Greg Hansen: Classic World Series came down to classic finish

Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star

At 11 a.m., on Nov. 4, 2001, I stood next to the old Southern Pacific railroad tracks adjacent to Bank One Ballpark. It was a Sunday morning, …

Greg Hansen: 1997 Cats enjoyed a magic moment

Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star

In the final hours before Arizona was to meet No. 1 Kansas at the 1997 Sweet 16, Lute Olson embraced the psychology and magnified the burden o…

Greg Hansen: Tucson favorite is top AZ college athlete

Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star

Phil Mickelson: Tucsonans long ago forgave Phil Mickelson his Sun Devil sins. Each time he tugged the Conquistadores championship helmet over …

Greg Hansen: Titleless Suns nevertheless an unqualified success

Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star

The Phoenix Suns lost the two most significant games in the 43-year history of the franchise, both at home, both in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. …

Greg Hansen: 1986 title showed world top Cat could flat coach

Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star

Lute Olson caught an overnight flight from LAX to Amsterdam in late June 1986. He changed planes on a Saturday afternoon and flew on to Paris …

Greg Hansen: Led by Veeck, trio planted seeds of Cactus League

Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star

Before they died - Hi Corbett in 1967; Bill Veeck in 1986; Roy Drachman in 2002 - none came forward to claim to be The Father of the Cactus League.

Greg Hansen: 'Pop' was the father of athletics at UA

Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star

Pop McKale's first game as Arizona's football coach, in 1914, was played on the school's all-dirt field against the Douglas YMCA. His team's y…

Greg Hansen: Miner's son turned ASU into gold

Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star

FRANK KUSH: Released from military service in 1955, Frank Kush drove from Fort Benning, Ga., to Tempe and accepted a $3,600 salary to be the l…

Demand by UA coach led to bowl, title games

  The spark that ignited the Fiesta Bowl and, in turn, produced latter-day national championship football games in Phoenix, began in Tucson in 1968.

Gold medalist coached UA swim team

Imagine the reaction 42 years ago when Charlie Hickcox became head coach of the Pima County Dolphins youth swimming team.

Pitcher from Scottsdale thrived in majors

Jim Palmer was a basketball player of such promise that legendary UCLA coach John Wooden offered him a scholarship to play for the Bruins in 1963.

Badgers made Tucson Titletown in '40s

In the 1940s, Tucson High School won 26 of a possible 40 Arizona state championships in football, basketball, baseball and track.

Under Busch, UA swimming made waves

By 1990, swimmers and divers from the UA had experienced national and international success in modest numbers. And then the dam burst. Once Ci…

Hopi distance star found his stride, Olympic glory

As a kid on the Hopi Reservation in Northern Arizona, Louis Tewanima would sometimes run 50 miles to Winslow just to see a passing train.

8 titles later, Candrea remembers starting at bottom

Mike Candrea was hired to coach Arizona's softball team Aug. 25, 1985, three months after he piloted Central Arizona College to its second NJC…

Ex-Cat's resolve, touch led to a handful of NBA champion rings

You could say there was an element of luck in Steve Kerr's basketball career.

Old-school and team-first approach led to three CWS titles for UA

Jerry Kindall's second Arizona baseball team finished an incredible 58-6 and broke a school record by winning 44 of 45 home games. Yet the 197…

Cholla, UA star awes NBA fans, transplant survivors

In Tucson, Sean Elliott is basketball's favorite son. He's the local kid from Cholla High School who turned into the college player of the yea…

Marana barrel racer carries on tradition of rodeo champs

In celebration of Arizona's centennial, the Star will feature our picks for the 100 best athletes, moments and teams. 

No other annual event can top 'The Game'

The Territorial Cup has been played 84 times, alternating year to year between Tucson and Tempe, a football series of such magnitude that it h…

From Rillito to Churchill Downs, he wins horse races

In his biography "Baffert: Dirt Road to the Derby," Bob Baffert writes about his post-UA days when he was a substitute teacher in Nogales. "Th…

'Block of granite' polished in football, wrestling

Curley Culp: At the 1967 NCAA wrestling championships in Kent, Ohio, Arizona State junior Curley Culp won three matches by pins and another 15…

Glendale rider perhaps best all-around talent in state's history

Ty Murray: During his schoolboy days at Glendale's Deer Valley High School, Ty Murray was a promising member of the school's gymnastics team.

Prescott pitcher battled injuries, but still won Cy Young in '83

John Denny: With a 19-6 record and 2.37 ERA for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983, John Denny left little question he was a deserving Cy Young…

UA softball legacy begins with pitchers

Considering the importance of pitching in college softball, maybe it's no surprise. But en route to its eight NCAA championships, the Arizona …

Cole a powerhouse in powerlifting

With unconventional mechanics and an absence of gear, plus a thick beard that drew even more attention to his massive physique, Jon Cole becam…

Sunnyside owns wrestling in Arizona

Name any sports team dynasty. Any sport. Any level. Anywhere. Whatever the team is, chances are pretty good it can't beat the record of succes…

Tillman a standout on the battlefield and the football field

An overachieving, outspoken, fiery linebacker for ASU and safety for the Arizona Cardinals, Pat Tillman already was larger than life as a foot…

Batistes made up 'greatest athletic family'

The Batiste brothers: For Joe Batiste and his three Tucson-based brothers, hurdles were more than just something to fly over. They were also a…

Former Cat earns big bucks, but seeks title

Mike Bibby: In his 1996-97 Arizona media guide bio, Mike Bibby listed this under Career Goal After College: "Make a lot of money."

Boxer light in weight but packed heavy punch

In celebration of Arizona's centennial, the Star will feature our picks for the 100 best athletes, moments and teams.

Hall of Famer led Agua Fria, ASU, Vikings

Even before Randall McDaniel put on football pads for the first time, there was a pretty good indication he might grow into an explosive offen…

Local coaching icons set bar for longevity

Ironwood Ridge High basketball coach Brian Peabody once tried to get mentor Dick McConnell to name his top five players from a legendary caree…

Bryan, Tucsonans made Indy lore

In celebration of Arizona's centennial, the Star will feature our picks for the 100 best athletes, moments and teams.

From Mesa to NFL, father-son duo shared 'competitiveness'

In celebration of Arizona's centennial, the Star will feature our picks for the 100 best athletes, moments and teams.

Star running back, Olympic medalist, Pro Bowl return man

Michael Bates: Of all the good memories Vern Friedli has had on the Amphitheater football field, one of the best had nothing to do with football.

Mesa school made national Top 25 list in 2005

In celebration of Arizona's centennial, the Star will feature our picks for the 100 best athletes, moments and teams.

Cats finally beat ASU on way to '76 title

Of all the classic Arizona-ASU sports matchups, few can rival the one produced during the 1976 baseball season. En route to the UA's first nat…

'Guns' known for physique, officiating in NFL

Ed Hochuli, a practicing attorney in Phoenix, often gets stopped in public places with adoring fans asking for autographs, a picture or just a…

Brother duo combined to play 12 seasons in NFL

Andy Livingston didn't want to listen to the rules. He knew he could play in the NFL. With his big brother, Warren, a UA graduate, already in …