Packers QB Starr was victim of 1950s hazing beating at Alabama
The wife of Bart Starr has revealed the Green Bay Packers legendary quarterback suffered from back issues throughout his career because he was beaten in a hazing incident at Alabama in the 1950s.
According to AL.com, Starr and his wife, Cherry, have kept the dark secret hidden away for more than 60 years.
The cover story the couple always used since 1954 was that Bart Starr was injured in a punting exercise before his junior year with the Crimson Tide.
Cherry Starr said her husband was badly beaten with a wooden paddle during initiation into the school’s A-Club for varsity lettermen.
“He was hospitalized at one point in traction,” Cherry Starr told AL.com. “That was in the days when they were initiated into the A-Club, and they had severe beatings and paddling. From all the members of the A-Club, they lined up with a big paddle with holes drilled in it, and it actually injured his back.”
Starr, now 82, never disclosed the incident because he thought “it would make him look bad,” his wife said.
“But his back was never right after that,” Cherry Starr said. “It was horrible. It was not a football injury. It was an injury sustained from hazing. His whole back all the way up to his rib cage looked like a piece of raw meat. The bruising went all the way up his back. It was red and black and awful looking. It was so brutal.”
Kansas back at No. 1 in AP poll
Kansas was nearly a unanimous selection as the new No. 1 team in this week’s Associated Press college basketball poll released on Monday.
The Jayhawks (25-4), who have won nine straight games and clinched at least a share of their 12th straight Big 12 conference title, received 63 of 65 first-place votes from the panel of media members, moving up one spot from the No. 2 position they held last week.
Michigan State (24-5) got the other two first-place votes, and the Spartans moved up from No. 6 to No. 2 this week.
Villanova (25-4), last week’s No. 1 team, lost to Xavier this past week, dropping the Wildcats to No. 3.
Xavier (25-4) missed a chance to challenge for the top spot when it followed its victory over Villanova with a loss to Seton Hall. As a result, the Musketeers remained at No. 5, one spot behind Virginia (22-6), which knocked off North Carolina over the weekend.
Arizona dropped nine spots to No. 18, and Iowa fell eight spots to No. 16 after losses.
The biggest improvement was made by Utah, which climbed nine spots to No. 13.
Notre Dame open to hosting NHL stadium game
The NHL is exploring the option of hosting an outdoor hockey game at Notre Dame where the Chicago Blackhawks spend their training camp each season on the campus.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Blackhawks could play in a regular-season game at Notre Dame Stadium in a few years.
A construction project to remake the area around Notre Dame Stadium is underway and the Campus Crossroads project will be completed in the summer of 2017.
Sportsnet reported Saturday that the NHL was exploring the option at Notre Dame and Fighting Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick told the Chicago Tribune the school would have interest in hosting an outdoor game.
However, Swarbrick said no talks have taken place with the NHL.
“Once the Campus Crossroads project is finished, we do anticipate that Notre Dame Stadium will be an excellent venue for more than just Notre Dame football games, but no additional events have yet been scheduled,” Swarbrick said in a statement Sunday to the Tribune. “And while we would certainly have an interest in exploring the possibility of playing host to outdoor hockey games, we have not had any discussions with the NHL about doing so.”
Bruins recall F Randell
The Boston Bruins recalled forward Tyler Randell from the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League on Monday.
Randell, in the midst of his first full NHL season, has skated in 25 games with Boston in 2015-16, registering five goals and 47 penalty minutes. He registered his first NHL goal in his first game against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 14, 2015.
Randell, 24, has played in two games with Providence on a conditioning stint this season. In parts of five seasons with Providence, he has totaled 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists) and 314 penalty minutes in 172 games.
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound native of Scarborough, Ontario, was selected by the Bruins in the sixth round of the 2009 NHL draft.