Florida Sentinel Bulletin

BY LEON B. CREWS
Sentinel Staff Writer

Former Tampa resident, Dominic Herring-Ratcliffe, has made history as the first African American to make the lacrosse team at St. Augustine High School.

Now, he may follow in the footsteps of the legendary Jim Brown, who was a star on Syracuse University’s football and lacrosse teams.

Brown was also considered the best lacrosse player in the nation during that time.

Herring-Ratcliffe’s mother, Nicole Brown, said her son is an avid athlete and very active.

“He knew nothing about lacrosse initially. He plays football, and when the season was over, he tried out for the team as a way of staying conditioned.

“He was told later by the coach that he had made history as the first African American to make the team in the school’s history.”

Ms. Brown said she understands lacrosse is a sport African Americans aren’t exposed to, and her son is very excited over the honor. “Dominic is a sophomore and likes lacrosse so much, he plans to stay with it throughout high school career.

“I knew absolutely nothing about lacrosse, so I had to go on the internet. His high school is holding a clinic for parents so they can learn more about the sport.”

ATLANTA — Earl Lloyd remembers when he suited up for the Washington Capitols more than 60 years ago as the first Black to play in an NBA game and wondering if he would make a good enough impression to stick around.

Lloyd and the Capitols lost the game. But he played well enough to earn a roster spot and break the color barrier in a league that had only three Black players in 1950.

Now, as part of Black History Month, the 83-year-old Hall of Famer was honored for his breakthrough at halftime of the Atlanta Hawks-Miami Heat game on Sunday.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Tiger Woods has had many memorable rounds at famed Pebble Beach Golf Links. Sunday’s wasn’t one of them.

Woods, making his first PGA Tour start of the year, began the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am four shots off the lead, but never got on tracked in cool, overcast conditions. Struggling on the greens, he slipped to a 3-over-par 75 and tied for 15th, nine strokes behind winner Phil Mickelson.

CLEARWATER, FL — Hall of Fame boxing trainer Angelo Dundee was remembered Friday as a master motivator and a man who left a legacy of kindness that was just as impressive as what he accomplished in the ring molding a record 15 world champions, including Muhammad Ali.

Ali was among about 600 people who paid final respects at the Countryside Christian Center. The self-proclaimed “Greatest” wore a black suit and sunglasses and sat in front of the casket and a stage lined with flowers, pictures, paintings, and a pair of red boxing gloves sitting on a stool.

Ali’s wife, Lonnie, spoke during the service on behalf of her husband, who has Parkinson’s disease.

“He used to call us all the time and say it doesn’t cost nothing to be nice. … It was like his mantra,” she said. “Whenever we saw Angelo there was a smile of his face. He was always a happy guy.”

Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants considered making an appearance on TNA Wrestling, but now appears to be backing out.

TNA and Spike TV officials thought they had finalized a deal to pit the Giants’ defensive end against Kurt Angle at a TNA television taping in Orlando. Bailey, though, said Pierre-Paul had not signed off on the deal.

Pierre-Paul, 23, was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2010 draft. The Giants’ second-year star was a key piece of the defensive line that led New York to victory in Super Bowl XLVI.

INDIANAPOLIS — Eli Manning and the Giants scored a last-minute touchdown to beat the New England Patriots 21-17 Sunday night for New York’s fourth Super Bowl title.

It was a rematch of the 2008 NFL championship, when Manning led New York past New England to ruin the Patriots’ bid for a perfect season.

This was the first Super Bowl with two starting quarterbacks who previously won the NFL championship game’s Most Valuable Player award — and they took turns being brilliant. Manning became the first quarterback to open a Super Bowl with nine consecutive completions. Later, New England’s Tom Brady put together a run of 16 completions in a row, breaking another Super Bowl mark.

But in the end, it was Manning who directed the nine-play, 88-yard drive that put New York ahead.

Ahmad Bradshaw capped the winning drive with a 6-yard run up the middle. He wanted to stop at the 1-yard line but fell backward into the end zone.

Less than a minute later it came down to one last play, when Brady’s long heave into the end zone fell incomplete among a maze of players.

Ahmad Bradshaw #44 of the New York Giants celebrates his six-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

INDIANAPOLIS  — Move over David Tyree.

Mario Manningham is the new star in the Giants’ latest version of “The Catch.”

It may not have been a helmet catch like Tyree’s in the Super Bowl four years ago, but it was just as clutch and just as timely – and Tyree was there to see it.

Manningham made a magnificent over-the-shoulder catch and managed to stay inbounds on the opening play of a game-winning, 88-yard touchdown drive that carried New York to another come-from-behind win over the Patriots in the NFL championship game on Sunday.

INDIANAPOLIS  — Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has won the 2011 Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Newton is the second straight No. 1 overall draft pick to take the honor in voting by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league.

“I want to thank the man upstairs,” Newton said.

The first Panther to take the award, Newton received 47 votes to three for Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton. The awards were presented on the “NFL Honors” primetime special Saturday night on NBC.

Newton set an NFL record for touchdowns rushing in a season by a quarterback with 14 and became the first player in league history to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 500. He helped Carolina improve from 2-14 to 6-10, throwing for 21 touchdowns.

RUSTON, La. — Louisiana Tech running back, Tyronne Duplessis was found dead at his off-campus apartment.

Hazel Woods, the chief investigator for the Lincoln Parish coroner’s office, says the cause of death is not yet known and an autopsy is pending.

The 21-year-old Duplessis, whose body was found Thursday morning, recently completed his sophomore season of eligibility.

Louisiana Tech spokesman Patrick Walsh says coach Sonny Dykes informed the team. The university has also made grief counselors available to the team.

Duplessis, who is from New Orleans, played in two games last season as he sought to come back from a knee injury that sidelined him in 2010. As a true freshman in 2009, he had 70 carries for 277 yards.