For the Record

Died At age 73,Hall of Fame guard Gene Hickerson (above, number 66). At 6' 3", 248 pounds,Hickerson, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, was small by today'sstandards, but he anchored the Browns' offensive line from 1958 to '73, madesix straight Pro Bowls and finished his career with 165 consecutive gamesplayed. In his 15 seasons the Browns never had a losing record, and Hickersonplowed paths for three Hall of Fame runners: Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly and BobbyMitchell. Brown, for whom Hickerson was often a personal escort on the field,once called him "the greatest downfield blocker in the history of profootball."

Announced By oiltycoon T. Boone Pickens, that he's donating $63 million to the athleticdepartment of his alma mater, Oklahoma State. In 2005 Pickens, 80, gave$165 million to the school. The money was invested in his hedge fund,BP Capital, which has seen its holdings drop drastically in value.Oklahoma State has put some athletic building projects on hold, but on Monday,Pickens said he's helping the school continue "forward with improvements toits athletics initiatives."

Rejected By theNFL, a contract for Rams interim coach Jim Haslett that would have given himthe permanent title if St. Louis wins six games. Haslett, 52, was promoted fromdefensive coordinator when head coach Scott Linehan was fired after the Ramsgot off to an 0-4 start. St. Louis won its first two games under Haslett,and the team tried to rework his contract to include the wins incentive. Lastweek the NFL said the deal would violate the league's so-called Rooney Rule,which requires interviews of minority candidates when there are coachingvacancies. "Jim wants to do everything in his power to further the goals ofthe Rooney Rule," Haslett's agent, Peter Schaffer, said, "even if itworks against him."

Violated By atleast six players, the NFL's drug policy, according to reports. KDVR-TV inDenver reported that the Saints' Deuce McAllister and Will Smith are among theplayers; Houston TV station KRIV said the Texans' Bryan Pittman is also on thelist, and ESPN.com reported that the number of players who tested positive forbanned substances may exceed 15. McAllister and Smith allegedly usedbumetanide, a diuretic that can be used as a masking agent. Pittman andMcAllister denied wrongdoing, and Smith would not comment. A first-time offenseresults in a four-game suspension.

Won By JohnMcCain, the Bobble-Election held by the Manchester (N.H.) Monarchs of the AHLlast Friday. Before their game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins theMonarchs stocked up on 1,000 bobbleheads of the Republican presidentialcandidate and 1,000 of Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Fans at VerizonWireless Arena were given their choice of bobblehead as they entered, and thefirst candidate to have his supply exhausted was declared the victor. McCainwon by 32 bobbleheads, giving him 50.8% of the vote. The Monarchs' resultcontradicts a Boston Globe poll, released Sunday, which had Obama ahead by 15percentage points in New Hampshire.

Won By Norm Duke,the PBA World Championship in Wichita, Kans., on Sunday, making him the firstPBA Tour bowler in history to win three consecutive majors. Duke, 44, also wonthe Denny's World Championship last February and the U.S. Open in March. Thiswas Duke's second straight World Championship win.

Hosted ByPalestine for the first time, an international soccer match. Palestine, ranked180th out of 207 teams in the world, played Jordan to a 1-1 draw in a friendlyon Sunday. The game took place at Al-Husseini Stadium--the onlyregulation-sized field on the West Bank--in the town of al-Ram. The stadiumrecently had a $4 million renovation financed by FIFA. Said FIFA presidentSepp Blatter, who was in attendance, "We are here to realize a dream, thatis the national team of Palestine playing in its own stadium."

They Said It

BRIAN BURKE

Ducks general manager (below), on reports that he'sconsidering firing Anaheim's coach:

"Randy Carlyle is as safe as a baby in a car seatin a Hummer."

SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE
A high school football coach in Chelsea, Mass., is accused of spending moneyset aside for team uniforms at a strip club.

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JAMES DRAKE (HICKERSON)

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COURTESY OF THE MANCHESTER MONARCHS (BOBBLEHEADS)

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DAN RIEDLHUBER/REUTERS (BURKE)