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Sports Brief: 6/8/20

Sports

June 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

ATLANTA (AP) — Former Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Cardinals defensive end John Zook has died in his native Kansas after a long battle with cancer. Zook teamed with Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey to give the Falcons a dynamic combination at defensive end from 1969-75. Zook never missed a game during his tenure with the Falcons, starting 97 of 98 contests. He made his only Pro Bowl appearance in 1973, joining Humphrey in the all-star game.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive back and five-time All-Pro Ken Riley has died at 72. Drafted by the Bengals in 1969, Riley had 65 career interceptions for 596 yards and five touchdowns in a 15-year career with the Bengals. He also recovered 18 fumbles, and his interception total ranks fifth in NFL history. He later became head coach and athletic director at Florida A&M.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Former University of Florida and NFL wide receiver Reche Caldwell was fatally shot Saturday night in his hometown. Caldwell’s mother confirmed her son’s death to the Tampa Bay Times, saying police told her they believe her son was ambushed outside his home in a possible robbery attempt. Caldwell was drafted by San Diego in the second round in 2002. He had 152 catches for 1,851 yards and 11 touchdowns in six NFL seasons.

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Kevin Harvick picked up his second victory since NASCAR resumed its schedule, outpacing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. inside Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick moved into sole possession of 12th place on the career victories list with 51, passing Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. Three of those triumphs have come at Atlanta Motor Speedway, including in 2001 and 2018. Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson finished seventh in what was likely his final Cup race in Atlanta.

GREEN BAY, Wisc. (AP) — Will Ryan is the new men’s basketball coach at Green Bay, replacing Linc Darner. The son of former Wisconsin hoops coach Bo Ryan comes to Green Bay after posting a 14-13 record in his lone season as the head coach at Division II program Wheeling in West Virginia. Darner went 92-80 and posted a winning record in all but one of his five seasons with the Phoenix.