From ‘scam’ to scholarship: How one student attended college thanks to ‘League of Legends’
By Tolly Taylor When Carl Leone’s father heard his son had received a scholarship to attend Robert Morris University, he didn’t believe it. After all, the scholarship was for video gaming. “Just don’t give them any personal information, don’t give away your address, because this might be a scam,” Leone’s father, also named Carl, said […]
Danny Vitale shows NFL scouts tight end potential at Northwestern pro day
By Tolly Taylor Danny Vitale shot out of his break, spinning his head around to track the football. He tapped his toes just before the sideline and lunged his arms out, reaching for another fingertip grab. Too far. That one got away from him. He shook his head as he got back in line with […]
Northwestern’s “superback” turns in super performance at the NFL Combine
By Tolly Taylor INDIANAPOLIS — The day before he recorded the fastest 40-yard dash of any fullback in five years, Danny Vitale walked into the NFL Scouting Combine media center for interviews. Eight or nine reporters gathered around, crowding close to him, shoving recorders in his face. They wanted to know if he thought the […]
Gridlock on the gridiron: Scouts torn over varied showings at NFL Combine
By Tolly Taylor Some 1,200 journalists tried to tackle the 335 prospects at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The takeaway: there are so many strong prospects on the defensive line, third rounders will look like first rounders in April’s draft. Wide receivers? Raised eyebrows as well, but for all the wrong reasons. Coachspeak […]
‘Debilitating’ brain trauma rampant among NFL players – and league knows it
Q&A with concussion expert Chris Nowinski By Tolly Taylor On what would be the last night of Chris Nowinski’s career in the WWE, he stood up on his hotel bed in the middle of the night, still asleep. The movement woke his then-girlfriend, who tried to pull him down but couldn’t. Nowinski then jumped head […]
A 30 for 30 at 30 years: The ’85 Bears stand the test of time
By Tolly Taylor As they had so many times before, players from the 1985 Chicago Bears readied to party. But this time, they celebrated sitting in padded chairs in a movie theater, not standing with drinks at a bar. And the focus was an anniversary, not a victory. Roughly 15 former players from the Super […]
Notre Dame College Prep bowlers knock down competition at regionals
By Tolly Taylor Bobby Van Houghton should have been smiling. After all, the Notre Dame College Prep bowler had just thrown seven strikes in a row for the second time that day. In the final frame, he could have clunked two balls into the gutter and still finished in the top five at regionals. Instead, he […]
