FORT MYERS, Fla.– Summer football camps are back in the ‘239’. Former Tampa Bay Bucs running back Earnest Graham’s message to his campers was simple, cherish these moments. As a Southwest Florida native and someone that made it to the top of the football pyramid, Graham can remember the impact youth football camps had on his development growing up “Oh I love it. It takes us back obviously to our youth and when we would come out for football camps and you see all the guys from the community and you get a chance just run around and just have fun plus you get to...
ESTERO, Fla.– In the locker room or behind the bench, John Sellars is always at his best. “I played backup goalie for a few games. I have a hockey page,” boasts Sellars. For the last 15 years, Sellars has worked as an equipment manager in professional hockey. While sharpening skates, doing laundry and making the occasional pot of coffee might not sound like much from the outside but Sellars has made himself an integral part of the Everblades locker room. “Johnny goes above and beyond to make sure we’re ready for games,”...
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Come Sunday, Fort Myers High School graduate Olivia McMurray will be swimming in a pool much larger than the one she is used to practicing in at Cypress Lake High School. That’s because two years after qualifying, McMurrary will finally get to swim in the U.S. Olympic Trials. “It’s really surreal,” said Olivia. “It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of since I was a little age group swimmer at eight or nine (years old).” Thursday, the eight-time Florida high school state champion and her coach, Rob Pellicer,...
NAPLES , Fla. – The Alternative Baseball Organization is making its way to Southwest Florida this August. Through baseball, the organization teaches those with autism and other special needs life skills on and off the diamond thanks to founder and commissioner Taylor Duncan. From the time he was a boy Duncan loved baseball and everything that came with it. “Really for me I grew up watching the game, I grew up watching the Braves on TBS,” Duncan said. He is a walking encyclopedia of the sport and has memories of watching hall of famers like Randy Johnson, Greg...
(CNN) — Roger Federer has withdrawn from the French Open as he seeks to protect his knee following two operations in 2020. “After discussions with my team, I’ve decided I will need to pull out of Roland Garros today,” the 39-year-old said in a statement in Sunday. “After two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation it’s important that I listen to my body and make sure I don’t push myself too quickly on my road to recovery.” After playing into the early hours of Sunday in his third-round win over Dominik Koepfer, the 20-time...
Essential Quality has just won the 1153rd Belmont Stakes, the final leg of a dramatic 2021 Triple Crown. This is trainer Brad Cox’s Belmont Debut. Jockey Luis Saez earned his first Triple Crown win after he finished first in the 2019 Kentucky Derby aboard Maximum Security before being disqualified for interference, NBC Sports reports. Barclay Tagg’s Tiz the Law kicked off a scrambled 2020 Triple Crown by becoming the first New York-bred horse to win the Belmont Stakes since Forester in 1882, NBC Sports reports. Tiz the Law went on to win the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in convincing...
NBC SPORTS – The Belmont Stakes returns to early June and closes out a dramatic 2021 Triple Crown, only on NBC Sports. The 153rd Belmont Stakes airs on Saturday, June 5 from 3-5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and from 5-7 p.m. on NBC. Coverage is also available on NBCSports.com and on the NBC Sports app. NBC Sports will also broadcast from Belmont Park on Friday, June 4 from 5-6 p.m. ET with live racing, insider previews, and expert betting tips. What started as a much-anticipated return to normal on the First Saturday in May turned into controversy when, eight days after the 147th Kentucky Derby,...
FORT MYERS, Fla.– For FGCU Head Men’s Basketball Coach Michael Fly, recruiting new players to his program over the last 15 months has not been easy. “The last year and a half really we’ve been recruiting guys and taking commitments and signing guys without ever meeting them in person” said Fly. At the onset of the pandemic, the NCAA instituted a ban known as a dead period on all in person recruiting. Coaches could not leave campus to recruit while prospective recruits could not visit campuses. “It’s hard because you’re...
LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida SouthWestern State College’s softball team was removed from a Southwest flight for refusing to wear masks. Southwest Airlines confirmed federal law requires everyone age two and over to wear a mask at all times throughout a flight. “Our reports indicate that individuals traveling as part of a group refused to wear masks after being reminded multiple times by our Crew,” a spokesperson with Southwest said in a statement. The group was removed from the flight for “refusing to comply” with the federal mask mandate, according to officials...
FORT MYERS, Fla. – After only six years the Florida Southwestern athletics department brought home its first national championship over the weekend after going a perfect 5-0 in the NJCAA national tournament. The Bucs trip out west was complete with dramatic comebacks, a SportsCenter top 10 play, and overall great softball as the Bucs brought the championship to Fort Myers. “I am so proud of our team and it was absolutely a team effort,” FSW freshman infielder Feline Poot said. It took a team effort on the diamond and off that gave FSW the crown jewel that every program has been...