Sports
Jets, 49ers, Raiders Turn to Defensive Coaches
The Associated Press
The New York Jets stuck with defense. The San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders are giving it a try, too.
The Jets hired Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles as head coach Wednesday, the 49ers promoted longtime defensive line coach Jim Tomsula, and the Raiders turned to Denver defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.
Denver, Atlanta and Chicago still have openings. On Wednesday, John Fox interviewed with Chicago, two days after parting ways with Denver.
The 49ers said Tomsula will be formally introduced Thursday at a news conference that comes after a more than two-week search that ended right in house.
Tomsula replaces Jim Harbaugh, who parted ways with the 49ers on Dec. 28 in what the team called a “mutual decision.” Harbaugh was introduced as Michigan’s coach two days later following a successful four-year stint during which the 49ers reached three straight NFC championship games and a Super Bowl.
“After conducting a thorough coaching search, and meeting with a number of outstanding candidates, Jim Tomsula clearly is the right man to lead this team,” CEO Jed York said in a statement.
San Francisco went 8-8 this season and missed the playoffs.
The Jets made it official with Bowles, also a top candidate for the Atlanta job, a day after hiring former Houston director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan as general manager. They fired Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik on Dec. 29 following a 4-12 finish.
“I am confident that Todd and Mike Maccagnan are the right combination to lead this team,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said.
Bowles, a former NFL defensive back, is the Jets’ sixth straight defensive-focused head coach and fifth since Johnson took over in 2000, following Bill Parcells, Al Groh, Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini and Ryan.
“It’s an honor and privilege to coach the Jets,” Bowles said in a statement. “I can’t help but be humbled by the chance to coach this team. I am going to do everything I can to build a consistent winner.”
Bowles from Elizabeth, New Jersey, was the Jets’ defensive backs coach under Groh in 2000 season. He beat out five other candidates who interviewed, including Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and former Buffalo coach Doug Marrone.
A person with knowledge of the Del Rio’s hiring said a deal was agreed to Wednesday, not long after the team told interim coach Tony Sparano he would not get the job. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made.
Del Rio, a former NFL linebacker, was the head coach in Jacksonville for nine seasons before spending the past three as Denver’s defensive coordinator.
Sparano was elevated from offensive line coach during the season to replace the fired Dennis Allen. Oakland went 3-9 under Sparano after losing the first four games under Allen.
Ryan ended up in Buffalo on Monday and was as brash and bold as ever Wednesday at his first news conference.
“Is this thing on?” Ryan said, tapping the microphone. “Because it’s getting ready to be on.”
Outlining his objectives, Ryan said the job is his last chance to prove himself. He vowed to build the Bills into “a bully” and said he has an additional chip on his shoulder after being fired by the Jets.
“Yes, it’s personal,” he said, about being fired. “It’s embarrassing.”
Marrone shocked the Bills by stepping down Dec. 31. The second-year coach opted out of his contract after Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the franchise in October. Ryan made a veiled reference to Marrone’s departure by saying: “This football team deserves a loyal coach.”
Bowles becomes the fifth black head coach currently in the NFL, joining Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis, Tampa Bay’s Lovie Smith and Detroit’s Jim Caldwell.
A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that former Dallas and Buffalo head coach Chan Gailey will be Bowles’ offensive coordinator. Gailey was out of football the last two seasons after being fired as the Bills’ coach after the 2012 season.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Jets have not announced the hiring.
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Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Arts and Culture
Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Host 2024 Hall of Fame Ceremony
Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8. The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.
By California Black Media
Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.
The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.
“The California Hall of Fame is one of our families’ favorite traditions as it is a time to come together to celebrate remarkable Californians as well as their loved ones because we know that it is about partnerships,” Siebel Newsom said. “The governor likes to say that California is a dream factory because it doesn’t matter what zip code or background you come from, the California dream is alive and well to everyone who calls this state home.”
The other Black honorees were filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Federal Judge and civil rights leader, the Hon. Thelton Henderson; and basketball Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Cheryl Miller.
“It’s what I’ve been waiting for and to be among a great group of individuals that also deserve the honor,” Brown told California Black Media on the event’s red carpet before the ceremony began. “No, I never thought someone from Texas would be recognized this way. But here I am, and it all happened in the great state of California. It’s a fantastic feeling.”
Other 2024 inductees are: master chef and “mother of fusion cuisine” Helene An; computer scientist and “father of the internet” Vincent A. Cerf; all-female pop punk band The Go-Gos; Chicano Rock band Los Lobos; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon E. Panetta; and artistic director and choreographer Brenda Way.
This year’s honorees join a history-making club with over 150 inspirational Californians previously inducted for their groundbreaking achievements and personifying the state’s innovative spirit.
“It’s just a humbling experience. I want to thank the Governor and First Partner. Who would have thought 100 years ago (that I would be inducted?) It’s incredible,” Miller said after her induction. “I want to thank the governor and First Partner for an incredible event.”
During his acceptance speech, Henderson said he was deeply honored.
“You know, it really would have been a really big deal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the area where I grew up, for example, South Central Hall of Fame, or the Watts Hall of Fame, or the Straight Out of Compton Hall of Fame,” he said. “But being inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame of the greatest state in the country in this great nation is something else.”
Community
El Cerrito High Senior Jayvon Bolds Named to Blue-Grey All-American Bowl
El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8. Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.
By the Richmond Standard
El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8.
Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.
“It’s a real honor,” Alamo Brown stated about Brown’s selection for the bowl game. “This makes him an All-American.”
Bolds will play three positions for the Eastern team: kr, slot back and special teams—i.e., kickoff and punt return.
“The plan is to line up Bolds all over the field and let him do his thing. He’ll be a weapon for our staff,” said NFL veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout and All-American Bowl Coach Dick Bell. “In a game like this, with the platform being an NFL facility with former professionals as assistants and mentors, he’ll have a chance to shine on one of the biggest stages around.”
Recently, Bolds received a scholarship offer to continue his higher education at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.
Bolds maintains a 3.3 GPA and is heavily involved in leadership as he is the vice president of the Black Student Union.
Blue-Grey Football launched in 1989 by founders Gus and Erik Bell with the aim of helping prospects gain national exposure so that they can improve their chances to secure college scholarships.
Some of the nation’s most talented young football players compete in the annual game, with Fox Sports, CBS Sports and USA Today regularly providing coverage, as well as ESPN.com, Scout.com, Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.
Bolds’ family is planning on traveling to Dallas on Friday and is seeking donations from the community to offset the enormous cost. Those who are willing to donate may do so by sending their donations to this cash app, $Juanita Towns.
Rodney Alamo Brown contributed to this report.
Book Reviews
Book Review: “Who Got Game? Basketball”
A little less than two feet. That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.
A little less than two feet.
That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.
Here we are, football season’s almost over, and your mind has turned to other things – namely, hoops set high over your head, and a round bouncy basketball. Kids like you who “got game” have had it for more than a century. Yes, the game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Massachusetts.
In the years since, basketball has changed a lot, thanks to what Derrick Barnes calls “pioneers.” Julius “Dr. J” Erving improved the dunk. Before that, in 1950, the NBA first allowed Black basketball players on the teams. There have been super-tall players (Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muregan were both seven feet, seven tall) and smaller b-ballers – five-three Muggsy Bogues had a vertical jump of nearly four feet! – and just two years after the game was invented, America had its first women’s team.
A lot of off-court people poured themselves into the game, too. Barnes writes, for example, about Pat Summitt, hoopster, leader, and “one of the greatest coaches in all of sports history.” Her record of 1,098 wins ranks her at first-place in coaching women’s basketball, and as the coach with the second-most wins overall.
You can probably guess that in a book about buckets, there are bucketfuls of stats. Barnes includes a list of NBA players who jumped to a team right out of high school. He writes about the greatest basketball park ever, he explains why winners cut down the net, how Title IX changed the game, why backboards rarely break into a zillion pieces anymore, high scores, bad injuries, “hoops movies,” and where in the world you can pick up a game today.
So, your 9-to-13-year-old loves basketball so much that they dribble a ball in their sleep? They think their favorite jersey is church wear? Then you’ll be the hero of the day when you bring home “Who Got Game? Basketball.”
But first, there’s one big thing you need to know: this is not a how-to book. There aren’t any instructions inside here, no rules or plays to follow. Instead, author Derrick Barnes makes young b-ballers happy by sharing little-known info about the game they love so much, short lists, great stories about great players, wins and losses, and phrases they should know to talk the talk. All this knowledge is supported by colorful illustrations by Jez Tuya that kids will enjoy alongside the facts.
This book is for die-hard young b-ballers, but don’t be surprised if an adult finds a thing or two to learn here. “Who Got Game? Basketball” is a book any fan will want to jump on.
“Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, Illustrated by Jez Tuya, c.2023, Workman Publishing, $16.99, 172 pages.
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