Tag: Sportscenter

Notre Dame alumnus Hannah Storm shares experience with breast cancer

Fortunately, she’s cancer-free now.

Hannah Storm is one of the most famous people in today’s sports media landscape to graduate from Notre Dame. For over 30 years, she has part of our sports TV viewing experience to some degree. But she recently had a scare nobody ever wants.

In an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America”, Storm, currently a “SportsCenter” anchor on ESPN, said that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. The good news is they caught it early enough that she underwent a lumpectomy, and doctors now say she is cancer-free. Still, it made the scare no less frightening:

“I was shocked because, again, I had had mammograms every year. I have no risk factors. I have no breast cancer in my family. I did not have a lump. I did not have pain. I don’t have any genetic predisposition to breast cancer. And what I came to learn is the vast majority of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer don’t have risk factors, and so I’ve got to say I was shocked. I was scared.

Storm is the latest example of why mammograms are so important and why women should schedule them annually by the time they turn 40. Also, it likely isn’t lost on her that in January 2015, she was the one who had to break to “SportsCenter” viewers that her colleague Stuart Scott had died of cancer.
Don’t take life for granted, folks. We only get to go through it once as far as he know, so give yourself the opportunity to live it as long and as best as you can.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Flip’n Ridiculous: Rutgers football safety Flip Dixon makes a SportsCenter Top 10 interception

Rutgers football safety Flip Dixon makes a tremendous interception catch.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Flip Dixon has been nothing short of sensational for Rutgers football this season since joining out of the transfer portal. The latest evidence of this is an interception in the second quarter as Rutgers battled Virginia Tech.

The diving interception was tremendous body control to get the ball and stay in bounds. It is one of the top plays in college football in what has been a wild and exciting weekend.

Dixon, a transfer portal addition out of Minnesota, had four tackles to go along with his interception. He came into Week 3 with 14 total tackles (five solo) and two passes defended. Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has praised Dixon for his impact in his first season with the Scarlet Knights.

He had 28 total tackles last year for Minnesota.

Rutgers made the SportsCenter Top 10 in Week 1 for Ian Strong’s acrobatic touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. Dixon is certainly a candidate to make the top 10 list again this week with this turnover:

 

For Dixon, it was his second-career interception.

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Rutgers went into halftime up 21-3 over Virginia Tech.

SportsCenter Top 10? Check out the best football play you will see this weekend

Check out this SportsCenter Top 10 worthy play from Chris McLaughlin of Harrison.

Turn off the television and go outside because the best play of the weekend already has happened. Unless, of course, it is to watch this tremendous highlight play on ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 later tonight.

In a game coming out of the Lower Hudson Valley (Section 1 A-League A to be exact), Harrison defensive back Chris McLaughlin provided a jaw-droppingly good play.

The 85-yard interception return for the touchdown saw McLaughlin break four tackles and weave his way through the Rye team. After finding little space while attempting a vertical run following his leaping interception, McLaughlin begins to break tackle after tackle before turning on the jets to run the final 67 yards untouched for the touchdown.

It was some impressive athleticism from McLaughlin, a class of 2024 player who lines up as a defensive back, wide receiver and running back for Harrison.

 

McLaughlin certainly has an impressive resume. Named all-state last year, he has twice been selected to both the all-league and all-section.

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He also runs a reported 4.49 time in the 40.

Watch: 1996 highlights of ugly Notre Dame win over Vanderbilt

Remember this game?

After Notre Dame’s 1995 season began with an unexpected loss to Northwestern, the program hoped to avoid a similar upset to begin 1996. That involved visiting a putrid Vanderbilt team that the Irish easily should have disposed of. However, the 14-7 win really had to be earned, and it involved some of the ugliest football in recent program history. Here are the “SportsCenter” highlights to provide a small taste of that ugliness:

The Irish lost four fumbles, and it took a 3-yard touchdown run by [autotag]Marc Edwards[/autotag] in the fourth quarter to put them up for good. Despite the victory, it was an embarrassing performance for a team just coming off an Orange Bowl appearance. Having been ranked sixth in the preseason, the Irish fell to ninth in the next poll.

This statement from the game story on the Notre Dame athletic website says it all:

“Leaving Vanderbilt Stadium, many Irish fans were shocked and dismayed. How did Notre Dame win despite losing four fumbles? Was this merely first-game jitters or a sign of things to come?”

In 1996, the final season with [autotag]Lou Holtz[/autotag] at the helm, the Irish finished 8-3 and never dropped from the rankings, ultimately finishing 19th. They declined a couple of bowl invitations because they didn’t like the quality of the opponents they would have played. Boy, how things have changed.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Watch: 1997 highlights of Notre Dame’s win over Hawaii

Do you recall this game?

The 1997 season started horribly for Notre Dame and first-year coach [autotag]Bob Davie[/autotag]. A 2-5 start meant the Irish had to win out for bowl consideration. They came into their regular-season finale at Hawaii having won their previous four, but getting their much-needed fifth straight win proved to be easier said than done. But [autotag]Scott Cengia[/autotag]’s chip-shot field with seconds to play put the Irish over the top, 23-22, and the highlights were on that night’s “SportsCenter” for all to see:

When asked to comment on the comeback victory, Davie said the following:

“I’m really proud of the way our team came back. I thought that if there was a way, our players would pull it out because the attitude on that sideline was steady.”

If the attitude was steady at the Independence Bowl a month later, it wasn’t enough as LSU crushed the Irish in a virtual home game, 27-9. Still, the regular-season finale served as an example of resilience and overcoming adversity. The ending to the season itself might not have been great, but to even get to that point was impressive by itself.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Longtime ESPN anchor Neil Everett gave a touching goodbye while signing off SportsCenter for the final time

Sportscenter won’t be the same without Neil Everett

Aloha, Neil Everett. Happy trails.

After 23 years with the ESPN and 14 years as a SportsCenter West Coast co-anchor, Everett signed off for a final time on Friday.

Everett confirmed he was leaving ESPN earlier in June following a Disney mandated downsize of ESPN’s on-air television talent, according to Front Office Sports.

Everett hosted the late-night West Coast edition of SportsCenter alongside his longtime co-anchor Stan Verrett. The two have been anchoring the show since 2009, but Everett joined the company in 2000 after a 15-year stint of working locally in Hawaii.

On Friday he gave one last sign-off and left the audience with some kind words after a nice tribute video.

First came the tribute video.

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Then came the goodbye.

“Well this is the end of the line for me. I’m not on social media, but Stan has told me that some of you have left some favorable tweets. And I appreciate that because that’s what you do — you do this to entertain you all out there and entertain yourself. … Love is a long road. I’ll see you down it.”

That’s Neil Everett, man. Those late-night “Bartender, Jack!” highlight calls in the summertime during baseball season never got old. It’d be time for bed on the east coast, but you couldn’t stop watching SportsCenter because Everett and Verrett were such a delightful combo. SportsCenter will miss him — we all will.

The internet showed lots of love to Everett on the way out, even though he probably won’t see it.

Watch: 2009 highlights of Notre Dame win over Michigan State

Remember this thriller?

Coming off a heartbreaking loss at Michigan the week before, Notre Dame tried to get back on track against Michigan State. It was 2009, which proved to be the final year of [autotag]Charlie Weis[/autotag]’ Irish tenure. As “SportsCenter” showed its viewers, anyone who didn’t tune in that day missed one heck of a thriller. The Irish surrendered the lead in the fourth quarter, got it back, then turned out the lights in a 33-30 victory:

As you can see from the graphic at the end, the victory came at the expense of an injury to [autotag]Michael Floyd[/autotag] that would knock him out until November. But there were plenty of folks who helped improve the Irish’s record to 2-1. [autotag]Jimmy Clausen[/autotag] outdueled Kirk Cousins, throwing for 300 yards and two touchdowns. One of them was to Floyd, and the other, which turned out to be the game-winning score, went to [autotag]Golden Tate[/autotag].

[autotag]Armando Allen[/autotag] showed his versatility in this game. Not only did he run for 115 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, but he threw the lone touchdown pass of his career from 5 yards out to [autotag]Robby Parris[/autotag]. That’s a day to remember.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Watch: ‘SportsCenter’ highlight of Notre Dame’s 2000 season opener

Remember this game?

After losing its final four games of 1999, Notre Dame needed to get off to a good start for the 2000 season. Opening against No. 25 Texas A&M was no easy task, even if it was at home. Fortunately, new athletic director [autotag]Kevin White[/autotag] got off to a good football start for his tenure as the Irish upset the Aggies, 25-10. Now, you can see the “SportsCenter” highlight from the game that vaulted the Irish to the rankings and kept them there for the rest of the season:

[autotag]Arnaz Battle[/autotag] made his first collegiate start at quarterback during a hot afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium. He threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns. However, he never got to build on that as he broke his wrist on the first play the next week against top-ranked Nebraska and never played quarterback again. He converted to receiver the next season, putting him on a path to the NFL.

The Irish outgained the Aggies on the ground, 194-90. Five different players rushed in double figures. That group was paced by [autotag]Julius Jones[/autotag], who had 60 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Twitter Reactions: Sporting world reacts to Oregon legend Neil Everett leaving ESPN

“Bartender…Jack!” Oregon Duck legend Neil Everett will be leaving ESPN after 23 years. His departure left the sporting world traveling down memory lane.

If you think about the most famous and prominent figures in today’s sporting world, it’s hard not to have Neil Everett on the list.

Because of Everett, it was not uncommon to hear a “Quack quack!” on ESPN’s Sportscenter in primetime on the west coast. As a notable alumnus of the University of Oregon and a beloved member of the journalism community, it was easy to look up to Everett and admire his lighthearted and joyous attitude as he did the work that so many kids dream of doing when they grow up.

It was announced on Thursday that Everett is no longer going to be employed at the Worldwide Leader of Sports, instead having his contract expire during Disney’s on-air talent cuts. In other words, ESPN is letting him become a free agent after 23 years at the company.

As one of the most popular Sportscenter hosts that ESPN has ever had, the news the Everett was leaving the company made some waves across the sporting world. Some of the most prominent figures in the industry took to social media to express their sorrow and gratitude. Here are some of the most notable reactions.

Rose Zhang joins ‘Today’ and ‘SportsCenter’ in New York City after historic LPGA debut victory

“I would describe it as a fairy tale so far,” said Zhang on ESPN.

Rose Zhang put off studying for a bit to take a media tour of New York City, stopping first at NBC’s Today Show Plaza to talk about her historic victory at the Mizuho Americas Open. The 20-year-old beat major champion and fellow NCAA and Augusta National Women’s Amateur winner Jennifer Kupcho in a two-hole playoff at Liberty National to clinch an LPGA title in her professional debut.

Zhang, who has won 10 of her last 12 stroke-play events, told “Today” hosts she had more than 500 messages on her cell phone when she finally took a break from the madness to look.

“I would describe it as a fairy tale so far,” said Zhang, while making an appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” Monday afternoon. “It’s just been such an incredible week. I couldn’t have imagined, scripted this week in any better fashion.”

Zhang said she came into the week simply wanting to learn what the “real pros” do inside the ropes. The former Stanford superstar moved up 420 places in the Rolex Rankings to No. 62 in the world.

Zhang accepted LPGA membership after her victory, which means she’s now a tour rookie. Her next start will be the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol followed by the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.

“I came into the week with a lot of media attention,” said Zhang. “There was a lot happening. The fact that I was able to prevail and full on execute what I needed to do on the golf course and come out on top – it really is just an incredible feeling.”

After a tour of Manhattan, Zhang prepared for her toughest assignment of the week: a final in CS-106A.

“Currently still trying to grind in that class. It’s been a little unfortunate for me,” said the communications major last week with a laugh. “I’m not a CS (computer science) major. Will never code again after this class.”

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