Tuesday, August 30, 2011

George Edward Kimball, American boxing columnist (Boston Herald), died from esophageal cancer he was , 67


George E. Kimball III  was an American author and journalist who spent 25 years as a sports columnist for the Boston Herald before retiring in 2005 died from esophageal cancer he was , 67. Considered one of the foremost boxing writers of his era, he is the author of Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran, and the Last Great Era of Boxing (2008) and "Manly Art: They can run -- but they can't hide" (2011). In collaboration with John Schulian, he edited two anthologies, "At The Fights: American Writers on Boxing" (2011) and "The Fighter Still Remains: A Celebration of Boxing in Poetry and Song from Ali to Zevon" (2010). Since 1997 he had written the weekly ‘America at Large’ column for The Irish Times in Dublin, Ireland, and had contributed to a number of boxing websites.

(December 20, 1943 – July 6, 2011)

Youth and Education

Descendant of Richard Kimball (ca 1595-1675) and the son of a career Army officer, Kimball was born in Grass Valley, California, but lived all over the world as a boy, including stops in Taiwan and Germany. After graduating from high school in San Antonio, Texas, he attended the University of Kansas, and later the Iowa Writer's Workshop. He became increasingly involved in the counterculture of the late 1960s, and although he had originally attended college on a Naval ROTC scholarship, later in the decade his participation in the antiwar movement led to several arrests.

Early career

In the late 1960s Kimball (with John Fowler and Charles Plymell) was an editor for the influential Midwestern magazine Grist before moving to New York, where he was heavily involved in the literary scene revolving around the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s-in-the-Bouwerie and the Lion’s Head saloon in Greenwich Village. After working at the Scott Meredith Literary Agency in New York, Kimball returned to Kansas in 1970, where he waged a colorful campaign for the office Douglas County sheriff. As a freelance writer he contributed to diverse publications such as The Paris Review, Rolling Stone, The Realist, and Scanlan’s Monthly, and his novel, Only Skin Deep, was published in 1968. In the early 1970s he was also an editor for the Cambridge (Mass.) literary journal Ploughshares.

Journalistic career

In early 1972 Kimball became the sports editor of the Boston Phoenix, and for nearly a decade there worked on a Phoenix staff that at various times included Joe Klein, Jon Landau, Janet Maslin, Curt Raymond, Sidney Blumenthal and David Denby, while nurturing the early careers of fellow sportswriters Mike Lupica, Michael Gee, and Charles P. Pierce. In 1980 he began a columnist for the Herald, and for the next quarter-century covered major sporting events around the world, including Super Bowls and World Series, NBA Finals and the Olympic Games, golf’s four majors and Ryder Cups, Wimbledon and the America’s Cup yacht races. He covered nearly 400 world title fights, and was the 1985 recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism. Kimball also received ‘Best Column’ awards from the Boxing Writers Association of America, the Golf Writers Association of America, Boston Magazine, and United Press International.

Books

  • Only Skin Deep (Olympia/Ophelia, 1968)
  • Sunday’s Fools: stomped, tromped, kicked, and chewed in the NFL. Houghton Mifflin. 1974. ISBN 9780395199527. (with Tom Beer)
  • Chairman of the Boards -- Red Rock Press, Dublin (2008) (with Eamonn Coghlan)
  • American at Large -- Red Rock Press, Dublin (2008)
  • Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing. McBooks Press. September 1, 2009. ISBN 9781590132388.; Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh = date July 1, 2008
  • The Fighter Still Remains: A Celebration of Boxing in Poetry and Song from Ali to Zevon -- publisher = Fore Angels Press/DiBella Entertainment/ date June 1, 2010 (with John Schulian)
  • At The Fights: American Writers on Boxing -- Publisher - The Library of America -- date March 3, 2011 (with John Schulian)
  • Manly Art: They can run -- but they can't hide. Publisher = McBooks Press = date= April 1, 2011

Anthologies

  • The New Olympia Reader
  • The World Anthology
  • Baseball Diamonds
  • Baseball’s Finest
  • Come Out Writing
  • Impossible Dreams
  • A Commonwealth of Golfers
  • Rolling Stone Record Review
  • Patriots Day

Forewords

  • Football’s Blackest Hole by Craig Parker
  • The Regulation of Boxing by Robert Rodriguez

Broadcast career

Beginning in the mid-1980s, Kimball served as a regular co-host for several sports talk radio programs in the Boston area, as a television analyst for boxing broadcasts on the Fox SportsNet and Comcast networks, and as a panelist for several PBS programs produced by WGBH-TV. He appeared (as a boxing writer covering a fight between Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas) in Ron Shelton’s 1999 film “Play it to the Bone.”

Family

In a ceremony officiated by former heavyweight champion George Foreman, Kimball married New York psychiatrist Marge Marash in 2004. The couple lived in New York City. He had two children, Darcy Maeve Kimball of Denver, Colorado and George E. Kimball IV of Brooklyn, New York, stepsons Kim, Chris, and Jeremy Seeger, and four grandchildren.
Kimball was diagnosed with cancer in 2005, and died from the disease in 2011 at age 67.[1][2]

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Roberto Duran, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns all formed the pantheon of boxing greats during the late 1970s and early 1980s—before the pay-per-view model, when prize fights were telecast on network television and still captured the nation's attention. Championship bouts during this era were replete with revenge and fury, often pitting one of these storied fighters against another. From training camps to locker rooms, author George Kimball was there to cover every body shot, uppercut, and TKO. Inside stories full of drama, sacrifice, fear, and pain make up this treasury of boxing tales brought to life by one of the sport's greatest writers.
About the Author
George Kimball spent 25 years as a sports columnist for the Boston Herald and in 1986 received the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism. He has covered more than 350 title bouts, and is the author of Only Skin Deep and Sunday's Fools. He lives in New York City.
RE: NAT FLEISCHER AWARD:
http://boxing.about.com/library/bl_bwaa_fleischer.htm
RE: PLOUGHSHARES
http://www.pshares.org/authors/author-detail.cfm?authorID=1899
RE: GRIST:
http://www.etext.org/Poetry/Grist/gol_1.asc
Any reference to the original GRIST would be incomplete if there were no indication of the contribution made by co-editors George Kimball and Charlie Plymell. For many issues they were, in fact, the editors, while I acted as publisher (from the thin bankroll of the Abington Book Shop which was too soon exhausted). They sought out authors, gathered material, traveled, wrote letters, made phone calls, cajoled subscribers, designed, laid out, typed, printed, collated, stapled, stamped and delivered. (John Fowler)

 

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John Mackey, American Hall of Fame football player (Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers) died he was , 69.


John Mackey  was an American Football tight end who grew up in Roosevelt, Long Island and played for the Baltimore Colts (1963-1971) and the San Diego Chargers (1972) died he was , 69.. He played college football at Syracuse University. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

(September 24, 1941 — July 6, 2011)

Career statistics

Mackey joined the Colts in 1963 and had revolutionized the position of tight end by 1966. During the 1966 season, of the nine touchdowns he compiled, six were scores of more than 50 yards, and he served as one of Johnny Unitas' primary receivers in Unitas' later years of his career. Twice Mackey compiled season averages of more than 20 yards a catch, and his 10-year career average of 15.8 is considered remarkable for a tight end.
Mackey also displayed impressive speed for a tight end. During one season, the Colts decided to use him as a kick returner. He returned 9 kickoffs for 271 yards, an impressive 30.1 yards per return.
Although injuries forced him into early retirement, Mackey proved to be an extremely durable player, missing only one game in his 10-season career.

Super Bowl V

In Super Bowl V played January 17, 1971, Mackey was a principal in one the most famous plays in NFL championship history, catching a pass from quarterback Johnny Unitas after the ball first bounced off the hands of receiver Eddie Hinton and then grazed the fingertips of Cowboys All-Pro defensive back Mel Renfro. The ball caromed further downfield into the waiting arms of Mackey, who ran untouched for a (then) Super Bowl-record 75-yard touchdown reception. Baltimore won the game, 16-13, on Jim O'Brien's 32-yard field goal with five seconds left.

Post-playing career

After retirement, Mackey became the first president of the NFL Players Association. He helped organize a strike that earned players $11 million in pensions and much-needed benefits.
"He was the right man at the right time," said former teammate Ordell Braase. "We were a fractured group until John began putting permanence in [the union's] day-to-day operations. He hired administrators and a general counsel."[2]

Honors

In 1992, Mackey became the second pure tight end to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mike Ditka of the Bears had been the first one four years earlier. It has been speculated that Mackey's actions as a high-ranking member of the players' union may have led to the delay in his election. In 1999, he was ranked number 48 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the highest-ranking tight end. He was also named number 42 on NFL Network's list of the Top 100 Football Players in 2010.[3]
In 2000, the Nassau County Sports Commission created the John Mackey Award which annually honors the top Division 1-FBS collegiate Tight End. He was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame that same year.
On September 15, 2007, Syracuse University retired #88 in Mackey's honor.
On an October 2008 airing of the NFL Network's 'Top 10 Tight Ends' Mackey was named the #1 tight end by virtually every football figure commenting on the show.

Post-football career health problems

Mackey suffered from frontotemporal dementia, which made him particularly protective of personal possessions and suspicious of anyone who tries to control his actions. During the 2006 NFL season, Mackey was reported by family members to be confused and angered when seeing Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison wearing the same #88 jersey that Mackey used to wear.[4]
At age 65 Mackey's dementia forced him to live in a full-time assisted living facility. NFL Players Association initially refused to pay a disability income due to there not being a proven link between brain injury and playing football. The league and the NFL Players' Association have responded with the "88 plan" – named after Mackey's number. It provides $88,000 per year for nursing home care and up to $50,000 annually for adult day care. Mackey passed away July 6th, 2011 at the age of 69 of frontotemporal dementia.[5][6][7][8]

 

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Josef Suk, Czech violinist, died from prostate cancer he was , 81.

 Josef Suk  was a Czech violinist, violist, chamber musician and conductor, the grandson of Josef Suk, the composer and violinist, and great-grandson of Antonín Dvořák Josef Suk, Czech violinist, died from prostate cancer he was , 81.. In his home country he carried the title of National Artist.

(8 August 1929 – 6 July 2011)

Early life

Suk's talent was spotted at an early age by Jaroslav Kocián, who tutored him until his death in 1950. Suk first appeared on concert platforms at the age of eleven. His Prague debut in 1954 rapidly led to an international career. Before long he was recognized as the heir to the best tradition of the Czech violin school and his 1959 tour with the Czech Philharmonic covered three continents and was one of the greatest expressions of Czech music the world had until then ever heard.[citation needed] He also studied at the Prague Conservatory with Kocián and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

Later career

Suk had a distinguished solo career. His career as a concert violinist started in 1954, and gave concerts all over the world at prestigious music festivals. He reached his greatest success in the United States and Canada. He also formed the Suk Chamber Orchestra in 1974.
Suk showed an extraordinary affinity for chamber music. This yielded extraordinary fruits, especially through his partnerships with pianist Jan Panenka and the harpsichordist Zuzana Růžičková - and from 1973 he was a frequent additional player with the Smetana Quartet, playing second viola. Suk was also for some years the first violin of the Prague Quartet. He founded the Suk Trio (named after his grandfather) in 1951 with Jan Panenka and cellist Josef Chuchro
He became a distinguished violist, having recorded Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra as violist with Iona Brown and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Josef Suk had a long and distinguished career in the recording studio, winning the Grand Prix du Disque six times: including in 1960 for recordings of Leoš Janáček and Claude Debussy violin sonatas, and in 1968 for the Alban Berg violin concerto. He also won the Wiener Floetenuhr Prize and the Edison Prize.
He was a sponsor, with Vladimir Ashkenazy of Toccata Classics for whom he recorded "Songs my great-grandfather taught me".
He was esteemed for his refined tone, deep sense of lyricism (expressed unforgettably for example in his Martinů interpretations) and commitment to the music he played.

Selected discography (violin)

  • J.S. Bach: Violin Concertos - Supraphon Records
  • Bach: Sonatas for Harpsichord and Violin - Lotos
  • Beethoven: Concerto for violin in D; Dvorak: Concerto for violin in A minor - BBC Radio Classic
  • Bartók: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 - Praga Records
  • Berg: Concerto for violin; Bartok: Concerto for violin No. 1 - Supraphon
  • Brahms: Concerto, Op. 77; Concerto, Op. 102 - Praga
  • Brahms: Concerto, Op. 77; Concerto, Op. 102 - Praga
  • Brahms: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2 [Germany] - Decca Records
  • Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 73; Concerto in A minor, Op. 102 - Supraphon
  • Brahms: Symphony No. 2/Double Concerto - Supraphon
  • Chausson: Concerto for violin, piano & String Quartet; Fauré: Sonata No. 2 for Violin & Piano - Supraphon
  • Dvořák: Concerto for violin in A minor - Supraphon
  • Dvořák: Piano Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 - Supraphon
  • Dvořák: Quartet Op. 51 / Sextet Op. 48 - Lotos Records
  • Dvořák: Quintet in E-flat; Quintet No. 1 - Denon Records
  • Dvořák: Trio No1; Trio No2 - Denon Records
  • Dvořák: Violin Concerto; Romance; Josef Suk: Fantasy - Supraphon
  • Dvořák: Works for Violin & Piano - Supraphon
  • Janáček: Complete works for Violin, Cello & Piano - Carlton Classics
  • Janáček: Sinfonietta, Op. 60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody - Supraphon
  • Kodály: Musique de chambre - Praga
  • Martinů: Sonata for violin No. 3; Madrigal Stanzas H.297 - Supraphon
  • Mendelssohn: Concerto for violin in E minor; Bruch: Concerto for violin in G minor - Supraphon
  • Mozart: Quintets - Denon Records
  • Mozart: Sinfonia concertante in E-flat; Sinfonia concertante in E-flat - Panton Records
  • Ravel: Sonatas for Violin and Piano; Sonata for Violin and Cello; Tzigane - Praga
  • Schubert: String Quartet No. 1, D.87/String Quintet in C, Op. 163, D.956 Praga
  • Suk: Piano Quintets, Opp. 1 & 8 - Lotos
  • Suk: Piano Trio; Piano Quartet; Piano Quintet - Supraphon

Notable instruments

Suk played on rare instruments built by Antonio Stradivari (1729), Giuseppe Guarneri "del Gesu" (1744) and Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (1758).

Death

Josef Suk died on 6 July 2011, aged 81, after a long illness. He had been suffering from prostate cancer as well.[2]

 

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Friday, August 26, 2011

Andreas Waldherr, Austrian rally driver, died from a workshop accident he was , 43

Andreas Waldherr was an Austrian rally driver died from a workshop accident he was , 43.

(29 April 1968 – 6 July 2011)

Career

In 2000 Andreas Waldherr achieved second place for diesel vehicles in the Rally Cup of the Supreme National Sports Commission for Motorsports (OSK) of the Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club (ÖAMTC). He won the OSK Rally Cup for diesel vehicles three times, from 2001 to 2003. Since 2004, Waldherr drove successfully in the Austrian Rally National Championship.
He experienced his greatest success in 2006 when he took third place in the overall standings. He achieved his first success in the Austrian Rally National Championship at the 2–3 May 2008 Bosch Super Plus Rally in a Volkswagen Polo S2000. During his career, Waldherr drove in 72 rallies, three of which won. In the 2010 season, engaged by VW Racing Austria Club, Waldherr was able to finish in second place behind national champion Raimund Baumschlager. However, 2011 was less successful, where he ranked only eighth after experiencing several problems. Waldherr also proved his skills in closed-course racing: In 2006 he took third place in the 24 Hours of Dubai and in 2011 he achieved the highest score for diesel-powered vehicles in a Golf TDI.[1]
Andreas Waldherr lived in Thomasberg, Austria, was married and the father of a son.
Waldherr suffered a fatal accident in his workshop in Anspang, Austria on the morning of 6 July 2011 when he was crushed under his rally car while servicing it. He was alone in the workshop at the time he was found by rescue personnel, around 11:30 a.m. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.[2]

 

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Keith Wilson, British production designer (Space: 1999) died he was , 69.


Keith George Wilson  was an award-winning production designer who began work at AP Films, working as art assistant on Fireball XL5 (1963) and many other Gerry Anderson productions to follow died he was , 69.. As a production designer he created all the futuristic sets for Space: 1999 (1975–77) and Star Maidens (1976). He died on 6 July 2011.

(19 September 1941 – 6 July 2011)

Awards

Wilson won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special for the TV film Stalin (1992) and was nominated for Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special for Great Expectations (1989). He also received a CableACE Award for Art Direction in a Dramatic Special or Series/Movie or Miniseries for The Old Curiosity Shop (1995).

Filmography

  1. The Hills Have Eyes II (2007)
  2. The Ten Commandments (2007)
  3. A Christmas Carol (TV film, 2004)
  4. The Blackwater Lightship (TV film, 2004)
  5. Dinotopia (TV mini-series, 2002)
  6. Victoria & Albert (TV mini-series, 2001)
  7. In the Beginning (TV mini-series, 2000)
  8. Mary, Mother of Jesus (TV film, 1999)
  9. The Seventh Scroll (TV mini-series, 1999)
  10. Miracle at Midnight (TV film, 1998)
  11. Oliver Twist (TV film, 1997)
  12. The Apocalypse Watch (TV film, 1997)
  13. Supply & Demand (TV series, 1997)
  14. The Little Riders (TV film, 1996)
  15. The Governor (TV series, 1995)
  16. The Old Curiosity Shop (TV series, 1995)
  17. Remember (TV series, 1993)
  18. Stalin (TV film, 1992)
  19. Fergie & Andrew: Behind the Palace Doors (TV series, 1992)
  20. L'Amérique en otage (TV series, 1991)
  21. Great Expectations (TV mini-series, 1989)
  22. The Lady and the Highwayman (TV film, 1989)
  23. Steal the Sky (TV series, 1988)
  24. A Hazard of Hearts (TV film, 1987)
  25. The Lion of Africa (TV series, 1987)
  26. Gulag (TV film, 1985)
  27. Out of the Darkness (TV film, 1985)
  28. Exploits at West Poley (TV series, 1985)
  29. Haunters of the Deep (1984)
  30. Slayground (1983)
  31. Memoirs of a Survivor (1981)
  32. Riding High (1981)
  33. Yesterday's Hero (1979)
  34. A Man Called Intrepid (TV mini-series, 1979)
  35. International Velvet (1978)
  36. Space: 1999 (TV series, 48 episodes, 1975–78)
  37. The New Avengers (TV series, six episodes, 1977)
  38. Star Maidens (TV series, 13 episodes, 1976)
  39. The Secret Service (TV series, 1969)
  40. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (TV series, six episodes, 1967)
  41. Thunderbirds Are Go (1966)

 

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Neil Dougherty, American basketball coach (TCU) died he was , 50.

Cornelius Aaron "Neil" Dougherty  was an American basketball coach, most recently the head coach at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas died he was , 50.. Dougherty played basketball at West Point for two years under coach Mike Krzyzewski before transferring to Cameron University, where he played his final two years and earned his degree in 1984.

(April 14, 1961 - July 5, 2011)

Assistant coaching career

Dougherty began his coaching career in 1984 at Cameron, where he served as an assistant until 1988. He then moved on to take similar positions at Drake, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. He was an assistant of Roy Williams at University of Kansas for many years. He also served under Head Coach Eddie Fogler at Vanderbilt and South Carolina. In 1990 under Fogler and Dougherty, Vanderbilt won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

TCU

On March 25, 2002, Dougherty was hired as the 18th head coach at TCU, replacing Billy Tubbs. Because Dougherty's defensive-minded approach clashed with Tubbs' up-tempo, high scoring approach, the team struggled to adjust in his first year, winning just nine games. The next year they improved by three wins, with the season's highlight coming with a nationally-televised 25-point victory over 10th-ranked Louisville, coached by Rick Pitino. In 2004–2005, the Horned Frogs finished 21–14, advancing to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament.
However, after losing star guards Corey Santee and Marcus Shropshire to graduation, the Frogs failed to build on the NIT momentum and stumbled to a 6–25 record in 2005–2006. This caused many TCU boosters and local media figures to question whether or not Dougherty was the right person for the job. His 2006–2007 team made strides, finishing 13–17, but the season also included an eleven-game losing streak, which did little to quiet Dougherty's critics. Dougherty was fired by TCU on March 16, 2008 after six seasons, only one of which had a winning record.[2]

Record as Head Coach

Season
School
Overall Record
Conference Record
Postseason
2002–03
TCU
9–19
3–13
-
2003–04
TCU
12–17
7–9
-
2004–05
TCU
21–14
8–8
2005–06
TCU
6–25
2–14
-
2006–07
TCU
13–17
4–12
2007–08
TCU
14–14
6–9
All seasons

75–106
30–66

Death

Dougherty was in Indianapolis working for IHoops, a joint venture between the NBA and NCAA that promotes youth basketball. On July 5, 2011, Dougherty went jogging and never returned. His body was identified on July 8, 2011.[3]

 

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Armen Gilliam, American basketball player (Phoenix Suns, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks), died from a heart attack he was , 47



Armen Louis Gilliam nicknamed "The Hammer", was an American professional basketball player who played 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987–2000  died from a heart attack he was , 47. He also played one season (2005–06) for the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the American Basketball Association.
Gilliam was also a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III head coach for Penn State Altoona from 2002–2005.

(May 28, 1964 – July 5, 2011)

Life and career

Gilliam began his college basketball career in 1982-83 at Independence Junior College in Independence, Kansas. That year, Gilliam was a standout player on the basketball team that reached the Junior College Finals and finished 6th in the nation. Gilliam averaged 24.9 points and 14 rebounds in five tournament games and was named to the National Junior college finals all-tournament team.
Gilliam continued his college basketball career with UNLV. Gilliam played for UNLV from (1983–87)and was an integral part of a team that was 93-11 in the 3 years he played for the UNLV Rebels. The UNLV team was ranked number one in the country for most of the three years Gilliam competed and the team made it to the NCAA tournament every year during his stay. In 1987 the team reached the "Final Four and Gilliam was named to the NCAA Final Four all-tournament team. Gilliam scored 998 points in his senior year which was and still is a school record for the most points scored in season by a UNLV player. Gilliam also played on the U.N.L.V team that won 38 games in a season which is still a N.C.A.A. Division 1 record for most wins in a season. In 1987 Gilliam was selected for a number of All-American Teams and voted the top contender for the John Wooden award. While at UNLV, teammate Frank James gave him the nickname "The Hammer" after seeing Gilliam's biceps combined with his pounding action under the basket. Gilliam said, "He knew I was from a steel town, too. I think that was a factor." The Los Angeles Times dismissed the notion that he got the name from a baking powder, Arm & Hammer.[1]
Gilliam was selected to play on the 1986 USA Basketball Team. This team fielded college stand outs likes: David Robinson, Kenny Smith, Tommy Amaker, Tom Hammonds, Charles D. Smith and Derrick McKey. The 1986 USA basketball team, led by head coach Lute Olson of Arizona, proceeded to shock the world with its play. The international community did not consider the team a medal-contender, but they advanced to the championship game and competed against the heavily favored Russians for the gold medal. Overcoming great odds, they won the 1986 World Championships and left Madrid Spain with golden memories.
Gilliam was the second pick in the first round of the 1987 NBA draft. As a rookie Gilliam was named to the all-rookie team (first team) in 1988 while playing for the Phoenix Suns. He went on to play 13 years in the NBA. Gilliam averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds for the Charlotte Hornets, played three years with the Philadelphia 76ers, and played three years with the New Jersey Nets, where he averaged between 12 to 18 points and 6 to 9 rebounds a game.
Among other awards Gilliam was inducted into the Bethel Park Hall of Fame for the Sport of Basketball in 1997 and the UNLV Hall of Fame in 1998. He was selected to the Division 1 All- American Team in 1987 and was a finalist for the John Wooden award the same year. He was honored in 1996 for scoring 10,000 points during his NBA career. In November 2007, his college jersey (#35) was retired at half-time of the UNLV vs. Wasburn University game in Las Vegas.
In the 2001 Gilliam was named head coach of Penn State McKeesport's men's basketball team, which played at the junior college level.[2] In his first year as a head coach, he helped lead the team to a regular season record of 12-7. The team played well in the playoffs and reached the conference finals. The next year Gilliam accepted the Head Men’s coaching position at Penn State Altoona, where he coached from 2002 to 2005.[3] He had a couple of unsuccessful seasons as their head coach.
Gilliam came out of retirement in 2005 and was a player/coach for the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the ABA. Gilliam played and coached the Xplosion which finished in the top 6 out of the 48 teams in the A.B.A. Gilliam averaged 23.8 points a game and 9.1 rebounds and earned a spot on the Eastern conference all-star roster. Gilliam was named the all-star game MVP for 2006 after scoring 32 points and grabbing 15 rebounds at the BankAtlantic Center in Florida.

Name spelling

Towards the end of his NBA career he altered the spelling of his first name from "Armon" to "Armen" because he was tired of it continually being mispronounced. At the time, he was quoted as saying: "Most people pronounced it Ar-MON. I've been correcting people so long that I got tired of it. I just thought that if I put the 'e' in there, it would make it a lot easier to pronounce. I'm not Muslim. It's not religious or anything like that."[4]

Death

Gilliam collapsed during a basketball game at the LA Fitness gym in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 5, 2011.[3] He was rushed to St. Clair Hospital, in nearby Mt. Lebanon, where he was pronounced dead of a heart attack.[5]

 

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Fonce Mizell, American jazz and R&B record producer (Mizell Brothers) died he was , 68.


The Mizell Brothers were a record producing team in the 1970s, consisting of Larry Mizell (February 17, 1944, NYC, New York) and Alphonso "Fonce" Mizell  died he was , 68..

(January 15, 1943, NYC, New York - July 5, 2011, Los Angeles, California)

History

Larry earned a degree in engineering and Fonce Mizell earned a degree in music from Howard University. While there they formed and performed in a jazz vocal quartet, the Vanlords. In the early 1970s, Larry and Fonce Mizell moved to California to start their own company, Sky High Productions. They went on to produce albums for Blue Note Records that set the tone for jazz fusion and the era. The Mizell Brothers often used the same musicians on their albums, including Harvey Mason on drums, Melvin "Wah Wah Watson" Ragin and David T. Walker on guitar, Chuck Rainey on bass and Jerry Peters on piano. Freddie Perren and Chuck Davis were sometimes involved as co-writers or co-producers.
Later hits of Sky High Productions include A Taste Of Honey's platinum-selling roller-rink anthem of 1978 "Boogie Oogie Oogie", L.T.D.'s "Love Ballad", a number 1 R&B hit (#20 pop) in 1976 and Mary Wells' dance funk 12-inch "Gigolo" in 1982. Younger brother Rodney Mizell co-wrote some of their songs, although most material initially was written by Larry Mizell, later joined by Fonce. They also included a number of Motown hits on Donald Byrd's albums including "Just My Imagination" and "Dancing In The Street". In the 1980s, the Mizell brothers retired from the record industry, but returned in the 2000s. Larry Mizell wrote and performed vocals on the song "Play With The Changes" on the 4Hero album of the same name in 2007.

Larry

As an electrical engineer, Larry Mizell performed testing and reliability work on the Lunar Module for the NASA Apollo program. He was one of the first to do research on liquid crystals, which today are used for example in displays (LCD).

Alphonso

Alphonso Mizell was a member of The Corporation, the Motown hit-making production team that wrote and produced all of The Jackson 5's essential early hits from 1969 through 1971, including "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," "Mama's Pearl," and "Maybe Tomorrow." The Corporation also consisted of Motown founder Berry Gordy plus writer-producers Deke Richards, who brought Fonce to the company, and Freddie Perren, a classmate of the Mizells at Howard who also later worked for Sky High Productions.
When Motown moved to Los Angeles, the Mizells joined up with trumpet player Donald Byrd under whom they had studied while at Howard University. Their first album, Black Byrd on the Blue Note label, was the first of a string of albums together that would define fusion jazz and lay the foundation for acid jazz and neo soul. Alphonso died on July 5, 2011. He was 68 years old. The cause of death is heart failure. [2]

Discography

Year
Artist
Album
Label
Tracks Produced
1972
Entire Album
1973
Donald Byrd
Blue Note
Entire Album
Blue Note
Entire Album
Wigs And Lashes & Don't Let It End ('Til You Let It Begin) (Co-Produced with Freddie Perren)
Motown
Hallelujah Day & Ooh, I'd Love To Be With You (Co-Produced with Freddie Perren)
Motown
With A Child's Heart & Up Again (Co-Produced with Freddie Perren)
Motown
You're In Good Hands (Co-Produced with Freddie Perren)
Elaine Brown
Entire Album (Co-Produced with Freddie Perren)
1974
Donald Byrd
Blue Note
Entire Album
Blue Note
Entire Album
Entire Album
Entire Album
Motown
Entire Album (Co-Produced with Freddie Perren)
When I'm With You
When I'm With You (7" Single)
Margie Evans
Waterfalls
Waterfalls (7" Single)
1975
Donald Byrd
Blue Note
Entire Album
Blue Note
Entire Album
Entire Album
Entire Album
Motown
I'll Come Home To You (Co-Produced with Freddie Perren)
1976
Donald Byrd
Blue Note
Entire Album
Entire Album
Roger Glenn
Reachin'
Fantasy
Entire Album
1977
Entire Album
Capitol
Entire Album
1978
Capitol
Entire Album
1979
Capitol
Entire Album
1981

 

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