In brief: Hamm, Foudy elected to soccer’s hall of fame
Former teammates Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy, who shared two Olympic gold medals and two World Cup titles, were both elected Tuesday to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Hamm was chosen in a landslide, named on 137 of 141 ballots for 97.16 percent of the vote – both records. The previous highest percentage belonged to Michelle Akers, who was elected with 95.77 percent in 2005.
Foudy was selected on 118 ballots for 83.69 percent.
“What a blessed career that Julie and I have been able to have with such a wonderful group of women,” Hamm said. “To top it off with this nomination is truly exciting for both of us.”
Hamm and Foudy, each in their first year of eligibility, comprise the first all-women class elected to the Oneonta, N.Y.-based hall. They will be inducted Aug. 26.
“A new women’s professional soccer league, with help from Major League Soccer, will be launched in 2008 with teams in Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
It would replace the Women’s United Soccer Association, which folded in 2003 after three years.
The new league will begin play in April 2008.
Football
Block was fatal blow
A defensive back for a minor league team in Daytona Beach, Fla., who was knocked unconscious in a helmet-to-helmet block, died from a broken neck, according to a preliminary autopsy report.
Javan Camon, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound defender for the Daytona Beach Thunder of the World Indoor Football League, probably was killed instantly Monday, said Dave Byron, Volusia County spokesman.
Camon was injured when he tried to tackle the ball carrier in the fourth quarter of a game. A Columbus Lions receiver blocked Camon on the play, sending him to the turf.
“Hoping to get the Cotton Bowl back on college football’s national stage, the board that oversees the game voted to move it to the new Dallas Cowboys stadium starting in 2010.
“Duke wide receiver Raphael Chestnut was charged in the traffic death of another driver after a weekend accident in Reidsville, N.C.
Chestnut was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle. He also faces a charge of driving left of the center line. He is not expected to be disciplined by the football team, Duke spokesman Art Chase said.
Miscellany
Neumannova wins
Defending champion Katerina Neumannova of the Czech Republic won the women’s 10-kilometer cross-country race at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo, Japan.
“Gymnasts will have a second chance to qualify for the Olympics starting with the 2012 London Games.
Gymnasts can only qualify for the Summer Games at the world championships in the year preceding the Olympics.
But following a directive from the International Olympic Committee, the International Gymnastics Federation put together a proposal it expects to submit to the IOC by the end of the year.