IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa looked shaky at times but Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery will take the win. Devyn Marble had 15 points and eight rebounds and No. 22 Iowa opened its Big Ten season with a win for the first time since 2006 with a 67-57 victory over Nebraska on Tuesday night. Aaron White scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half for the Hawkeyes (12-2, 1-0), who led by as many as 20 points in the second half. For McCaffery, the late struggle doesn’t matter. Iowa preserved the win and he knows the Big Ten gauntlet continues on Sunday with No. 4 Wisconsin.

Terran Petteway had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Nebraska (8-5, 0-1), which shot a season-low 29.9 percent from the field as it lost its 14th straight game to a ranked opponent.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — No. 14 LSU has no qualms about Anthony Jennings making his first college start against Iowa in the Outback Bowl. The true freshman quarterback came off the bench to lead a 99-yard drive in the closing minutes of the Tigers’ regular season finale to beat Arkansas, so LSU coach Les Miles feels his offense will be in good hands against the Hawkeyes on Wednesday.

Miles says poise is one of Jennings’ strongest assets, which is one of the reasons LSU didn’t blink when senior Zach Mettenberger, who’s thrown for nearly 5,800 yards in his career, injured his knee with his team trailing 27-24 and seemingly running out of time against Arkansas.

AMES, Iowa – Johnny Orr, the man credited with resurrecting a once-dormant Iowa State men’s basketball program and energizing an entire fan base, passed away today. He was 86 years old.

Orr was one of the nation’s most successful basketball coaches during his 29-year head coaching career (1964-66, 1969-94). He compiled a 466-346 career coaching mark and led 10 teams to NCAA Championship berths while at Massachusetts, Michigan and Iowa State.

“He was my hero,” said Iowa State head basketball coach Fred Hoiberg, who played three years for Orr. “As a kid, just to see him walk out of that tunnel was what you waited for on game nights. Just to see his enthusiasm and passion. He was a father figure to so many of us. He impacted so many lives and made all of us better people. Not only was he a great basketball coach, he was even a better person.”

Orr inherited a downtrodden Iowa State program that had produced losing seasons in five of the last six years prior to his arrival in 1980-81. He spent 14 years roaming the sidelines at Hilton Coliseum, making steady improvement and leading the Cyclones to a school-record six NCAA Championship appearances and five 20-win seasons. Orr retired in 1994 as Iowa State’s all-time winningest coach with a 218-200 record.

Orr was a winner at Iowa State, but his legacy in Ames was achieved by more than wins and losses. The ever-popular Orr was the perfect coach at the perfect time for Iowa State. His exciting, up-tempo style of play – combined with his infectious personality – created a tidal wave of excitement throughout the state of Iowa.

An Iowa State game in Hilton Coliseum became the hottest ticket in the state, as Orr’s teams steamrolled over their opponents for a 76.7 percent winning percentage at home.

Fans came in droves to watch the Cyclones. Iowa State averaged 6,470 fans the year before Orr arrived. Six years later (1985-86), Hilton Coliseum swelled to 14,024 fans per game, selling out all 13 home games. The top eight single-season attendance marks in school history occurred in the Orr era.

Hilton Coliseum erupted when Orr made his entrance fist-pumping to the “Tonight Show” theme. It usually spelled doom to the opposing team, even if the Cyclones weren’t the favorites. Orr’s Cyclones defeated top-25 opponents 20 times at home and he owns 12 of Iowa State’s 29 all-time victories vs. top-10 opponents.

Iowa State’s home-court dominance in sold-out Hilton Coliseum under Orr created a frenzied atmosphere that was second to none. The local and national media picked up on it, and soon the term “Hilton Magic” was created when Des Moines Register writer Buck Turnbull used it in one of his stories after another huge Cyclone victory at home. The moniker still is prevalent today.

Orr’s 1983-84 team turned the corner with a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearance, followed by an NCAA Championship berth in 1985, Iowa State’s first NCAA bid in 41 years.

The 1985-86 Cyclone squad was possibly his best. Led by future NBA all-star Jeff Hornacek and Iowa State’s all-time leading scorer Jeff Grayer, the Cyclones finished with a then-school-record 22 wins and placed second in the Big Eight Conference at 9-5. After securing its second-straight NCAA berth, the Cyclones advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a victory over No. 2 seed Michigan, Orr’s former school.

The win over the fifth-ranked Wolverines was, “the greatest of my career” Orr beamed afterwards and cemented his already enormous popularity among the Iowa State faithful.

Orr’s Cyclone teams would later make NCAA appearances in 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1993 and annually ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring. Iowa State averaged over 80 points per season six times in the Orr era, including a school-record 90.2 ppg in 1987-88, which ranked ninth nationally. The top four scorers in Iowa State history were coached by Orr (Grayer, Barry Stevens, Hoiberg, Victor Alexander).

Orr coached six Cyclones who earned first-team all-Big Eight honors 10 times. He mentored a total of six Cyclones who went on to a career in the NBA (Grayer, Hornacek, Stevens, Alexander, Hoiberg, Loren Meyer). Grayer was an All-American and is the only Cyclone men’s hoopster to compete on a United States Olympic Basketball team, earning a Bronze Medal at the 1988 Olympics.

A native of Taylorville, Ill., Orr graduated from Beloit (Wisconsin) College in 1949, where he was a two-time All-American in basketball. He coached at the high school level throughout the 1950s, including a stop at Dubuque (Iowa) Senior High School from 1951-59.

His first move into collegiate coaching was as an assistant at Wisconsin for four seasons. Orr became a collegiate head coach in 1963, when he was handed the reins at Massachusetts for three seasons.

After UMass, Orr assisted Dave Strack at Michigan for one season before taking over head coaching duties at Michigan prior to the 1968-69 season.

Orr led the Wolverines to four NCAA Championship appearances in 12 seasons, amassing a school-record 209 victories. He is one of the few coaches to be the all-time leader in career wins at two high-major schools.

Orr’s Michigan squads finished second in the Big Ten Conference three times and captured the 1977 Big Ten title. In 1976, Michigan advanced to the NCAA Championship title game, falling to Indiana in the national final. He was named National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Coach of the Year in 1976 and was Big Ten Coach of the Year twice (1974, 1977).

Throughout his 29-year head coaching career, Orr tutored 18 players who were drafted by the NBA.

Orr remained an active supporter of Iowa State after his retirement in 1994. His immense popularity among Cyclone fans never waned, either. Orr always was the life of the party at Cyclone outings, pep rallies and reunions. He had a special ability to make people laugh.

Orr was inducted into the Iowa State Letterwinners Club Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2011, the Iowa State Athletics Department opened a large sports bar-themed gathering area in the east concourse of Hilton Coliseum, naming it “Johnny’s” as a tribute to the coaching legend.

Outside the entrance of “Johnny’s”, a larger-than-life statue of Orr with his trademark fist-pump is permanently on display, along with memorabilia of his coaching tenure at Iowa State. His legacy is preserved for future generations of Cyclone fans.

Orr is survived by his wife, Romie, and three daughters; Jennifer, Leslie and Rebecca. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Robin, who passed away in 2010. The Orrs have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

w/ Jim Field

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The NFL says referees erred in not penalizing the San Diego Chargers for an illegal formation on a missed 41-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Succop of the Kansas City Chiefs with four seconds left in regulation on Sunday. Succop was wide right on the kick, and the Chargers went on to win 27-24 in overtime to claim the AFC’s final playoff spot.

The NFL says in a statement released Monday that had the penalty been assessed by referee Bill Leavy’s crew and the ball moved up 5 yards, it would have allowed the Chiefs to attempt a 36-yard field goal. San Diego lined up with seven men on one side of the snapper. The rule says no more than six players can be on the line of scrimmage on either side of the snapper.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Even though Tony Gonzalez is retiring as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, the Kansas City Chiefs still view the 13-time Pro Bowl tight end as one of their own. Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said Monday that he’ll “always be considered a part of the Chiefs family” after Gonzalez reaffirmed Sunday that he doesn’t plan to play another NFL game.

Gonzalez was drafted by the Chiefs and spent his first 12 seasons in Kansas City. He was traded to the Falcons in 2009, when it appeared that Atlanta was going to give him a better shot at playing in the Super Bowl that eluded Gonzalez his entire career. Gonzalez was presented with a half Chiefs, half Falcons commemorative helmet during halftime of Atlanta’s 21-20 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It appears the Kansas City Chiefs will be near full strength when they visit the Indianapolis Colts for an AFC wild-card playoff game on Saturday. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said wide receiver Dwayne Bowe was going through the protocol Monday to be cleared from a concussion that he sustained against Indianapolis two weeks ago. Reid also said that linebacker Tamba Hali was progressing from inflammation in his knee.

Linebacker Justin Houston, who’s been out with a dislocated elbow, and left tackle Branden Albert, who’s missed time with a hyperextended knee, are also expected to be back for the Colts. The Chiefs rested most of their starters in a 27-24 overtime loss at San Diego on Sunday

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 29, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:

                                                               Record      Pts         Prv

              1.  Arizona  (60)                      13-0          1,620      1

              2.  Syracuse  (5)                      12-0          1,550      2

              3.  Ohio  St.                             13-0          1,462      3

              4.  Wisconsin                          13-0          1,408      4

              5.  Michigan  St.                     11-1          1,364      5

              6.  Oklahoma  St.                    11-1          1,278      7

              7.  Duke                                  10-2          1,144      9

              8.  Wichita  St.                        13-0          1,067    10

              9.  Baylor                                10-1          1,013    11

            10.  Oregon                               12-0             987    12

            11.  Villanova                           11-1             943      8

            12.  Florida                               10-2             915    13

            13.  Iowa  St.                            11-0             869    14

            14.  Louisville                          11-2             812      6

            15.  Kentucky                           10-3             753    18

            16.  Kansas                                 8-3             666    16

            17.  UConn                               11-1             647    15

            18.  Memphis                             9-2             625    17

            19.  North  Carolina                   9-3             413    19

            20.  Colorado                           11-2             373    21

            21.  San  Diego  St.                  10-1            371    20

            22.  Iowa                                  11-2            258    22

            23.  UMass                               11-1            160    23

            24.  Gonzaga                            11-2              78    24

            25.  Missouri                            11-1              76    25

     Others receiving votes: Illinois 57, Texas 40, George Washington 37, Oklahoma 36, Toledo 32, Florida St. 24, UCLA 19, Harvard 10, Michigan 7, Creighton 5, Kansas St. 3, Pittsburgh 2, LSU 1.

w/ Chris Parks

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (8.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS