1.
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
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Pine Bluff is the ninth largest city in the state of Arkansas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas and it is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combined Statistical Area. The population of the city was 49,083 in the 2010 Census, the city is situated in the Southeast section of the Arkansas Delta and straddles the Arkansas Timberlands region to its west. Its topography is flat with wide expanses of farmland consistent with other places in the Delta Lowlands, Pine Bluff is home to a number of creeks, streams, bayous, and larger bodies of water such as Lake Pine Bluff, Lake Langhofer and the Arkansas River. Pine Bluff is home to over three-quarters of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, the area along the Arkansas River had been inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous peoples of various cultures. They used the river for transportation like settlers after them, by the time of encounter with Europeans, the historical Quapaw were the chief people in the area, having migrated from the Ohio River valley centuries before. The city of Pine Bluff was founded by Europeans on a bank of the Arkansas River heavily forested with tall pine trees. The high ground furnished settlers a safe haven from annual flooding, Joseph Bonne, a Métis fur trader and trapper of mixed Quapaw and French ancestry, settled on this bluff in 1819. In 1829 Thomas Phillips claimed a section of land where Pine Bluff is located. Jefferson County was established by the Territorial Legislature on November 2,1829, at the August 13,1832 county election, the pine bluff was chosen as the county seat. The Quorum Court voted to name the village Pine Bluff Town on October 16,1832, Pine Bluff was incorporated January 8,1839, by the order of County Judge Taylor. At the time, the village had about 50 residents, improved transportation facilities aided in the growth of Pine Bluff during the 1840s and 1850s. With its proximity to the Arkansas River, the town served as a port for travel. Steamships provided the primary mode of transport, arriving from downriver ports such as New Orleans, from 1832-1858, Pine Bluff was also a station on the passage of Seminole and Black Seminoles who were forcibly removed from Florida to the Territory. They included the legendary John Horse, who landed in the city on the steamboat Swan in 1842. Pine Bluff was prospering by the outbreak of the Civil War with wealth built on the commodity crop of cotton, the city had one of the largest slave populations in the state by 1860 and Jefferson County, Arkansas was second in cotton production in the state. Union troops under Colonel Powell Clayton arrived September 17,1863, marmaduke tried to expel the Union Army in the Battle of Pine Bluff October 25,1863, but was repulsed by a combined effort of soldiers and freedmen. In the final year of the war, the 1st Regiment Kansas Volunteer Infantry, was the first African-American regiment in the war to go into combat
2.
Arkansas Razorbacks football
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The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the program has 13 conference championships,45 All-Americans, and an all-time record of 700–475–40. The Razorbacks are the 23rd-most successful team in football history by number of wins. Home games are played at locations near the two largest campuses of the University of Arkansas System, Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, the Arkansas Razorbacks have 84 active NFL players currently in the 2015 NFL Season. The first University of Arkansas football team was formed in 1894 and coached by John Futrall and that team played three games, two against Fort Smith High School and one against Texas. Before the 1909 season, the teams was called the Arkansas Cardinals, the name and mascot changed following the 1909 season when the football team, coached by Hugo Bezdek, finished 7–0. Arkansas prevailed over powerhouses Oklahoma, LSU and Washington of St. Louis in 1909 and it was with the help of Steve Creekmore that this was accomplished. Creekmore became perhaps the first Razorback star, a quarterback from Van Buren who initially played only intramurals, Bezdek used Creekmore to install a very early edition of the hurry-up offense, as the team never huddled and chased the ball after every play. Creekmore was also known for fast and slippery running, blocking, there are differing stories about the origins of the Razorbacks mascot, however. The Texarkana Arkansas High School mascot and athletic emblem is the Razorback with red, the Razorback mascot was selected in 1910 to replace the Cardinal as the University of Arkansas mascot. In exchange for its use, the university provided used athletic gear to Texarkana Arkansas High, this practice is no longer used. With the new name and mascot, the Hogs defeated LSU 51–0 and gave Texas A&M their only loss in 1910, in 1913, Arkansas quarterback J. L. Carter and the Razorbacks lost to Ole Miss, and took a fateful train to Arkadelphia to play Ouachita Baptist. While Carter was eating, he was invited to a meeting of Ouachita boosters and he transferred and defeated Arkansas 15–9 in 1914. The Hogs would be contacted by L. Theo Bellmont in 1913 in his attempt to create a conference to regulate use of ringers. Hugo Bezdek, since replaced by E. T. Pickering, had recommended that the Hogs join a conference before he left to coach at Oregon, the Razorbacks joined the Southwest Conference as charter members in 1915. The conference also included teams from Texas and Oklahoma, southwestern would also join, but leave the following year. The 1916,1917, and 1919 teams were led at quarterback by Arkansas greatest athlete Gene Davidson, the Razorbacks didnt have a winning conference record until 1920, and didnt win the conference championship until 1936. Arkansas had the best record during the 1933 season, but had to forfeit the SWC Championship because Ulysses Heine Schleuter, Schleuter had told coach Fred Thomsen that he was eligible, but he was recognized by an SMU player during the game as a former Cornhusker
3.
Chicago Bears
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The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference North division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships and one Super Bowl and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Bears have also recorded more victories than any other NFL franchise. The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1919 and it is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFLs founding. The team played games at Wrigley Field on Chicagos North Side through the 1970 season, they now play at Soldier Field on the Near South Side. The Bears have a rivalry with the Green Bay Packers. The team headquarters, Halas Hall, is in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, the Bears practice at adjoining facilities there during the season. They hold their training camp from late July to mid-August at Ward Field on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Originally named the Decatur Staleys, the club was established by the A. E. Staley food starch company of Decatur and this was the typical start for several early professional football franchises. The company hired George Halas and Edward Dutch Sternaman in 1920 to run the team, the 1920 Decatur Staleys season was their inaugural regular season completed in the newly formed American Professional Football Association. Full control of the team was turned over to Halas and Sternaman in 1921, official team and league records cite Halas as the founder as he took over the team in 1920 when it became a charter member of the NFL. The team relocated to Chicago in 1921, where the club was renamed the Chicago Staleys, under an agreement reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley, Halas purchased the rights to the club from Staley for US$100. In 1922, Halas changed the name from the Staleys to the Bears. The team moved into Wrigley Field, which was home to the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise, as with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from their citys baseball team. Halas liked the bright colors of his alma mater, the University of Illinois. The Staleys/Bears dominated the league in the early years and their rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals, the oldest in the NFL, was key in four out of the first six league titles. During that span, the Bears posted 34 shutouts, the Bears rivalry with the Green Bay Packers is one of the oldest and most storied in American professional sports, dating back to 1921. The franchise was a success under Halas, capturing the NFL Championship in 1921
4.
Los Angeles Rams
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The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that play in the National Football League. The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League before joining the NFL the next year, in 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Rams franchise remained in the area until 1994, when they moved to St. Louis. The Rams franchise returned to Los Angeles in 2016, Reeves threatened to end his relationship with the NFL and get out of the professional football business altogether unless the Rams transfer to Los Angeles was permitted. A settlement was reached and, as a result, Reeves was allowed to move his team to Los Angeles, consequently, the NFL became the first professional coast-to-coast sports entertainment industry. From 1933, when Joe Lillard left the Chicago Cardinals, through 1946, after the Rams had received approval to move to Los Angeles, the Rams entered into negotiations to lease the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Rams were advised that a precondition to them getting a lease was that they would have to integrate the team with at least one African-American, subsequently, the Rams signed Kenny Washington on March 21,1946. The signing of Washington caused all hell to break loose among the owners of the NFL franchises, the Rams added a second black player, Woody Strode, on May 7,1946, giving them two black players going into the 1946 season. The Rams were the first team in the NFL to play in Los Angeles, the upstart All-America Football Conference had the Los Angeles Dons compete there as well. Reeves was taking a gamble that Los Angeles was ready for its own football team –. Reeves was proved to be correct when the Rams played their first pre-season game against the Washington Redskins in front of a crowd of 95,000 fans, the team finished their first season in L. A. with a 6–4–1 record, second place behind the Chicago Bears. At the end of the season Walsh was fired as head coach, the Coliseum would be the home of the Rams for more than 30 years, but the facility was already over 20 years old on the day of the first kickoff. In 1948, halfback Fred Gehrke painted horns on the Rams helmets, Kelley had an early evening talk show on L. A. radio station KMPC, that was considered by most sports enthusiasts as highly entertaining. Kelley was generally considered a Legend and a professional, one of the great radio. At the beginning of the 1951 World Championship game after the kickoff, Kelley was able to cite every player on the prior to the first snap from scrimmage. The Rams first heyday in Southern California was from 1949 to 1955, during this period, they had the best offense in the NFL, even though there was a quarterback change from Bob Waterfield to Norm Van Brocklin in 1951. The defining Offensive players of this period were wide receiver Elroy Hirsch, Van Brocklin, teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Tom Fears, Hirsch helped create the style of Rams football as one of the first big play receivers. During the 1951 Championship season, Hirsch posted a then stunning 1,495 receiving yards with 17 touchdowns, the popularity of this wide-open offense enabled the Los Angeles Rams to become the first pro football team to have all their games televised in 1950
5.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
6.
Texas Longhorns football
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The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate team representing the University of Texas at Austin in the sport of American football. The Longhorns compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference, the team is coached by Tom Herman and home games are played at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Beginning in 1893, the Texas Longhorns football program is one of the most highly regarded and historic programs of all time. From 1937 to 1946 the team was led by Hall of Fame coach Dana X. Bible, and then from 1957 to 1976 the team was led by Hall of Fame coach Darrell K. Royal, who won three national championships. In 2012, the program was valued at $805 million. In 2008, ESPN ranked Texas as the seventh-most prestigious college football program since 1936, as of the end of the 2016 season, Texas all-time record is 891–359–33, which ranks as the second-most wins in NCAA Division I FBS history. Other NCAA records include 108 winning seasons out of 122 total seasons,23 seasons with 10 or more wins,9 undefeated seasons, and 26 seasons with at most one loss or tie. From 1936 to 2012, the Longhorns football teams have been in the AP or coaches rankings 66 out of 76 seasons, finishing those seasons ranked in the top twenty-five 48 times, Texas claims four Division I-A national championships and 32 conference championships. Seventeen Longhorns have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the Longhorns have played their home games in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Joe Jamail Field since 1924. The stadium is located on the campus of The University of Texas in Austin, the current DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium and Big 12 attendance record was set on September 4,2016 with 102,315 spectators. The final planned phase of the expansion includes the construction of permanent seating. However, the date of the construction phase to fully enclose the south end zone has not been set nor have any funds been raised. Before the Longhorns football team moved to DKR, they played their games at Clark Field from 1894 to 1924. Clark Field was a stadium located on the University of Texas campus. The Longhorns last game at Clark Field before moving to brand new Memorial Stadium occurred on October 25,1924, the Longhorns battled the Florida Gators to a 7–7 tie that day. The 1893 team did not always wear orange and they also wore gold and white uniforms. In 1895, the Texas Athletic Association moved to orange and white colors, in 1897, the Association moved to orange and maroon to save cleaning costs. The Cactus Yearbook at the time listed the University colors as either gold or orange and white until the 1899 Cactus declared the University colors to be gold, students at the Universitys medical branch in Galveston were in favor of royal blue
7.
Houston Post
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The Houston Post was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the shut down, and its assets were purchased by the Houston Chronicle. The newspaper was established on February 19,1880, by Gail Borden Johnson, though that original publication ceased in October 1884, the Houston Post was re-established with the merger of the Houston Morning Chronicle and the Houston Evening Journal on April 5,1885. J. L. Watson was the manager and Rienzi M. Johnston was the editor. Short story writer O. Henry worked briefly for the Post in 1895 and 1896 and he had to leave his position at the Post when he was indicted for embezzlement from previous employment at a bank in Austin. For many years, the Post was owned by the Hobby family, amid declining sales, the Post was sold in 1983 to the Toronto Sun. Four years later, MediaNews Group, led by William Dean Singleton, the Houston Post building, in the 1970s, had contemporary artwork, slate floors, and wood-grain concrete walls. Tours of the building and its facilities were given at the time, the Houston Post later closed permanently, with the final edition printed on April 18,1995. Its assets and liabilities were acquired by Hearst Corporation, the publisher of the Posts rival daily Houston Chronicle, the Hearst Corporation acquired the Houston Post headquarters, which included the newspapers printing facilities and five offset press lines. Hearst began to use the facilities as part of the production of the Houston Chronicle, Houston Chronicle newspapers were distributed to former Houston Post subscribers. The facility now serves as a Houston Chronicle plant and the headquarters of the Houston Chronicle Spanish newspaper La Voz de Houston, some Houston Post articles had been made available in the archives of the Houston Chronicle website, but by 2005 they were removed. People interested in reading Houston Post articles may view them on microfilm, the Houston Public Library has the newspaper on microfilm from 1880–1995 and the Houston Post Index from 1976 to 1994. The microfilm of 1880–1900 is in the Texas and Local History Department of the Julia Ideson Building, while 1900–1995 is in the Jesse H. Jones Building, the main building of the Central Library. In addition the University of Houstons main library has the Houston Post available on microfilm from 1880 to 1995, the National Endowment for the Humanities has online searchable past issues of the Houston Post from 1893 to 1903 in the newspaper section. Dan Cook Leon Hale Mickey Herskowitz Phi Slama Jama List of newspapers in Texas Rancor, - Marty Graham U. S DOJ approves Hearst purchase of Post - U. S. Fleck, Tim and Jim Simmon. Deanos Disclosure, Singleton signed the Posts death warrant long before it expired, Houston Daily Post hosted by the Portal to Texas History. Houston Post hosted by the Portal to Texas History
8.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
9.
Coach (sport)
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In sports, a coach is a person involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople. A coach may also be a teacher, the original sense of the word coach is that of a horse-drawn carriage, deriving ultimately from the Hungarian city of Kocs where such vehicles were first made. Britain took the lead in upgrading the status of sports in the 19th century, for sports to become professionalized, coacher had to become established. It gradually professionalized in the Victorian era and the role was established by 1914. In the First World War, military units sought out the coaches to supervise physical conditioning, a coach, particularly in a professional league, is usually supported by one or more assistant coaches and specialist support staff. The staff may include coordinators, strength and fitness specialists, in elite sport, the role of nutritionists, biomechanists and physiotherapists will all become critical to the overall long-term success of a coach and athlete. In association football, the duties of a coach can vary depending on the level they are coaching at, in professional football, the role of the coach or trainer is limited to the training and development of a clubs first team in most countries. The coach is aided by a number of assistant coaches, one of which carries the responsibility for the training, the coach is also assisted by medical staff and athletic trainers. The medium to long term strategy of a club, with regard to transfer policies, youth development. The system also provides a level of protection against overspending on players in search of instant success. In football, the director of a football team is more commonly awarded the position of manager. Baseball coaches at that level are members of the staff under the overall supervision of the manager. The baseball field manager is essentially equivalent to head coaches in other American professional sports leagues, the term manager used without qualification almost always refers to the field manager, while the general manager is often called the GM. At amateur levels, the terminology is similar to that of other sports. The person known as the manager in professional leagues is called the head coach in amateur leagues. In American football, like other sports, there are many coaches. Sports coaching in the UK follows a structured pattern in principle. In June 2008, the Sports Councils together with the governing bodies of sport formally adopted the UK Coaching Framework at the UK Coaching Summit in Coventry
10.
High school football
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High school football is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular sports in both countries. It is also popular amongst American High school teams in Europe, High school football began in the late 19th century, concurrent with the start of many college football programs. In the late 19th and early 20th century, many college, other traditions of high school football such as pep rallies, marching bands, mascots, and homecomings are mirrored from college football. No true minor league farm organizations exist in American football, therefore, high school football is generally considered to be the third tier of American football in the United States, behind professional and college competition. The National Federation of State High School Associations establishes the rules of high school football in the United States, two states, Texas and Massachusetts, use NCAA playing rules except as shown below. Kickoffs take place at the kicking teams 40-yard line, as opposed to the 35 in college, if an attempted field goal is missed it is treated as a punt, normally it would be a touchback and the opposing team will start at the 20-yard line. However, if it not enter the end zone, it can be downed or returned as a normal punt. Any kick crossing the line is automatically a touchback, kicks cannot be returned out of the end zone. Pass interference by the results in a 15-yard penalty. Pass interference by the results in a 15-yard penalty, from the previous spot. The defense cannot return an extra-point attempt for a score, any defensive player that encroaches the neutral zone, regardless of whether the ball was snapped or not, commits a dead ball foul for encroachment. 5-yard penalty from the previous spot, prior to 2013, offensive pass interference resulted in a 15-yard penalty AND a loss of down. The loss of down provision has been deleted from the rules starting in 2013, in college and the NFL, offensive pass interference is only 10 yards. The use of overtime, and the type of overtime used, is up to the state association. The NFHS offers a suggested overtime procedure based on the Kansas Playoff, intentional grounding may be called even if the quarterback is outside the tackle box. The home team must wear dark-colored jerseys, and the team must wear white jerseys. In the NFL, the team has choice of jersey color, and in the NCAA
