Former tight end Ron Kramer dead at 75

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP)—Former Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions tight end Ron Kramer has died at age 75.
The University of Michigan said Kramer died Saturday at nfl jerseys
his home. It did not release the cause of death.
Kramer caught two TD passes from Bart Starr in Green Bay’s 1961 NFL championship victory over the New York Giants. He had his most productive season in 1962 with 37 receptions for 555 yards and seven touchdowns and was an All-Pro.
Kramer spent seven seasons with the Packers after being drafted in the first round with the fourth overall pick in 1957. He did not play in 1958, when he joined the Air Force while recovering from a leg injury suffered at the end of his rookie season. He finished his career with three seasons in Detroit, the city where he grew up, retiring after the 1967 season.
Lions President Tom Lewand said in a statement that Kramer was one of the city’s most accomplished athletes.
“It was so fitting that Ron ended his prestigious career playing for his hometown team,” Lewand said. “He will be dearly missed.”
Kramer earned three letters each in football, basketball and track at Michigan and led the Wolverines in scoring for two seasons in football.
His No. 87 is one of just five numbers retired by the school in Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
football. He played offensive and defensive end, running back, quarterback, kicker and receiver.
“He called me after every loss, and that meant a lot because it’s a lonely feeling to lose when you’re the coach at Michigan,” former Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr said Saturday night. “I’ll never forget that he used to bring our team apples because he remembered somebody doing that for him when he played at Michigan.”
As a basketball player, Kramer scored 1,119 points and was the team’s Most Valuable Player as a junior. He set the school’s all-time scoring record as team captain his senior year with 1,124 points, a standard that stood until 1961.
Despite his 230-pound frame, he competed in the high jump in track.
“Ron was one of the great Michigan athletes of the 20th century,” Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said in a statement released by the university.
After retiring, he operated Ron Kramer Industries in Fenton, Mich., about 35 miles north of Ann Arbor.
Kramer was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Dallas Cowboys jersey
Fame in 1971. In 1981, he was named a recipient of the NCAA’s Silver Anniversary Award in recognition of significant professional and civic contributions spanning 25 years after completion of his collegiate eligibility.
He was born June 24, 1935, in Girard, Kan., and his family moved to the Detroit area when he was 5.
Details on funeral arrangements weren’t immediately available.

Report: Haynesworth will play Sunday vs. Cowboys

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan has decided that defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth(notes) will play in the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, a source tells ESPN.
The source said Haynesworth has been told he will play mostly on nfl jersey
passing downs, rushing from an inside position. He Minnesota Vikings jersey
could start the game if the Cowboys open with a three-receiver set.
How much Haynesworth will play depends on how well he performs and how the game progresses. “It could be five plays or 35 plays,” the source told the network.
Haynesworth had a troubled training camp and Indianapolis Colts jersey
preseason, first being unable to pass a conditioning test amid a rocky relationship with Shanahan, then experiencing dehydration.

Lions glad to have versatile Havner

Here are some of the whispers we've been hearing around the NFC North this week:
The Lions love their new Swiss Army knife, Spencer Havner(notes). He's being tried at linebacker — the position he's listed at on their roster — but also can play tight end (four of his seven receptions with the Packers last season were touchdowns) and fullback. The Lions think he can be a do-it-all player, including his expected work on nfl throwback jerseys
special teams, and it doesn't hurt that he came from a division rival, either.
Husain Abdullah(notes) is the Vikings' starting strong safety going forward. So said head coach Brad Childress following the team's Week One loss to the Saints. Many thought Abdullah would be a placeholder at the spot because his better-than-average coverage skills would help make up for the lack of healthy cornerbacks on the roster for the game. But Childress appeared to back Abdullah going forward over Tyrell Johnson(notes) and Jamarca Sanford(notes), who spent most of Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
the summer battling for the starting spot.
According to our Packers sources, the turning point in the neck-and-neck battle for the starting punter job between winner Tim Masthay(notes) and Australian Chris Bryan(notes) was a punt by Masthay in the third preseason game against Indianapolis that had a jaw-dropping 5.06-second hang time and triggered a punt-return fumble by the Colts.
The Bears demoted QB Indianapolis Colts jersey
Caleb Hanie(notes) to third string when they signed QB Todd Collins(notes), but a source wouldn't rule out the two players switching spots on the depth chart when Hanie is completely recovered from a shoulder injury.
We're told Packers rookie free-agent C-OG Nick McDonald(notes)'s toughness probably earned him a surprise roster spot. Daily team observers tell us McDonald just never quit in camp and was duly rewarded.

Pick Your Real Madrid Team: Cristiano Ronaldo And Pepe Included In Squad To Face Osasuna

Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been included in Jose Mourinho’s squad for the match versus Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu this weekend.
The Portuguese picked up an ankle knock in the opening day football jersey
0-0 draw with Mallorca, and subsequently was forced to withdraw from international duty, with a three-week time frame for recovery initially expected.
The player himself said earlier this week that he hoped to be fit in time for the midweek Champions League clash versus Ajax, but it now seems that the club doctors have deemed Ronaldo to be fit enough to take his place in the los Blancos squad for their first home league match of the season.
Another surprise inclusion is Pepe, who is welcomed into a Blancos squad for the first time since December 2009 after recovering from his knee injury.

The squad list in full is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek Minnesota Vikings jersey
and Adam
Defenders: Carvalho, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Arbeloa y Mateos

Midfielders: Khedira, L. Diarra, Granero, Xabi Alonso, Canales, Pedro León, Di María, Özil

Attackers: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Higuaín.
Goal.com asks you to leave your choices in the comments feature below, using hyphens to separate positions, working from right to left.
This for example could be Real Madrid's Dallas Cowboys jersey
possible line-up, in a 4-2-3-1 formation:
Casillas – Ramos, Carvalho, Pepe, Marcelo – Xabi Alonso, L. Diarra – Di Maria, Canales, Ronaldo – Higuain

Official: Bobby Zamora Signs New Four-Year Deal At Fulham

Fulham have today confirmed that striker Bobby Zamora has signed a new contract at the club that will see him stay at Craven Cottage until 2014.

The England striker's current deal was set to expire at the end of nfl jersey
the season and other clubs have been linked Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
with possible moves for the former Brighton & Hove Albion man.

"Fulham Football Club can confirm that Bobby Zamora has signed a new four year deal with the Club that will see the striker remain at the Cottage until the summer of 2014," a statement on the club's official reads.

The 29-year-old has capped a fine 12 months Dallas Cowboys jersey
for him with the new deal, after winning his first full cap for England in August against Hungary at Wembley.

Who Will Be The Next England Manager? The Early Contenders

With Fabio Capello’s announcement he will leave his post as England manager after the 2012 European Championships, the bookies instantly gave odds to a lengthy list of candidates.

With questions over whether the next manager should be English, nfl jerseys
Goal.com looks at the possible contenders for the job once described as a "poisoned chalice" by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Current job: Tottenham manager

Contract: Signed extension this summer until June 2013.

Key achievements: Guided Portsmouth to FA Cup glory in 2008. Led Tottenham into the Champions League in 2010.

Possible stumbling blocks: His career has been dogged with corruption allegations, which he strongly denies.

What he says: "I've always said if you're an Englishman, it would be hard to turn it down, because it's the pinnacle of your career."

What Goal.com UK says: Harry Redknapp's stock has risen over the past few years and he is known for getting the best out of young players, so the England role could be perfect for him. His fiery temperament could be a set back and the corruption associations may leave him susceptible to press denigration.

Betting odds: 11/4 favourite Current job: Liverpool manager

Contract: Signed a three-year deal with the club in the summer.

Key achievements: Won five Swedish Championships in a row with Malmo. Has vast managerial experience across the world. Led Fulham to last year’s Europa League final.

Possible stumbling blocks: Despite his experience he has yet to win a significant honour with a household name.

What he says: [When quizzed about the England job over the summer] "There was never a question of: 'should I hold on, should I hedge my bets for something different' because I want to be here … all other thoughts of Minnesota Vikings jersey
jobs went out of my mind."

What Goal.com UK says: Roy Hodgson is a few months into a job that he described as "the biggest job in club football" and is unlikely to jump ship to manage England. He made a name for himself at Fulham, but has not shown the overwhelming winning mentality needed to galvanise a dismal England team. Has a good rapport with any team he manages. Current job: Unattached after resigning in acrimonious circumstances from Aston Villa last month.

Key achievements: Won the League Cup twice with Leicester City. Led Celtic to two Scottish League and Cup doubles along with another SPL title and Scottish Cup victory. Managed Celtic to the final of the Uefa Cup in 2003. League Cup runners-up in 2010 with Aston Villa.

Possible stumbling blocks: Is seen by some to have too little experience at the top level needed to lead a national team. He has had a number of high-profile disputes with playing and management staff, most recently with former boss Randy Lerner. Not the perfect warm-up for dealing with the FA.

What he says: "In the England job? I think I'd be brilliant. I do, I honestly do. It's self-effacing, but I do, yeah. My ego thinks I'd be good at it. But the rest of me… actually the rest of me thinks I'd be brilliant at it as well."

What Goal.com UK says: England should be Indianapolis Colts jersey
champing at the bit to make O’Neill the next England manager. He has turned Gareth Barry and James Milner into England stalwarts and has watched Ashley Young and (to a lesser extent) Gabriel Agbonlahor blossom. His man management, intelligence and composure are reasons enough for him to replace Capello. Plus there will be no haggling with a club for compensation if they secure him now.

Corruption case against former Nigeria FA chiefs adjourned

LAGOS (AFP) - The corruption case brought against four former officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been adjourned until October 5.
Justice Donatus Okorowa of the Abuja Federal High nfl jersey
Court also disclosed that his officials have begun a verification of the documents of sureties produced by the four defendants for bail.
Former NFF president Sani Lulu, vice-president Amanze Uchegbulam, secretary-general, Bolaji Ojo-Oba and chairman of the NFF technical committee, Taiwo Ogunjobi, have been handed a 10-count charge for corruption.
The charges were brought against them by the Minnesota Vikings jersey
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the country?s anti-graft agency.
The charges against the officials include mismanaging a World Cup budget of 900 million naira (about 6 million US dollars) and paying out allowances to unauthorised officials totalling over 800,000 US dollars.
The officials will also answer to charges of incurring a fine for a last-minute change of a World Cup training base for the national team and forking out 400,000 US dollars to stage a friendly against Colombia in London before the World Cup.
Nigeria bowed out of Dallas Cowboys jersey
the World Cup after the first round.
The officials were first quizzed by EFCC in July. They have been in detention since Monday.