College Sports
Harrell selected to College Football Hall of Fame
In the classroom, Harrell was a model student-athlete as a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and a 2008 NFF National Scholar-Athlete and NFF William V. Campbell Trophy finalist. He graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in history in 2007.Harrell signed with Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 2009. He later signed with the Green […]


In the classroom, Harrell was a model student-athlete as a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and a 2008 NFF National Scholar-Athlete and NFF William V. Campbell Trophy finalist. He graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in history in 2007.Harrell signed with Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 2009. He later signed with the Green Bay Packers, playing with the team from 2010-12 and earning a Super Bowl XLV ring. Following his playing career, he entered the coaching profession with stints at North Texas, Southern California, West Virginia, and Purdue.Following his induction this next December, Harrell’s accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.Harrell was named the Sammy Baugh Trophy winner as a junior in 2007 before claiming the Johnny Unitas Award as well as AT&T All-America Player of the Year and Sporting News Co-Player of the Year honors in 2008. He was also tabbed a first team All-American by the AFCA following a 2008 season where he threw for 5,111 yards and 45 touchdowns.Harrell was among the 18 college football greats and four former coaches named to the 2025 class of the College Football Hall of Fame.“On behalf of our entire department, I would like to congratulate Graham Harrell on his selection to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame,” Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. To be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame ballot, players must have been the following: named a first team All-American by a major/national selector as recognized by the NCAA for its consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 full seasons prior; played within the last 50 years; and cannot be currently playing professional football.A three-time All-Big 12 honoree, Harrell led Texas Tech to a share of the 2008 Big 12 South title as he still holds the conference all-time records for career completions and touchdown passes. He ranks second in Big 12 history for career passing yards, career attempts and career completion percentage (69.4). He remains the only quarterback in Big 12 history to lead the league in passing yards in three different seasons.Copyright 2025 KCBD. All rights reserved.The 18 former players and four coaches in the 2025 class were selected from a national ballot of 77 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 34 coaches from the divisional ranks. Each inductee will be recognized on his respective campus with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the fall.Once inducted, Harrell will join a prestigious group of fellow Red Raiders already in the College Football Hall of Fame, a list consisting of E.J. Holub (inducted in 1986), Donny Anderson (1989 class), Dave Parks (2008 class), Gabe Rivera (2012 class), Zach Thomas (2015 class) and his former teammate Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech’s most-recent inductee as part of the 2022 class.“There is no higher honor in college football, and it’s a fitting recognition for one of the game’s top quarterbacks. We look forward to recognizing Graham and his family throughout this next year leading into his induction in December.” Harrell finished fourth in the 2008 Heisman Trophy voting, narrowly topping Crabtree, who was fifth overall after a memorable season that saw the Red Raiders finish 11-1 in the regular season and rise to No. 2 in the national polls.Harrell previously threw for 5,705 yards through the air in 2007, which ranks third all-time in NCAA FBS history and second in school history only to fellow Red Raider signal caller B.J. Symons. To this day, Harrell remains Texas Tech’s career leader for passing yards, touchdown passes (134), pass attempts (2,062), completions (1,403), passing yards per game (350.9), 300-yard games (32) and 400-yard games (20). He broke seven NCAA records during his playing career and remains in the top five of seven FBS statistical categories, including career passing yards and career touchdown passes.LUBBOCK, Texas (Texas Tech Athletics) – Graham Harrell, the record-setting quarterback who rewrote the NCAA record book during his Texas Tech career, will become the seventh Red Raider in program history to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced Wednesday as part of its unveiling of the 2025 class. Over his three seasons leading Texas Tech’s record-setting offense, Harrell torched opposing defenses to the tune of 15,793 passing yards over his Red Raider career.
College Sports
Sports Daily Digest May 17, 2025
Batesville senior Cade Kaiser has signed a letter of intent to play football at Indiana University. Kaiser missed his senior football season with an injury but put up big numbers as a junior. He holds the school single-season record for touchdown receptions with 17. Kaiser also starred in basketball and scored more than 1-thousand career […]


Batesville senior Cade Kaiser has signed a letter of intent to play football at Indiana University. Kaiser missed his senior football season with an injury but put up big numbers as a junior. He holds the school single-season record for touchdown receptions with 17. Kaiser also starred in basketball and scored more than 1-thousand career points for the Bulldogs.
Franklin County senior Madysen Sunderhaus will play college soccer at IU-Columbus. Sunderhaus is Franklin County’s all-time leading goal scorer, a three-time all-EIAC selection, and was three-year captain for the Wildcats. She has also starred on the Franklin County girls’ basketball and track teams.
Brandon Loveless has stepped down as East Central Swimming and Diving coach after 14 seasons of leading the Aqua Trojans. Loveless and his family are relocating outside the area.
The Reds held off the Cleveland Guardians 5-4 in downtown Cincinnati in a game heard last evening on WRBI. The start was moved up an hour-and-a-half because of the forecast for rough weather in the area. Will Benson clubbed a three-run homer against his former team in the bottom of the second. It was the second consecutive game in which Benson homered. He went 2 for 4 on the evening. Austin Hays also went deep for the Reds. Brady Singer got the win and improves to 5-2. Emilio Pagan pitched a perfect 9th inning to earn his 10th save of the year. The Reds have won two straight and look to make it three in a row in the second game of the series tonight. Airtime on 103.9 FM is 6:10.
It is Day One of qualifying for the 109th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The green flag on WRBI’s coverage will drop at this morning at 11.


College Sports
Team USA Defeats Germany, 6-3, in Men’s Worlds Preliminary Round Action
Just 1:42 into the contest, Tage Thompson (Orange, Conn./Buffalo Sabres/University of Connecticut) opened the scoring to give the U.S. an early lead, capitalizing with a wrister from the left circle off a feed from Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Columbus Blue Jackets/University of Michigan) on the power play. Frank Nazar (Mount Clemens, Mich./Chicago Blackhawks/University of Michigan) doubled the advantage at the […]

Just 1:42 into the contest, Tage Thompson (Orange, Conn./Buffalo Sabres/University of Connecticut) opened the scoring to give the U.S. an early lead, capitalizing with a wrister from the left circle off a feed from Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Columbus Blue Jackets/University of Michigan) on the power play.
Frank Nazar (Mount Clemens, Mich./Chicago Blackhawks/University of Michigan) doubled the advantage at the 9:44 mark when a feed from Cutter Gauthier (Scottsdale, Ariz./Anaheim Ducks/Boston College) deflected off Nazar’s skate at the top of the crease and into the back of the goal.
With 5:43 remaining in the opening frame, Thompson carried the puck into the offensive zone, weaved through the German defense and fired a shot on goal that rebounded to the left circle where Drew O’Connor(Chatham, N.J./Vancouver Canucks/Dartmouth College) put it into an empty net to make it 3-0.
At the 8:43 mark of the middle stanza, Germany’s Eric Mik picked up a power play tally with a short-side shot from the left circle to cut the lead to 3-1.
Jonas Muller brought Germany within one goal with 5:17 to play in the second period, with his wrist shot finding the top corner of the net from the slot.
Just 48 seconds later, Germany’s Wojciech Stachowiak scored on the power play to even the game, redirecting a shot from the point on the back door past netminder Joey Daccord (North Andover, Mass./Seattle Kraken/Arizona State University).
Garland buried what proved to the game-winning goal on the power play 4:50 into third period with a one-timer from the slot off a feed from Clayton Keller (St. Louis, Mo./Utah Mammoth/Boston University).
Logan Cooley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Utah Mammoth/University of Minnesota) scored an important insurance marker at 16:31 after Keller intercepted a pass behind the net, fed Garland in the left circle who found a wide-open Cooley on a cross-ice feed. Keller accounted for the 6-3 final with an empty-net goal at 18:07.
Daccord picked up the win in the U.S. goal with 18 saves.
Team USA is back in action tomorrow (May 18) against Kazakhstan. Puck drop is set for 10:20 a.m. ET, live on NHL Network.
NOTES: The U.S. outshot Germany 44-21 … Team USA was 2-5 on the power play, while Germany was 1-2 … Conor Garland, with a goal and three assists, was named the U.S. Player of the Game.
College Sports
Free museums abound in Pa. Find the one for you with this guide.
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. Summer is the season for day trips and exploring new places. But when you’re planning excursions, the costs can quickly […]

This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here.
Summer is the season for day trips and exploring new places. But when you’re planning excursions, the costs can quickly add up.
Good news for your wallet: PA Local is here to help! This guide includes 29 museums and historic sites across Pennsylvania that you can visit at no cost — plus an iconic one that charges just $1.
They range in size — some can be toured in half an hour, while others can fill half a day — but they’re all a bargain. So when you make plans for your next trip around the commonwealth, be sure to add some of these spots to your itinerary.
For a science-themed outing
When you think of Philadelphia museums, its massive art galleries and history collections likely come to mind. But there’s also a solid handful of free science-oriented options to round off a day in the City of Brotherly Love. The Wagner Free Institute of Science houses thousands of fossils and minerals; the Science History Institute offers an hour’s worth of exhibits on 500 years of scientific practices and discoveries; and the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center offers a quick look at the region’s watershed.
At Penn State University in State College, there’s multiple science offerings: the Frost Entomological Museum, a small collection focused on Pennsylvania arthropods, and the EMS Museum & Art Gallery, where you can view materials related to earth and mineral science.
In Erie, you can enjoy some time outdoors at Presque Isle State Park before stopping by the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, which boasts interactive exhibits.
And if you find yourself with a free evening in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Observatory seasonally offers two-hour tours geared toward adults. (Reservations are required, and you have to stay with your guide the whole time.)
To learn about history
Pennsylvania is old, so there’s history to be found in nearly every corner.
In Philadelphia, you can visit the Liberty Bell for free and tour Independence Hall for $1. If you want to see something a little less mainstream, there’s the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, a house where the famous author and poet once lived (currently closed for renovations but scheduled to reopen late summer), or the Temple Shoe Museum, a small collection of footwear-related exhibits you can view by appointment only. The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History is another free option, and you can easily spend a few hours there.
Just outside of Philly, there’s Valley Forge, where Washington’s army stayed for a winter during the American Revolution. It has a museum exhibit at the Visitor Center. War history buffs in the Philly suburbs can also stop by the Bucks County Civil War Museum in Doylestown during its small window of public hours on Saturdays.
Fayette County is home to Fort Necessity National Battlefield, the site of the first fight in the French and Indian War. There’s an interpretive and education center on site focused on both the battle and the National Road, America’s first federally funded highway.
In Berks County, the Conrad Weiser Homestead — once home to an 18th century German immigrant who served as a liaison for the Pennsylvania government in its dealings with Native American tribes including the Iroquois and Lenape — sits on 26 acres and has three tourable buildings.
If you’re a train lover, head to Scranton to check out Steamtown, a historic site and museum that focuses on the early days of American railroads and the people who kept them chugging. Or you can check out Harris Tower in Harrisburg, where a group of enthusiasts maintains a seasonal railroad museum. It’s open Saturdays between the last weekend in May and the end of October.
Another seasonal option is the Appalachian Trail Museum in Cumberland County. This volunteer-run museum tells the story of the popular hiking trail since its beginnings a century ago.
And we can’t forget about Gettysburg. You’ll obviously want to see the Civil War battlefield and its museum and visitor center — but did you know you can also tour the nearby farm of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower?
If you like art
Art lovers who find themselves in the Lehigh Valley are in luck, because the Allentown Art Museum started offering everyday free admission in 2022. Exhibits range from Renaissance and Baroque art to Tiffany glass.
In Pittsburgh, you can see the Frick Art Museum’s permanent collection, with its Chinese porcelain and Flemish tapestries, for free. (If you want to see any special exhibitions, you’ll have to pay.) Thirty miles southeast in Greensburg, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art features paintings, sculptures, and gardens, and it offers free guided tours most Saturdays.
For the modern-day renaissance person, a tour of the state capitol in Harrisburg is a great option. You’ll learn about history and government, and your guide will also show you the building’s breathtaking art while briefing you on the Pennsylvania artists who made it.
And if you happen to be spending some time on or near a college campus, you may very well be able to see some art for no charge. To name a few options, you’ll find the Berman Museum at Ursinus College; the Phillips Museum of Art on Franklin & Marshall’s campus; the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania; the Palmer Museum of Art on Penn State’s main campus; and the University Museum and Kipp Gallery at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. (Note: Some of these museums are only open while their home colleges are in session, meaning they might not be the best summer pick. Make sure you check operating hours and dates when planning your visit.)
You might also be able to see art on display right in your own community during a First Friday event. Although these monthly evening events often aim to give artists the opportunity to sell their work, you can usually just look and appreciate it at no cost. Some places also offer free activities or live music. Communities big and small host First Fridays — for example, Lancaster, Meadville, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Wellsboro, and many more.
Did we miss your favorite free museum in Pennsylvania? If so, let us know what it is and why it’s awesome.
BEFORE YOU GO… If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
College Sports
DISTRICT SOCCER
PORT ANGELES — The Sequim boys soccer players and coaches both said they’ve been working hard this season to improve the team’s set pieces. On Thursday night, that work paid off. The Wolves scored two goals on headers off corner kicks, and those two scores held up in a 2-0 win at Wally Sigmar Field […]


PORT ANGELES — The Sequim boys soccer players and coaches both said they’ve been working hard this season to improve the team’s set pieces.
On Thursday night, that work paid off.
The Wolves scored two goals on headers off corner kicks, and those two scores held up in a 2-0 win at Wally Sigmar Field over Bremerton as Sequim moved on to a winner-to-state match in the District 3 tournament.
Sequim (8-9-0) will next play Fife (14-3-1) at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood at 11 a.m. today, with the Port Angeles-Franklin Pierce game immediately following at the same venue. That is also a winner-to-state game. Those games will be broadcast on the NFHS Network.
Coach Dave Breckenridge said his team kept its composure in the face of Bremerton’s physical style of play. One Bremerton player was given a red card out of the game late in the second half.
“We didn’t play their game, and we kept our composure. We didn’t stoop to their level,” Breckenridge said. He said the team has been working hard in
practice on corner kicks and set pieces.
“We’ve been working on that for weeks,” Breckenridge said.
“We’ve struggled all year with it,” said Nico Musso, who had Sequim’s second goal. “All the work we’ve done finally paid off.”
Bremerton (5-14) was the surprise team of the tournament, making it to the third round despite its poor record by beating Clover Park (10-5-2). The Knights also narrowly lost to a good Franklin Pierce team 2-1 and for the most part gave the Wolves all they could handle despite being shorthanded.
Evan Cisneros had a couple of good chances early against the Knights. He had a shot in the 16th minute that actually got through the Bremerton goalkeeper, but the ball stayed out. In the 21st minute, Cisneros had a high shot that forced the keeper to make a leaping save.
That shot helped create a corner kick, however. Sebastian Buhrer took the corner and Cisneros was rewarded when he headed the cross in for the Wolves’ first goal.
Sequim’s second goal in the 49th minute was nearly identical to the first, just at the other end of the field. Josh Alcaraz took the corner kick and this time Musso headed the ball in to give the Wolves an insurance goal. That score held up for the next 30-plus minutes as Bremerton put some pressure on but never got a shot past Sequim keeper Nolan Valenzuela.
It was the second postseason win for the Wolves, who also beat Steilacoom 2-1 in overtime in the district opener on the same field.
“This feels good,” Musso said. “The last two years, we haven’t even come close to making state. We’ve been building our chemistry and we’re getting there. I think we can get it.”
________
Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or
sports@peninsuladailynews.com.
College Sports
Prominent College Football Head Coach Predicts Sky-High NIL Spending in 2025
NIL expenditures have skyrocketed over the past few seasons in college football, with the nation’s top programs all struggling to keep up with one another. As spending has grown, so has the debate surrounding the current state of NIL in sports. Even the President of the United States has gotten involved in the discourse. There […]

NIL expenditures have skyrocketed over the past few seasons in college football, with the nation’s top programs all struggling to keep up with one another.
As spending has grown, so has the debate surrounding the current state of NIL in sports.
Even the President of the United States has gotten involved in the discourse.
There are various opinions circulating about what needs to be done moving forward. A common theme among them seems to be that while student athletes deserve to get paid, there needs to be some level of structure in the system to preserve the long-term viability of college athletics as a whole.
The upcoming House vs. NCAA settlement ruling could offer some guidelines to the NIL landscape. However, until the settlement is approved, spending will only continue to skyrocket, particularly among the upper echelons of college football.
Recently-extended Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema has a pretty good idea of what the nation’s top teams are shelling out, and he recently touched on the topic in an interview.
According to 247Sports’ Carter Spahn, Bielema made a pretty astonishing prediction.
“You’re going to see teams this year in college football — just because I know the landscape that I’m dealing with — that are probably in the neighborhood of 30-35,” Bielema said. “Maybe even some of them close to $40 million rosters, which is insanity at its best, but it’s also awesome for our kids.”
Bielema has long supported NIL but acknowledges that not every team has the same resources. After all, the Fighting Illini are far from a football powerhouse, so while teams like Ohio State may be able to afford to spend $40 million, Bielema doesn’t have that luxury.
“Last year, we finished fifth in our 18-team conference,” Bielema said. “We had about a $5 million pool that we were working off of, but the four teams ahead of us, I think, were north of $20 million. You can pull that off once in a while, but to pull that off year in and year out is just not in the deck of cards that we’re dealt.”
College football, in many ways, has always been a story of the “haves” and the “have-nots.”
Elite programs have always had an easier time hoarding top talent, but NIL has seemingly grown this disparity far more than ever.
$40 million in NIL may seem absurd now, but without some change in the near future, that figure could end up looking like small potatoes five years down the line.
More NIL News
College Sports
Kirby Smart’s NIL comments at Georgia after Jackson Cantwell’s pledge to Miami draws reaction
(Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports) Notes Dawg247’s Kipp Adams, Georgia is preparing for a House settlement that could provide some structure, with the ability to pay athletes directly from a $20.5 million pool on July 1, with about $13.5 million expected to go to football players. “It’s trying times, because not everybody knows kind of what we’re playing by, […]


Notes Dawg247’s Kipp Adams, Georgia is preparing for a House settlement that could provide some structure, with the ability to pay athletes directly from a $20.5 million pool on July 1, with about $13.5 million expected to go to football players.
“It’s trying times, because not everybody knows kind of what we’re playing by, you know, in terms of the rules and everything,” Smart said. “But it’ll work itself out. It’s one of those challenging times for everybody. Our coaches and assistants are the ones on the road having to deal with it, and the head coaches are out trying to raise money and playing golf tournaments.”
-
College Sports3 weeks ago
Duke basketball's Isaiah Evans on 2025 NBA Draft early entry list
-
Fashion2 weeks ago
How to watch Avalanche vs. Stars Game 7 FREE stream today
-
High School Sports1 week ago
Web exclusive
-
Sports1 week ago
Princeton University
-
Sports1 week ago
2025 NCAA softball bracket: Women’s College World Series scores, schedule
-
Motorsports1 week ago
Bowman Gray is the site of NASCAR’S “Advance Auto Parts Night at the Races” this Saturday
-
NIL1 week ago
2025 Big Ten Softball Tournament Bracket: Updated matchups, scores, schedule
-
Motorsports2 weeks ago
MOTORSPORTS: Three local track set to open this week | Sports
-
NIL1 week ago
Patty Gasso confirms Sophia Bordi will not finish season with Oklahoma softball
-
Motorsports1 week ago
$1.5 Billion Legal Powerhouse Announces Multi-Year NASCAR Deal With Kyle Busch