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By From staff/wire reports 6 min read

Correction

In Friday's edition, a Lakeview runner was incorrectly identified in a photo from the Trumbull County Track and Field Championships. It listed Cam Hughes as the participant, when it was actually Noah Engel.

Former 49er Charle Young, 75, dies

SAN FRANCISCO -- Charle Young, an All-Pro tight end who helped the San Francisco 49ers win their first Super Bowl title, has died.

He was 75.

The 49ers said Tuesday they were told of Young's death by his wife. No cause of death was disclosed.

Young played 13 seasons in the NFL for Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco and Seattle, with his greatest individual success coming with the Eagles before he later joined the 49ers and helped launch the dynasty started by Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh.

Young was picked sixth overall out of Southern California by Philadelphia in 1973 and made the Pro Bowl his first three seasons with the Eagles. He was an All-Pro as a rookie when he had 55 catches for 854 yards and six TDs and was a second-team All-Pro the following two seasons.

He then played for the Rams from 1977-79, helping Los Angeles reach the Super Bowl his final season there when he had three catches for 39 yards in the NFC title game win against Tampa Bay.

He then joined the 49ers the following season when Joe Montana took over as starting quarterback in Walsh's second season as coach. Young had 37 catches for 400 yards and five TDs in 1981 when San Francisco won its first of five Super Bowls in 14 seasons.

Young scored the first playoff touchdown of that dynasty when he caught a TD pass from Montana in a divisional round win against the New York Giants. He added four more catches in the NFC championship game against Dallas and had another in the Super Bowl against Cincinnati.

He spent one more year in San Francisco before finishing his career with three seasons in Seattle.

Young finished his career with 418 catches for 5,106 yards and 27 touchdowns in 187 games. He ranked seventh among all tight ends in receptions and 11th in yards receiving at the time he retired following the 1985 season.

Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke, 29, dies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke has died, the team, his agency and the NBA said Tuesday. He was 29.

Neither the Grizzlies nor Clarke's agency, Priority Sports, provided any details about when, where or how Clarke died.

"We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke. Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten," the Grizzlies said in a statement. "We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed sympathies to Clarke's family and friends and the Grizzlies organization.

Clarke was arrested April 1 in Arkansas for speeding and possession of a controlled substance that was reportedly kratom, an herbal supplement promoted as an alternative pain remedy that becomes illegal in Tennessee as of July 1. He was released on bond a day later.

Clarke was the 21st overall pick out of Gonzaga in the 2019 NBA draft by Oklahoma, which dealt his rights to the Grizzlies, who already took guard Ja Morant second overall. Clarke joined Morant on the NBA's All-Rookie team in 2020, and the Grizzlies gave him a multiyear contract extension in October 2022.

Clarke averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds over his seven seasons with the Grizzlies.

NBA's first openly gay player dies

Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player who went on to become a pioneer for inclusion and an ambassador for the league, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of a brain tumor, his family announced Tuesday.

Collins spent 13 years as a player in the league for six different franchises. He revealed in 2013 that he was gay, an announcement that came toward the end of his playing career.

Collins had been diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, which has an extremely low survival rate. He was 47.

"Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar," Collins' family said in a statement released through the NBA. "We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly."

Just last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ill to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted for him.

"I told my brother this before I came here: He's the bravest, strongest man I've ever known," Jarron Collins said while accepting that award.

Jason Collins averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in his career. He helped the New Jersey Nets reach two NBA Finals and in his best season averaged 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for them in 2004-05.

"Jason Collins' impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador. Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.

"On behalf of the NBA, I send my heartfelt condolences to Jason's husband, Brunson, and his family, friends and colleagues across our leagues."

Jason Collins revealed his sexuality in a first-person account for Sports Illustrated in April 2013. He was a free agent at the time, said he wanted to keep playing, and went on to play in 22 games with Brooklyn the following season.

"If I had my way, someone else would have already done this," he wrote at that time. "Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."

Starting at /week.