🔴 Nick Danbrowney dies in crash

🔴 He recently signed to play for a professional team in California

🔴 A GoFundMe for his family has raised over $32,000

A promising prospect from Barnegat has died in a crash just months after signing to play professional baseball.

Nick Danbrowney, 22, was involved in the fatal crash in North Carolina on Monday night.

That’s according to the right-handed pitcher’s new team, the Bakersfield Train Robbers. The ball club is part of the Pecos League, which is an independent league not associated with Major League Baseball.

Bill Rogan, the Train Robbers manager, said the news of Danbrowney’s death left him numb.

“Our entire team is devastated. Even though we went our separate ways after the season, we’re still a close knit group. We’re having trouble dealing with this. Nick was a gentleman off the field and a terrific pitcher on the mound with a bright future. We loved Nick and will never forget him,” Rogan said.

Pitching career for Ramapo College

Danbrowney signed with the professional team in June, just after he graduated from Ramapo College with a major in social science.

In his final season at Ramapo, Danbrowney broke the college’s record for strikeouts with 225 throughout his tenure.

He also pitched a shutout among his seven wins and three losses.

Standout at Barnegat High School

Danbrowney’s strong college career followed a standout performance at Barnegat High School.

He was First Team All-Shore Conference and Second Team All-State in high school, according to his profile.

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“Our hearts are broken in the Barnegat Community, and our deepest prayers and support are with Nick’s Family. He was an amazing student-athlete, a man of few words, but his smile would light up every room he entered,” Barnegat Director of Athletics John Germano said to NJ.com.

A GoFundMe for Danbrowney’s family has raised $32,000 as of Thursday morning. It seeks to cover transportation and funeral expenses.

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The social media post touting the announcement said, “How does this not exist already? Now it will.”

If you ask hockey fans around the state, many think a Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame exists, but it doesn’t. A group of organizers announced plans today to establish one.

CEO Natalie Darwitz and President Andrew Heydt are spearheading the effort to establish the Hall of Fame to honor different levels, eras, roles, cities/towns and accomplishments in men’s and women’s hockey around Minnesota.

Click the video box on this page to watch comments at the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame launch ceremony from CEO Natalie Darwitz, President Andrew Heydt, Project Ambassador Lou Nanne and Advisory Board members and former pro hockey players Winny Brodt, Paul Martin and Jamie Langenbrunner

Darwitz was a high school, college and national team star in her playing days and served as a coach or executive at nearly every level of hockey in Minnesota. Heydt has prior experience working with the Wild, Twins, Vikings and Minnesota State University.

The project has foundational support from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and they hope to maintain a relationship with the longtime, existing United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth.

“This project is long overdue,” Project Ambassador and Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne said in a statement quoted on the project’s website. “I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting announcement. In my decades-long career in the game of hockey, I think I’ll know nearly every single individual who will be honored here. It’s an incredible way to recognize the people and stories that make Minnesota hockey so unique and deserving of this kind of permanent home.”

Thursday’s announcement included renderings of the planned Hall of Fame site which includes a 30,000-foot museum, Hall of Fame plaques and honoraries, five exhibit wings, a state-of-the-art sunken indoor/outdoor ice rink suitable for high school and college hockey showcase games, an outdoor recreational rink, a 20,000 square foot event space large enough to host ceremonies or concerts, and a hockey-themed bar/restaurant.

The specific location for the 120,000 square foot facility will be announced at a later date, but Heydt said it will be in the Twin Cities metro area. He projected the overall cost at around $70-million.

The planned timeline has groundbreaking in Spring 2026 and a planned opening in Spring 2028.

The Hall’s Advisory Board is chaired by Kelly Brooks-Paradise, Lou Nanne is the Project Ambassador and former pro hockey players and Minnesota-natives Winny Brodt, Jamie Langenbrunner, Paul Martin and Rob McClanahan are all Board members.

Brooks-Paradise’s father Herb Brooks would seem to be a lock to be included in the first wave of inductees once the new Hall of Fame opens, having coached the Gophers, North Stars and the U.S. ‘Miracle on Ice’ team at the 1980 olympics.

“I’m honored to serve as the Advisory Board Chair for the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame and to be part of bringing this project to light,” Brooks-Paradise is quoted on the project’s website. “This Hall will celebrate the incredible history of hockey in Minnesota, including my dad’s legacy. I know if he were here today, he’d be so excited to see it all coming together.

The list of nearly 100 Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame Ambassadors is a who’s who from the last several decades of the state’s hockey history.

For more information, go to the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame website: mnhhof.com

The following is the official press release from organizers of the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame:

MINNESOTA HOCKEY HALL OF FAME LAUNCHES LEGACY PROJECT CELEBRATING STATE’S STORIED HOCKEY HERITAGE

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame (MNHHOF) today announced the launch of a landmark legacy project honoring the athletes, coaches, officials, teams and contributors who have shaped the state’s unmatched hockey tradition. 

Led by Chief Executive Officer Natalie Darwitz—three-time U.S. Olympian and Hockey Hall of Fame member—the Hall will serve as both a permanent tribute to Minnesota’s deep hockey roots and a dynamic hub for community connection, education and inspiration. 

“Minnesota has an unrivaled amount of success and passion when it comes to hockey. This project will finally give our game the permanent home it deserves,” said Darwitz. “We’re celebrating the full journey of hockey in our state, from kids just learning the game to legends at the highest level. Every community in our state has a story worth telling.” 

The MNHHOF, an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is backed by a diverse Advisory Board of some of Minnesota’s most celebrated hockey figures, an Ambassador Program featuring more than 100 men and women who have made a lasting impact on the game in Minnesota, and foundational support from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. 

“The Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame is an important legacy project that will celebrate and preserve the state’s rich hockey history for generations to come,” said Jamie Dinsmore, President and CEO of the Hockey Hall of Fame. “We’re excited to support their launch and look forward to seeing this vision come to life as a place where the stories, achievements, and people who shaped Minnesota hockey are honored.” 

The MNHHOF will be more than a museum. The space will operate as a 120,000+ square-foot interactive destination. Plans include a 30,000-square-foot museum with a Great Hall and five exhibit wings, a state-of-the-art sunken ice rink, a 20,000-square-foot performance hall, a hockey-themed restaurant and bar, and signature event spaces. 

Cutting-edge technology will immerse fans in the game through 360-degree digital experiences and hands-on exhibits where visitors can skate, shoot and relive historic moments. 

Beyond preserving history, the Hall will focus on growing the game through grassroots development programs, traveling exhibits, youth education initiatives and an Ambassador Program projected to feature 250+ Minnesota-born or developed individuals over the next 12-months.  

“This project is long overdue, and I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting announcement,” said hockey legend Lou Nanne. “In my decades-long career in the game of hockey, I think I will know nearly every single individual who will be honored here. It’s an incredible way to recognize the people and stories that make Minnesota hockey so unique and deserving of this kind of permanent home.” 

The MNHHOF plans to break ground in June 2026 with a grand opening in May 2028, positioning it as a premier tourism and cultural destination in the Twin Cities and beyond. 

For more details, visit mnhhof.com

By Andre Champagne, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

LSU head football coach Brian Kelly made his 2025 weekly radio show debut at a packed TJ Ribs restaurant in Baton Rouge Thursday night.

And he packed in racks of racks of information during the one-hour broadcast.

He also dropped a bombshell on the cost of the additions to his 2025 roster – the 18 players on the No. 1-ranked NCAA Transfer Portal class by 247sports.com and the 23 on his 10th-ranked high school signing class.

NCAA TRANSFER PORTAL RECRUITING LIKE SPEED DATING, SAYS LSU GM AUSTIN THOMAS

“We’re going to be at just about $18 million,” Kelly said of the money going to the new players via the recent federal court ruling that cleared the way for revenue sharing in college athletics and Name, Image & Likeness money from LSU donors and boosters via the Bayou Traditions collective.

Revenue sharing officially began on July 1 with the football program getting about $13 million, but Kelly said LSU started “front loading” that money toward transfer recruits as early as January to keep ahead of the game.

The $18 million dwarfed what LSU had previously spent on roster additions since NIL, which legalized pay for play beginning in 2021. LSU spent just approximately $11 million from on its roster from 2022-24 and only $5.5 million last year and never signed more than 10 transfers before this year.

SEC FINALLY MOVES TO 9-GAME SCHEDULE

Kelly also discussed the news of the day with the Southeastern Conference announcing it would begin a nine-game league schedule in 2026 after eight-game schedules since 1992, despite adding two teams in 2012 and two more last year for a total of 16. Kelly said he was always in favor of playing more high-caliber games. LSU athletic director Scott Woodward has also wanted a nine-game SEC schedule for several years now.

“I told Scott that that’s why I want to be at LSU,” Kelly said. “I want to play the best. Why not play a championship schedule? Now you have ten games that prepare you for postseason play.”

The 10th game Kelly commented on is a reference to the SEC rule that says league members must play at least one non-conference game against a team from one of three power conferences – the Big Ten, the Big 12 or the Atlantic Coast – or a game against Notre Dame.

“The fans are paying the bills here,” Kelly said. “Give them what they want to see. So let’s give them a schedule that they can be excited about.”

BRIAN KELLY SAYS LSU IS PLAYOFF BOUND

But Kelly made the TJ Ribs crowd erupt by what he said next about the postseason.

“Look, we haven’t been in the playoffs yet. We’re going to be in the playoffs a lot,” he said as the crowd roared. “And so, having a schedule that puts us in this kind of position where you have 10 games that prepares you for postseason play is important.”

Kelly, who enters his fourth season a week from Saturday when his No. 9 Tigers play at No. 4 Clemson (6:30 p.m., ABC), said he will be more involved in scheduling in the future along with deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry.

“Verge and I are in agreement of what we want it to look like moving forward,” he said.

Speaking of the portal roster, Kelly said that senior Mansoor Delane would start at one cornerback slot, which has long been expected of the Virginia Tech transfer.

“We wanted to get some veteran players,” he said. “Mansoor Delane was the guy we had our eyes on, and we recruited the heck out of him. He was a great fit for us. He’ll be a lockdown starter.”

WILL BRIAN KELLY HAVE THE TALENT TO MANAGE ALL HIS NEW TALENT? GUILBEAU COLUMN

Meanwhile, returning junior starting cornerback Ashton Stamps has not won his old job back yet, because of the influx of new talent. And Kelly loves the competition the new players have created.

“Ashton Stamps has played a lot of football for us, and he’s fighting to get on the field,” Kelly said.

Then he made a prediction … sort of.

“I think our team is mature enough to go out and beat Clemson on the road,” he said.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WILX) – Former Michigan State hockey captain Red Savage has signed a two-year contract with the Rochester Americans, the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, the team announced Thursday.

Savage, 22, began his college career at Miami of Ohio before transferring to Michigan State in 2023. He was named the Spartans’ team captain for the 2024-25 season but suffered a season-ending injury in January.

He also represented Team USA at the 2022 and ‘23 World Junior Championships.

Savage played 58 games for the Spartans, totaling 15 goals and 23 assists. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

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