of the yellow jersey as overall leader for the final nine days, rides in the pack to clinch his second straight victory in the Tour de France.

1996 — American swimmer Amy Van Dyken wins the 50-meter freestyle to become Atlanta’s first quadruple gold medalist and the first U.S. woman to win four in a single Olympics.

1998 — Three spectators are killed — the first fan deaths at a major race in the United States in more than a decade — and six are injured by flying debris from a one-car crash at the U.S. 500 at Michigan Speedway.

2005 — Greg Maddux records his 3,000th career strikeout against San Francisco, striking out Omar Vizquel in the third inning of a 3-2, 11-inning victory for the Giants.

2009 — Alberto Contador wins the Tour de France for a second time. Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, Contador’s biggest rival among title contenders in the mountains, finishes second.

2013 — He Chong wins his record-tying third consecutive world title in the men’s 3-meter springboard at Barcelona, Spain, giving China its seventh gold medal in eight diving events. His victories in 2009, 2011, and 2013, matches Phillip Boggs’ record of three titles from 1973-78.

2015 — Christina Jones and Bill May of the U.S. win the first gold medal in new mixed duet technical synchronized swimming at the world championships in Kazan, Russia. The mixed duet is new to the world championships.

2015 — Kyle Busch’s incredible comeback continues with a weekend sweep at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He wins the Brickyard 400 a day after winning the second-tier Xfinity Series race. Busch, who missed the first 11 races of the season with a broken right leg and broken left foot, wins the fourth of the last five Sprint Cup Series races, including three straight.

2020 — Italian soccer team Juventus wins its 9th straight Serie A title in a 2-0 victory over Sampdoria.

2021 — Hidilyn Diaz becomes the first athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal in the 55kg class of weightlifting at the Tokyo Games.

2024 — XXXIII Summer Olympic Games officially open in Paris.

_____

July 27

1920 — Resolute defeats Shamrock IV of Britain to defend the America’s Cup title for the United States.

1937 — The United States wins the Davis Cup by beating Britain four matches to one.

1954 — Chick Harbart beats Walter Burkemo 4 and 3 in the final round to win the PGA championship.

1969 — Betsy Rawls wins the LPGA championship by four strokes over Sue Berning and Carol Mann.

1973 — The Miami Dolphins beat the College All-Stars 14-3 in Chicago.

1986 — Greg Lemond becomes the first American to win the Tour de France. LeMond’s teammate, Bernard Hinault of France, finishes second.

1986 — Pat Bradley sinks a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat hard-charging Japanese veteran Ayako Okamoto in the LPGA-du Maurier tournament. Bradley birdied five of the first six holes and finishes at 6-under 66 for a 72-hole total of 276.

1986 — Speedskater Bonnie Blair sets a U.S. Olympic Festival record for total medals won with 16 and total golds with 10 by taking two titles.

1986 — Bobby Hillin Jr. becomes the youngest winner in the history of NASCAR stock car racing, surviving the Talladega 500 at Alabama International Motor Speedway. Hillin, 22, takes the lead from Tim Richmond eight laps from the end of the 188-lap event.

1987 — The Salt Lake Trappers, an independent team in the Pioneer League, have their record 29-game winning streak snapped with a 7-5 loss to Billings.

1992 — Patty Sheehan shoots a 1-over 72 for a two-stroke victory over Juli Inkster in their 18-hole playoff in the U.S. Women’s Open.

1993 — Reggie Lewis, the 27-year-old Boston Celtics star who collapsed during a playoff game on April 29 from a heart ailment, dies after a light workout at the team’s practice facility at Brandeis University.

1996 — Canada’s Donovan Bailey sets the world record to win the 100 meters in 9.84 seconds at the Summer Olympics. The Atlanta Games are later marred by the Centennial Olympic Park bombing that kills Alice Hawthorne, wounds 111 others.

1999 — Tony Hawk is the first skateboarder to land a “900”.

2002 — John Ruiz retains the WBA heavyweight title he won from Evander Holyfield, this time getting off the canvas three times — all after low blows — and lasting long enough for Kirk Johnson to be disqualified.

2005 — Grant Hackett bumps off one of swimmimg’s most enduring world records, eclipsing Ian Thorpe’s mark in the 800-meter freestyle. The 6-foot-6 Hackett claims his second gold and third medal of the World Swimming Championships with a time of 7:38.65, breaking the mark set four years earlier by his countryman Thorpe.

2006 — Floyd Landis’ stunning Tour de France victory just four days earlier is thrown into question when he tests positive for high levels of testosterone during the race.

2008 — Carlos Sastre wins the Tour de France in one of the closest finishes in the 105-year-old race. The third Spaniard in a row to win cycling’s premier event, Sastre holds his 65-second lead over Cadel Evans of Australia. As in the last two years, this year’s Tour is plagued by doping.

2013 — Candace Parker scores a record 23 points to lead the West to a 102-98 win over the East and earn MVP honors in the WNBA All-Star game.

2013 — Hunter Mahan withdraws from the RBC Canadian Open after his wife went into labor. Mahan, the tournament leader at 13 under after 36 holes, had yet to tee off for the third round.

2014 — Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali wins the Tour de France, becoming the first Italian to win cycling’s greatest race in 16 years. Nibali is the sixth rider to win all three Grand Tours — France, Italy and Spain— and is the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Marco Pantani in 1998.

2014 — Martina Hingis leads Washington to its fourth straight World TeamTennis title and fifth in six years, beating Olga Govortsova 5-2 in singles in the Kastles’ 25-13 victory over the Springfield Lasers.

2015 — The Arizona Cardinals hire Jen Welter to coach inside linebackers through their upcoming training camp and preseason. The Cardinals say Welter is believed to be the first woman to hold a coaching position of any kind in the NFL.

2019 — Israel qualifies for their first European Baseball Championship.

2021 — Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles withdraws from the women’s team final at the Tokyo Games citing needs to focus on her mental health.

_____

July 28

1913 — The United States wins its first Davis Cup since 1902 by beating Britain three matches to two.

1928 — The Summer Olympics open in Amsterdam and the Olympic flame is lit for the first time.

1929 — The Chicago Cardinals become the first NFL team to train out of state, holding camp in Michigan.

1972 — The American Basketball Association announces that San Diego will receive a franchise and the NBA’s Buffalo Braves relocate to San Diego and are renamed the San Diego Clippers.

1972 — The Dallas Cowboys beat the College All-Stars in Chicago 20-7.

1984 — The Summer Olympics open in Los Angeles with a record 140 nations competing. The Soviet Union and 13 Communist allies, including Cuba and East Germany, boycott the games.

1987 — Laura Davies shoots a 1-under 71 to defeat Ayako Okamoto and JoAnne Carner in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Women’s Open.

1987 — Angel Cordero Jr. becomes the fourth U.S. jockey to win 6,000 races when he rides Lost Kitty to victory at Monmouth Park, N.J.

1991 — Dennis Martinez pitches a perfect game for the Montreal Expos, who beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0.

1992 — American Mike Barrowman sets a world record in winning the 200-meter breaststroke, and Russian Evgueni Sadovyi becomes the Summer Olympics’ first triple gold medalist, also smashing a world record in the men’s 400-meter freestyle.

1994 — On the night baseball players set an Aug. 12 strike date, Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers pitches a perfect game for a 4-0 victory over California.

2000 — Blaine Wilson, America’s pre-eminent gymnast, wins his fifth straight championship in St. Louis. He becomes the first gymnast to win five straight national titles since George Wheeler did it from 1937-41.

2009 — Germany’s Paul Biedermann hands Michael Phelps his first major individual loss in four years, setting a world record in the 200-meter freestyle at the world championships in Rome. Phelps, a body length behind, loses for the first time in a major international meet since Ian Crocker beat him in the 100 butterfly final at the 2005 worlds.

2011 — Ryan Lochte celebrates the first world record set since high-tech bodysuits were banned 1 1/2 years ago. Lochte edges Michael Phelps in 200-meter individual medley at the world championships at Shanghai.

2013 — Brek Shea scores less than a minute after entering the game as a second-half substitute, giving the United States a 1-0 victory over Panama in the Gold Cup final. It’s the fifth Gold Cup title for the Americans but their first since 2007.

2016 — Mirim Lee shoots a 10-under 62 to match the Women’s British Open record and take a three-stroke lead in the major championship at tree-lined Woburn (England) Golf Club.

2016 — Stephan Jaeger shoots a 12-under 58 in the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic in Hayward, Calif., for the lowest score in major tour play. The German finishes with a 10-foot birdie putt.

2019 — 22-year-old Egan Bernal becomes the first Colombian and Latin American cyclist to win the Tour de France.

July 29

1751 — The first International World Title Prize Fight takes place in Harlston, England. The champion, Jack Slack of England, beats the challenger, M. Petit of France, in 25 minutes.

1934 — Paul Runyan beats Craig Wood on the 38th hole to win the PGA Championship at Park Country Club in Williamsville, N.Y.

1956 — Cathy Cornelius wins a playoff over Barbara McIntyre to win the U.S. Women’s Open.

1957 — At the Polo Grounds in New York, Floyd Patterson TKOs Tommy Jackson at 1:52 of the 10th round to retain the heavyweight title.

1960 — The first American Football League preseason game is played in Buffalo, N.Y. The Boston Patriots, led by quarterback Butch Songin, beat the Bills 28-7 before 16,474 fans at War Memorial Stadium .

1979 — Amy Alcott shoots a 7-under 285 to beat Nancy Lopez in the Peter Jackson Classic, later named The du Maurier Classic. The du Maurier is one of the LPGA Tour’s major championships from 1979-2000.

1986 — The U.S. Football League wins and loses in its lawsuit against the NFL. The jury finds the NFL violated antitrust laws, as the USFL claimed, but awards the USFL only $1 in damages.

1989 — Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor becomes the first person to high jump 8 feet, breaking his world record at the Caribbean Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He surpasses his mark of 7-11½.

1990 — Beth Daniel shoots a 66 to overcome a 5-shot deficit and win the LPGA Championship — her first major title in 12 years on the tour. Daniel beats Rosie Jones by one stroke and pockets $150,000, the largest in LPGA Tour history.

1992 — The U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay team wins the gold medal, with Matt Biondi and Tom Jager becoming the first U.S. male swimmers to win golds in three Olympics.

1996 — Michael Johnson sweeps to victory in an Olympic 400-meter record 43.49 seconds, while Carl Lewis leaps into history in Atlanta. Lewis’ long jump of 27 feet, 10¾ inches earns him his ninth gold medal, equaling the American mark held by swimmer Mark Spitz.

2001 — Copa América Final, Estadio El Campín, Bogotá: Defender Iván Córdoba scores winner as home team Columbia edge Mexico, 1-0.

2008 — Disgraced ex-NBA official Tim Donaghy admits he brought shame on his profession as a federal judge sentenced him to 15 months behind bars for a gambling scandal.

2012 — Kimberly Rhode wins the Olympic gold medal in women’s skeet shooting, becoming the first American to take an individual-sport medal in five consecutive Olympics.

2012 — Dana Vollmer of the U.S. sets a world record to win the 100-meter butterfly at the London Olympics. Vollmer hits the wall in 55.98 seconds to shave 0.08 off the mark set by Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden at the 2009 world championships in Rome.

2015 — Russia’s Natalya Ishchenko wins a record 18th career synchronized swimming gold medal at the world championships at Kazan, Russia.

2021 — Sunisa Lee wins the women’s all-around gymnastics gold medal in Tokyo.

_____

July 30

1870 — Monmouth Park opens with a five-day meet.

1930 — Host Uruguay beats Argentina 4-2 for soccer’s first World Cup in Montevideo.

1932 — The 10th modern Olympic Games open in Los Angeles.

1961 — Jerry Barber edges Don January by one stroke in a playoff to win the PGA title at Olympia Fields in Illinois.

1966 — England beats West Germany 4-2 at London’s Wembley Stadium to capture soccer’s World Cup.

1968 — Washington’s Ron Hansen pulls off an unassisted triple play in a 10-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

1971 — In the NFL Chicago All-Star Game, the Baltimore Colts beat the All-Stars 24-17.

1976 — Bruce Jenner sets the world record in the Olympic decathlon with 8,618 points, breaking Nikolai Avilov’s mark by 164 points.

1980 — Houston pitcher J.R. Richard suffers a stroke during a workout at the Astrodome.

1984 — Michael Gross of West Germany sets a world record in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:47.44 at a meet in Munich.

1996 — The American softball team wins the gold medal, beating China 3-1 behind a controversial two-run homer from Dot Richardson in the first Olympic competition in that sport.

2009 — Seven more world records on the fifth night of the world swimming championships in Rome are set, pushing the total to 29 and moving past last summer’s Beijing Olympics. Ryan Lochte gets things rolling by breaking Phelps’ mark in the 200-meter individual medley. The Chinese women finish it off, eclipsing the 800 freestyle relay mark by more than two seconds, with the Americans also breaking the previous record but only getting silver.

2012 — In London, Missy Franklin, a 17-year-old from Colorado, wins the women’s 100-meter backstroke. Franklin has a brief 13-minute break after taking the final qualifying spot in the 200 freestyle semifinals before she had to get back into the water for the backstroke final. Ruta Meilutyte, 15, becomes the first Lithuanian to win an Olympic swimming medal by holding off a late charge from world champion Rebecca Soni of the U.S. in the 100 breaststroke.

2013 — Katie Ledecky crushes the world record in the 1,500 freestyle for her second gold medal at the world swimming championships in Barcelona, Spain. The 16-year-old American finishes with a time of 15:36.53 to beat the previous mark by more than 6 seconds — Kate Ziegler’s 15:42.54 in 2007.

2015 — North Korea wins its first gold medal at the world aquatics championships through 16-year-old Kim Kuk Hyang in women’s 10-meter diving. In her first international competition, Kim produces a stunning final dive, earning two perfect 10 scores from the seven judges, for a total of 397.05 points. On the next dive, the leader up to that point, world champion Si Yajie of China, makes an error to drop to fourth.

2021 — South African swimmer Tatjana Shoemaker sets a new women’s 200m breaststroke world record of 2:18.95 at the Tokyo Olympics.

_____

July 31

1932 — France beats the U.S. 3-2 for its sixth consecutive Davis Cup championship.

1934 — Britain, led by Fred Perry and Bunny Austin, defeats the U.S. 4-1 at Wimbledon to win the Davis Cup title.

1942 — Jockey Bill Turnbull wins seven of nine races at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H.

1954 — Joe Adcock hits four homers and a double to lift the Milwaukee Braves a 15-7 victory over Brooklyn.

1963 — The Cleveland Indians become the first American League club to hit four straight home runs. No. 8 hitter Woody Held hits a two-out homer off Paul Foytack and pitcher Pedro Ramos follows with his second homer of the game before Tito Francona and Larry Brown’s first major league homer finish this odd power surge. Foytack is the only major league pitcher to give up four straight home runs.

1973 — Julius Erving, the American Basketball Association’s leading scorer, is traded by the cash-strapped Virginia Squires to the New York Nets for forward George Carter and cash.

1983 — Jan Stephenson beats JoAnne Carner and Patty Sheehan by one stroke to win the U.S. Women’s Open.

1990 — Nolan Ryan wins his 300th game, reaching the milestone in his second try, as the Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3.

1993 — Mike Aulby becomes the third player in PBA history to win a tournament by rolling a 300 game in the title game. Aulby beats David Ozio 300-279 in the Wichita Open.

1994 — Sergei Bubka sets a world pole vault record for the 35th time in his career at a meet in Sestriere, Italy. Bubka soars 20 feet, 1¾ inches, adding a half-inch to his mark set in Tokyo in 1992.

2000 — Dorothy Delasin becomes the LPGA’s youngest winner in 25 years by beating Pat Hurst on the second extra hole to win the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. The 19-year-old Delasin is the youngest winner on the tour since Amy Alcott took the Orange Blossom Classic at age 19 in 1975.

2005 — Grant Hackett becomes the first swimmer to win four straight world titles in the same event, capturing another 1,500-meter freestyle. The Aussie stretches out his own record for world championship medals to 17.

2007 — All-Star Kevin Garnett is traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to Boston for five players and two draft picks. The Celtics obtain the former MVP and 10-time All-Star from Minnesota for forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair and center Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft picks.

2011 — Yani Tseng wins the Women’s British Open for the second straight year, beating Brittany Lang by four strokes and becoming the youngest woman to capture a fifth major title. The 22-year-old top-ranked Taiwanese shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 16-under 272.

2012 — Michael Phelps breaks the Olympic medals record with his 19th, helping the U.S. romp to a 4×200-meter freestyle relay victory at the London Games. With 19 medals spanning three Olympics, Phelps moves one ahead of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who got her haul in 1956, 1960 and 1964.

2012 — The team of Gabrielle Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Alexandra Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber lives up to all the hype, winning the first U.S. Olympic title in women’s gymnastics since 1996.

2021 — Katie Ledecky wins the women’s 800m gold in Tokyo. This is the third consecutive Olympics she has won the race.

______                                                                                                                                            

TV SPORTS

(All times Eastern)

Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts

Friday, July 25

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)

5:05 a.m.

FS2 — AFL: Western at Essendon

5:30 a.m. (Saturday)

FS2 — AFL: Geelong at North Melbourne

AUTO RACING

6:25 a.m.

ESPN2 — Formula 1: Practice, Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium

10:55 a.m.

ESPNU — Formula 1: Sprint Qualifying, Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium

1 p.m.

TRUTV — NASCAR Cup Series: Practice, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Ind.

3:05 p.m.

FS1 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Practice, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis

4 p.m.

FS2 — Indy NXT Series: Practice, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.

4:10 p.m.

FS1 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Qualifying, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis

5 p.m.

FS2 — NTT IndyCar Series: Practice, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.

5:30 p.m.

FS1 — ARCA Menards Series: The LiUNA! 150, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis

6:30 p.m.

FS2 — Indy NXT Series: Practice, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.

8 p.m.

FS1 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: The TSport 200, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis

10 p.m.

FS1 — NHRA: Qualifying, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.

5:55 a.m. (Saturday)

ESPN — Formula 1: Sprint Race, Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium

CYCLING

7 a.m.

PEACOCK — UCI: The Tour de France, Stage 19, Albertville / La Plagne, France

6 a.m. (Saturday)

PEACOCK — UCI: The Tour de France, Stage 20, Nantua / Pontarlier, France

GOLF

4:30 a.m.

GOLF — LPGA Tour: The ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, Second Round, Dundonald Links, North Ayrshire, Scotland

8 a.m.

FS1 — LIV Golf League: First Round, JCB Golf & Country Club, Rocester, England

8:30 a.m.

GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The ISPS HANDA Senior Open, Second Round, Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course), Berkshire, England

Noon

FS2 — LIV Golf League: Second Round, JCB Golf & Country Club, Rocester, England

4 p.m.

GOLF — PGA Tour: The 3M Open, Second Round, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.

HORSE RACING

1 p.m.

FS2 — NYRA: Saratoga Live

4:30 p.m.

FS2 — NYRA: Saratoga Live

LITTLE LEAGUE SOFTBALL

10 a.m.

ESPN — Little League Softball Southeast Regional: TBD, Championship, Warner Robins, Ga.

Noon

ESPN — Little League Softball New England Regional: TBD, Championship, Bristol, Conn.

1:45 p.m.

ESPN — Little League Softball Central Regional: TBD, Championship, Whitestown, Ind.

3:30 p.m.

ESPN — Little League Softball Southwest Regional: TBD, Championship, Waco, Texas

5:15 p.m.

ESPN — Little League Softball Northwest Regional: TBD, Championship, San Bernardino, Calif.

7 p.m.

ESPN — Little League Softball Mid-Atlantic Regional: TBD, Championship, Bristol, Conn.

8:45 p.m.

ESPN — Little League Softball West Regional: TBD, Championship, San Bernardino, Calif.

MLB BASEBALL

4 p.m.

MLBN — Miami at Milwaukee (4:10 p.m.)

7:05 p.m.

APPLE TV+ — Philadelphia at N.Y. Yankees

8 p.m.

MLBN — Regional Coverage: Atlanta at Texas (8:05 p.m.) OR Washington at Minnesota (8:10 p.m.)

8:10 p.m.

APPLE TV+ — Cleveland at Kansas City

11 p.m.

MLBN — Regional Coverage: N.Y. Mets at San Francisco (10:15 p.m.) OR Seattle at L.A. Angels (9:35 p.m.)

RUGBY (MEN’S)

6 a.m. (Saturday)

CBSSN — International Union: Australia vs. British & Irish Lions, East Melbourne, Australia

RUGBY (WOMEN’S)

1:10 a.m. (Saturday)

FS2 — NRL: Canterbury-Bankstown at Sydney

SOCCER (MEN’S)

10 p.m.

FS2 — Canadian Premier League: Valour FC at Vancouver FC

SOCCER (WOMEN’S)

7:50 p.m.

FS2 — Conmebol Copa America Group Stage: Brazil vs. Colombia, Group B, Quito, Ecuador

TENNIS

7 a.m.

TENNIS — Kitzbuhel-ATP, Prague-WTA Semifinals

Noon

TENNIS — Washington-ATP/WTA Quarterfinals

WNBA BASKETBALL

7:30 p.m.

ION — Phoenix at New York

10 p.m.

ION — Dallas at Golden State

YOUTH SOCCER

5 p.m.

ESPNU — U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships: TBD, U-13 Girls Finals, Orlando, Fla.

7 p.m.

ESPNU — U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships: TBD, U-13 Boys Finals, Orlando, Fla.