Heisman winner John David Crow, 79

Heisman winner John David Crow, 79

COLLEGE STATION, Texas

John David Crow, the bruising running back who won the 1957 Heisman Trophy with Texas A&M before a Pro Bowl career in the NFL, has died. He was 79.

The university said Crow died Wednesday night surrounded by his family. A cause of death was not disclosed.

Crow was the first Heisman winner for the Aggies, who were coached at the time by Paul “Bear” Bryant. During the 1957 season, Bryant famously said: “If John David Crow doesn’t win the Heisman Trophy, they ought to stop giving it.”

He had 129 carries for 562 yards and six touchdowns during his Heisman season. He also threw five touchdown passes and played defense, where he grabbed five interceptions. He ran for 1,465 yards and 14 touchdowns and caught four touchdowns in his three-year career at Texas A&M.

CMU football coach battling cancer

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.

Central Michigan football coach John Bonamego said Thursday that he has cancer and plans to continue working during treatment.

In a letter released by the school, Bonamego wrote that he has cancer in his left tonsil.

“It was discovered early and is very treatable,” he wrote.

He says he will coach during his treatment but will attend fewer external events for a couple months. Central Michigan opens its season Sept. 3 against Oklahoma State.

Bonamego became head coach in February at the school, where he played in the mid-1980s. He had been special teams coordinator for the Detroit Lions for the past two seasons.

Hawks reach buyout agreement with Ferry

ATLANTA

The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to a buyout of the final two years of general manager Danny Ferry’s contract, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Friday.

The buyout will be paid by the current ownership group, which has a deal to sell the team for $850 million to a group led by billionaire businessman Antony Ressler.

Ferry was the lead architect of the Hawks’ most successful season. Atlanta won a franchise-record 60 games before losing to Cleveland in its first Eastern Conference final.

Ferry had to watch the successful season from a distance. He has been on an indefinite leave of absence following racially derogatory comments he made last year.

Caucasian Heritage Night canceled in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY

A minor league baseball team in Utah has canceled a promotion called “Caucasian Heritage Night.”

The Orem Owlz, a minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, had the promotion scheduled for Aug. 10.

The team said in a statement Friday that the promotion was planned as a joke with wonder bread on burgers with mayonnaise, clips of “Friends” and “Seinfeld” and an attempt to “solve the vertical leaping challenge.”

“We understand, in light of recent tragic events, that our intentions have been misconstrued. For that, we sincerely apologize,” the statement said.

Danny Villanueva, 77

LAS CRUCES, N.M.

Danny Villanueva, a former NFL kicker and a pioneer of Spanish-language television, has died. He was 77.

Family members and officials at New Mexico State University, where Villanueva was a member of the athletic hall of fame, confirmed that he died Thursday after suffering a stroke earlier this week.

Villanueva played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys. He started his broadcasting career with KNBC in Los Angeles and later became the president of KMEX. He was a part-owner in a Spanish-language chain that would later become Univision.

Staff/wire reports