T. Boone Pickens, who died last year, gave an NCAA-record $165M gift to Oklahoma State in '05GETTY IMAGES
Oklahoma State will honor late booster T. BOONE PICKENS "with a statue of the longtime benefactor outside its football stadium later this season." A nine-foot-tall "bronze depiction of Pickens," who gave an NCAA-record $165M gift to the university in '05, "will be unveiled prior to the Cowboys' Nov. 28 game vs. Texas Tech" (ESPN.com, 11/5)....Azoff MSG Entertainment Chair & CEO IRVING AZOFF will be "inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" this weekend. The 72-year-old Azoff also is a Partner in Full Stop Management, where he "steers the careers of clients like the Eagles, Steely Dan, Bon Jovi and comedian Chelsea Handler, and consults when needed" (L.A. TIMES, 11/6).
HEALTH OF THE GAME: The NBA Kings hosted a blood drive at Golden 1 Center on Thursday, making the most of the arena's "unused space." A "row of a dozen blood donation beds lined the concourse of Golden 1 Center" for the Red Cross drive (SACRAMENTO BEE, 11/6)....The Kings also are planning a free drive-through flu vaccine clinic "for Sacramento County residents on Saturday" at their former venue, Sleep Train Arena (SACRAMENTO BEE, 11/6).
BOOKSHELF: TSN reporter RICK WESTHEAD's new book, “Finding Murph,” is about JOE MURPHY, the No. 1 pick in the '86 NHL draft who was "last seen homeless on the streets of Regina, battling signs of mental illness and addiction." The book doubles as an "important document to the shamefully blind eye the NHL has long turned to brain injuries and their long-term effects" (TORONTO STAR, 11/6).
IN MEMORY: Nashville sports activist RICK REGEN died Thursday at 67. Regen was a "key figure in helping to bring the Tennessee Titans, then the Oilers, to town," and was a "frequent voice on local sports talk radio shows." He also served as Chair & Founding Member of the Nashville Sports Council, "helping to bring the Music City Bowl and Country Music Marathon to town" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 11/6).
