In brief: Jets Super Bowl hero Sauer dies

NFL: Former New York Jets receiver George Sauer Jr., a key player in the team’s Super Bowl III upset win over the Colts who eventually left the sport because of his disillusionment with pro football, died last Tuesday after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease in Westerville, Ohio.

He was 69.

Sauer (pictured above) helped the Jets beat the heavily favored Colts 16-7 in what is widely considered the game’s greatest upset. In the game that Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed the Jets would win, Sauer led the Jets with eight catches for 133 yards, picking up the slack for Don Maynard, who was hobbled by a hamstring injury.

The win was a turning point in football history, eventually leading to a 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL.

Sauer, who once called his sport “dehumanizing” because of its regimented lifestyle, retired from the Jets after the 1970 season at age 27, while still in his prime.

Sauer, who played for the Jets from 1965-70, was a four-time All-Star in the AFL. He played in 84 games and finished with 309 catches for 4,965 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Newsday

Gordon keeps motoring ahead

Auto racing: Jeff Gordon is proud he has reached 700 straight Sprint Cup starts. He’s even prouder he has accomplished the feat while still near the top of the sport.

The 41-year-old Gordon is third in series history with 87 wins, Gordon’s landmark start came Saturday at Darlington Raceway in the Southern 500, a place where he’s won seven times.

Gordon is 89 races from passing Ricky Rudd’s record consecutive starts in Sprint Cup.

Gordon remains a series force. He’s made the Sprint Cup championship chase eight of the nine years it has been run.

Associated Press