Two former coaches at the Univ. of Minnesota Duluth are "taking their federal discrimination lawsuit to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals." Former softball coach JEN BANFORD and former women's basketball coach ANNETTE WILES are "contesting last year’s dismissal of their claims of sexual orientation-based harassment and discrimination." Former women's hockey coach SHANNON MILLER is also part of the appeal, though she has "reached a tentative settlement with the university that is still being finalized" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 10/17).
NAMES: UCLA will honor Gold Medal-winning decathlete RAFER JOHNSON and his wife, BETSY, by "naming the track at Drake Stadium for the couple." A dedication ceremony will take place Oct. 25 (AP, 10/16)....GREG WILFAHRT, the "human behind -- and inside" -- Twins mascot T.C. BEAR, is "no longer employed by the team." Wilfahrt had embodied T.C. Bear "since the caricature's birth" in '00 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 10/17)....76ers G BEN SIMMONS "hosted his second annual Coats for Kids event" yesterday morning at Henry C. Lea Elementary School in Philadelphia (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/17)....U.S. Olympic figure skater ADAM RIPPON's memoir, "BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE," is to be released on Tuesday (USA TODAY, 10/17).
IN MEMORY: The body of former NASCAR team Owner LONNIE TROXELL, 68, was "pulled Tuesday evening from the Ohio River near Louisville." The cause of death has "not been released pending the results of an autopsy." Troxell was the owner of a team from '00-05 that competed in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 10/17).
