COLLEGES
The University of Maine hired former Black Bears defensive lineman Mike DeVito to football coach Jordan Stevens’ staff on Wednesday.
DeVito will serve the role of Director of Player Development & Alumni Relations.
DeVito, a two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection while at UMaine, began his NFL career in 2007 as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets. He spent six years in New York before joining the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013 for a three-year stint.
In his nine-year professional career, DeVito appeared in 110 games, registering 250 tackles, 5 1/2 sacks, six forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
DeVito was inducted into the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
BASEBALL
NECBL: Three pitchers combined to shut out the Upper Valley Nighthawks 2-0 as the Sanford Mainers won at Goodall Park in Sanford.
Starter Cody Bowker allowed five hits in four innings with two walks and four strikeouts. Winner Nick Thompson gave up two hits, walked none and struck out one in three innings. Jake Poindexter got the save, pitching the final two innings, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Devan Bade was 3 for 4 and scored on a wild pitch and drove in a run with a single.
FOOTBALL
NFL: Two-time winning Super Bowl coaches Tom Coughlin and Mike Shanahan and team owners Robert Kraft and Virginia McCaskey were among the 60 semifinalists announced for the 2024 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Hall’s 12-person Seniors Committee trimmed a list of eligible player nominees to 31. Each semifinalist played his last game in professional football no later than 1998.
Separately, the Hall’s 12-person Coach/Contributor Committee reduced the list of nominated candidates to 29 semifinalists.
Unlike in February when cornerback Darrelle Revis and offensive lineman Joe Thomas were selected for enshrinement in their first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, none of the 31 players appears to be a lock for induction.
Coughlin coached the New York Giants from 2004-15, leading them to Super Bowl victories over the New England Patriots after the 2007 and ’11 seasons.
Shanahan led the Denver Broncos to Super Bowl titles after the 1997 and ’98 seasons. He went 178-144 overall with three teams, including a 46-10 mark from 1996-1998, an NFL record for wins in a three-year span.
McCaskey, who turned 100 on Jan. 5, became principal owner of the Chicago Bears in 1983 upon the death of her father, Hall of Famer George Halas.
Kraft has owned the New England Patriots since 1994. His teams have won six Super Bowls, all of them with Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.
The respective selection committees now will consider the candidates and will vote to determine 12 finalists from each group. The results of those votes will be announced July 27.
Coach/Contributor Committee members will meet Aug. 15 to select one candidate for final consideration for the next year’s Hall of Fame class.
The Seniors Committee will meet Aug. 22 and may select up to three candidates for final consideration.
Revis, Thomas, Ronde Barber, Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko, Ken Riley, Zach Thomas, DeMarcus Ware and Don Coryell will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 3.
MEDIA
ESPN: Longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale says he has been diagnosed with cancer for a third time.
Vitale tweeted that he had surgery in Boston this week, and tests revealed that he has vocal cord cancer. He said he will undergo six weeks of radiation treatments.
Vitale, 84, has previously been treated for melanoma and lymphoma. He celebrated being cancer-free in April of last year.
SOCCER
MLS: Matt Polster and Giacomo Vrioni scored in the first nine minutes, Djordje Petrovic made a career-high 10 saves and the New England Revolution defeated Atlanta United 2-1 at Foxborough, Massachsuetts.
Polster netted his second goal of the season to give the Revolution (11-4-7) the lead, scoring unassisted in the 4th minute. Vrioni stretched the advantage to 2-0 when he took a pass from Carles Gil and scored his fifth goal this season. Gil returned from a one-match suspension for accumulating five yellow cards. He missed the Revs’ 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
Djordje Petrovic missed his shot at a clean sheet when Machop Chol scored unassisted in the third minute of second-half stoppage time for his second goal this season and the second of his career. Brad Guzan had four saves for Atlanta United (9-6-8).
AUTO RACING
HALL OF FAME: Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and his former crew chief of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Chad Knaus headline a list of 15 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
There are 10 nominees on the modern era ballot and five on the pioneer ballot, which is designed to honor those whose careers began more than 60 years ago. Two modern era candidates and one pioneer candidate will be selected for the Hall of Fame when the 61-person committee meets on Aug. 2.
Together, Johnson and Knaus won Cup titles in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2016. Johnson’s seven titles as a driver tie him with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for the most in NASCAR history.
Joining Johnson and Knaus on the modern era ballot are former drivers Carl Edwards, Neil Bonnett, Jeff Burton, Ricky Rudd, Harry Gant, Tim Brewer, Harry Hyde and Larry Phillips.
Donnie Allison, an original member of the fan-favorite Alabama Gang, will be on the pioneer ballot for the first time, along with fellow drivers AJ Foyt and Sam Ard, car builder Banjo Matthews and car owner Ralph Moody.
Longtime NASCAR executive Les Richter joins the Landmark Award ballot for the first time after being on the Hall of Fame ballot three times before the award was created. The Landmark Award honors those who made significant contributions to the growth and esteem of NASCAR.
BASKETBALL
WNBA: Natasha Howard scored 28 with 14 rebounds, Arike Ogunbowale also had her first career double-double and the visiting Dallas Wings blew out the Minnesota Lynx, 107-67.
Satou Sabally, with five 3-pointers, and Teaira McCowan both had 19 points for the Wings (11-9). Ogunbowale had 16 with a career-high 11 assists.
Napheesa Collier had 11 points and Kayla McBride 10 for the Lynx (9-11), who gave up 113 points to Las Vegas on Sunday.
• Sabrina Ionescu scored eight of her 34 points in overtime and the visiting New York Liberty (11-4) clinched a berth in the Commissioner’s Cup championship with a 95-87 win over the Indiana Fever (5-15), despite blowing an 18-point fourth-quarter lead.
Aliyah Boston hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation for Indiana, which had a chance to win its last two home games on last-second 3-point attempts. It was the rookie’s second 3 of the season.
That tied the game at 80 but the veteran Liberty pulled away in overtime as Ionescu hit two of her seven 3-pointers and the young Fever missed its last four shots.
• Tiffany Hayes scored 22 points, DeWanna Bonner added 21 and the visiting Connecticut Sun (15-5) defeated the Chicago Sky, 84-72.
Alyssa Thomas added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Sun (15-5).
Kahleah Cooper had 22 points and Elizabeth Williams 16 for the Sky (8-12), who have lost three straight.
• Allisha Gray scored 19 points, Cheyenne Parker added 18 and Atlanta beat the visiting Seattle Storm 85-75 for its sixth straight win.
CYCLING
TOUR DE FRANCE: Jasper Philipsen posted his fourth stage win at this year’s Tour de France, taking his career tally to six.
There were no major changes in the general classification: Jonas Vingegaard kept his 17-second lead over two-time champion Tadej Pogacar. Jai Hindley remained in third place, 2 minutes, 40 seconds off the pace.
Philipsen, who rides for Alpecin–Deceuninck, had been perfectly guided by his leadout man Mathieu van der Poel in his three previous stage wins. Left on his own this time, he perfectly timed his move and once again proved strongest in the frenetic last kilometer of the 180-kilometer (112 miles) Stage 11 from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins in central France.
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