Palmer the ultimate underdog on Heisman journey 40 years ago

Pop quiz to anyone over the age of 45...

If you remember that quarterback Vinny Testaverde from the University of Miami won the 1986 Heisman Trophy as Division 1-A college football's best player, do you know who came in second?

Paul Palmer.

Temple University's Paul Palmer. 

It's a head scratcher, isn't it -- given there are far too many down years in the program to forget than those worth remembering.

Yet, Palmer put together one of the most stirring underdog stories in college football history up until that point for a program that was an afterthought in the minds of everyone involved with the sport, thousands of alumni, staff, teachers and administrators -- with the possible exception of university president Peter "Sugar Bowl within 5 years" Liacouras.

Palmer's run to the record books began with the Owls' season opener at Penn State, a 45-15 drubbing where he accounted for more than 200 all-purpose yards despite the loss.

In a 2-week span starting 40 years ago last week, Palmer set an NCAA record (which has since been broken) of rushing for a combined 688 yards in victories over East Carolina (349 yards in a 45-28 road win) and 239 yards vs. Virginia Tech at Norfolk (29-13 win).

The splurge helped Bruce Arians (yes, THAT Bruce Arians who later coached in the NFL for Arizona, Tampa Bay among other clubs) team rise to 5-2 on the year heading into three touch matchups with Syracuse, Boston College and Alabama. He added 187 yards (27-24 loss to the Orangemen) and 212 yards (38-29 home loss to the Eagles), respectively, setting a new NCAA mark for rushing yardage in three AND four consecutive contests.

With the Owls finishing up the season at 6-5, Palmer completed his senior ledger by leading all of Division I football in yards on the ground (1,866), rushing touchdowns (15), plays from scrimmage (358) as well as all-purpose yards (2,633) -- breaking USC back Marcus Allen's previous record. 

How uphill of a battle was it to get a small back from a small school without any games on national television to get noticed? In addition to the requisite public relations outreach, the university even published a comic book "Temple University Football Featuring the Adventures of Paul Palmer," a 16-page work.

"Some people thought I may have been too small to play high school ball," Palmer said to the Daily News in August of 1986, ahead of his sterling senior season. "Everyone thought I was too small to play college ball. And then, when the pros come around, they're saying the same things. I like to think of it as quality, not quantity."

The rest of the country might not have known about Palmer, but the small circle of rivals who scheduled Temple football during its years in the deep waters of the D-1 independents sure did. 

Syracuse head coach Dick MacPherson compared Palmer to diminutive running back "Little" Joe Morris, who went on to win a Super Bowl with the New York Giants. West Virginia's Don Nehlen stated Palmer "may be the most dangerous running back in college football." 

Even the once-sainted Joe Paterno complimented Palmer after his season-opening breakout performance, adding "I think the best way to shut him down is to keep your own offense on the field."

In addition to being Heisman runner-up, Palmer was also 2nd in Maxwell Award voting, was a consensus First-Team All-American while earning MVP honors for both the Hula Bowl and Blue-Gray game.

Maybe even bigger than coming so close to winning the Heisman, Palmer finally reached a national audience through NBC's traditional Bob Hope Christmas Special, where every All-American was introduced and the subject of a witty barb from Bob's writers:

Of note, Palmer was 22 years old here, Hope 83.

Also of note, The Boz. And the Haircut of The Boz.

Was it a bit disrespectful to slot the nation's leading rusher as the second-to-last student-athlete honored during this part of the special? Probably. But when you've got guys from Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State, the U, Nebraska, Hawaii and Purdue, little ol' Acres of Diamonds was gonna be pushed to the back of the line. 

While Palmer was drafted by Kansas City and played just 41 games for the Chiefs, Cowboys and Lions over three seasons, and an infamous quote about intentionally fumbling the ball to get his coach fired came back to haunt both he and the coach in question, the biggest disappointment in his story was that Temple had all 6 wins from '86 vacated due to Palmer's discovered ineligibility.

In the summer of 1988, according to multiple sources, it was revealed Palmer signed with agent Norby Walters prior to the expiration of his collegiate eligibility. That set off a chain of events which, among other things, led to the university expunging Palmer's accomplishments from the school's record books and Liacouras asking Palmer to reimburse the university for the cost of his scholarship that senior season. 

"We are forfeiting these games to set an example," Liacouras was quoted as saying at the time. "We believe in good sportsmanship in an amateur setting at whatever cost. Even though the university did not know or have reason to know this violation, our team benefited by using a player ... who was not eligible."

Years in between softened Temple's stance, and Palmer was eventually welcomed back after a period of reflection and public remorse. The talented tailback was inducted into Temple's athletics Hall of Fame in 2000 and in 2018, became the first student-athlete in school history to gain a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

At present, Palmer is the Owls' all-time leader in all-purpose yards (6,613), rushing yards (4,895), rushing attempts (935), total career points (264), 100-yard rushing performances (21) and 200-yard days (6). 

Hurts to miss Sunday's Panthers tilt with blood clot in leg

According to several reports on Thursday, chief among them Ian Rapoport of RapSheet, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will not play in this Sunday's home game against the Carolina Panthers due to a blood clot discovered previously but was not deemed detrimental to his health or performance. 

Rapoport's report included a full statement from the Eagles themselves, which was released on social media late this morning and featured in full below:

https://t.co/9SeK1XzYRL

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 15, 2026

It is assumed that the Birds' backup, Tanner McKee, will take the reins for the club which is looking to avoid their first 4-game losing streak since the 2020 season. However, no information was available on the Eagles' QB plans as of the statement.

Kelly, Gagne to be latest inductees in Flyers Hall of Fame

The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Tuesday that two franchise icons -- one from its classic era and one from modern times -- will be the next enshrinees into the club's Hall of Fame. 

On Feb. 27, prior to the Orange and Black's home game vs. the San Jose Sharks, Bob "Hound" Kelly and Simon Gagne will receive their flowers from the club they called home for the majority of their respective careers as the 29th and 30th members.

Kelly played 10 years in Philadelphia, winning two Cups (1974-75) and appearing in four Stanley Cup Finals (74-75-76-80). Taken in the 3rd round of the 1970 NHL Entry Draft, he spent all but 96 games of his entire NHL career here, posting 362 points and a then-team record 1,285 penalty minutes (since surpassed by both Paul Holmgren and Rick Tocchet). 

Given his nickname due to dogged pursuit of the puck and opposing players, first under Fred Shero and then for two other head coaches, Kelly cemented his legacy by scoring the game-winning goal on the opening shift of the 3rd period in Game 6 of the 1975 Finals at Buffalo, an eventual 2-0 victory. 

However, Kelly's best statistical regular season occurred in 1976-77, when he struck for 22 goals and 24 assists in 73 games, while he turned in his finest postseason performance the following year, when he contributed 8 points in 12 contests for a surprise entrant in the semifinals.

Although Kelly finished his NHL career with the Washington Capitals (1980-82), he returned to the Delaware Valley and never left -- carving out a career with the Flyers behind the scenes -- retiring last year as the longest-serving team ambassador among all alumni. 

Along with Joe "Thundermouth" Watson, if you attended a Flyers Wives Fight for Lives Carnival in the 80s, 90s and into the 2000s and wanted one of the mystery boxes piled 25 feet high at center ice, chances are "Hound" passed it along to you, your parents or siblings. 

"It's an honor to be in everybody's wake," Kelly said about his upcoming honor during a conference call with Gagne on Oct. 15. "It's been a great time for me, I had an absolute great time with great people. The Flyers have never been disappointed when they go out and recruit people. I think the commitment to the team is huge."

Kelly further credited Ed Snider first as a member of the organization who was most responsible for his career.

Gagne was a first-round selection (No. 22) by Bob Clarke during the 1999 NHL draft out of his native Quebec, and made an immediate impact, scoring 20 goals his rookie season then adding 10 points (5G, 5A) to the Flyers' run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

Though slowed by serious injuries which cut into his 2002-03 (groin/hamstring) and 2007-08 (concussion) seasons, Gagne was a 2-time 40-goal scorer (2005-07) and hit the 30-goal mark twice more (2001-02; 2008-09) finishing his Flyers tenure with 264 goals an 271 assists across 691 regular-season games. 

Gagne also contributed 32 goals and 47 points over 90 playoff appearances in Philadelphia, none bigger than his power-play goal in the late stages of the 3rd period of Game 7 of the Eastern semis in Boston, which rallied the Flyers from a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead, which they kept to win the game and the series in a stunning reverse sweep. 

"It was 3-0 Boston in the first 10 minutes, so to come back and be able to score that game winner on the power play," Gagne admitted. "I remember seeing the crowd back in Philly that was watching the game ... if I have to pick one it would be this one, but I have so many good memories."

During his comments, Gagne also cited his score in overtime of Game 6 against the Lightning in the Eastern finals of 2004 as another memorable moment. 

Arguably just as important in the Bruins series, Gagne kept the Flyers alive with the club down 3 games to none with an overtime score in Game 4 on home ice: 

After contributing 9 goals and 12 points to that memorable, but losing effort which ended in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, salary-cap issues caused Gagne to be the odd man out. He was shipped to Tampa Bay for a draft choice, then was sent to the Kings where he won a Cup with former Flyers teammates Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. 

Gagne was brought back to Philly during the lockout-shortened 2013 season, chipping in 5 goals and 6 assists over 27 appearances. He will be the first Flyers player whose career spanned the 2000s to be welcomed as a franchise great. 

As a 19-year-old Francophone, Gagne credited Dan McGillis, Marc Bureau, Eric Desjardins, Eric Lindros, John LeClair and a host of other veterans who showed him the ropes as an NHL rookie.

Other then their impending honor, Gagne additionally mentioned during the conference call that both he and Kelly co-coached a Flyers Pee Wee team for 2 consecutive years at the annual tournament in Quebec City.

Mark Recchi was the last former player to be selected for the Flyers HOF, back in January of 2024.

Mattingly returns to Phils on 2-year deal

Thanks to Philadelphia Baseball Review

As reported by Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Don Mattingly will be the full-time manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Gelb and colleague Charlotte Varnes stated in an article released to the online outlet this morning that the Phils were about to welcome back the former Yankees first baseman, then issued an update shortly thereafter that Mattingly was inked to a 2-year contract.

A short time later, the Phillies issued a statement for final confirmation of the move.

The 65-year-old native of Evansville, Indiana joined the Phillies last offseason as a bench coach for then-manager Rob Thomson. Upon Thomson's firing as the club was mired in a 9-19 start, Mattingly was elevated to interim skipper. 

Despite criticism of his managerial style and decision making and amid speculation his demeanor was linked to the fact that his son, Preston, acts as Phillies general manager, the elder Mattingly finished the season with a 79-55 record, good enough for 2nd place in the NL East and helping the Phils gain a playoff berth for the 5th consecutive season. However, the pinstripers lost a 3-game Wild Card series to division champion Atlanta. 

Since he was asked to take the helm on Apr. 28, the Phillies' .590 winning percentage ranked 4th in all of baseball, behind just the Brewers (89-46), Rays (81-53) and the Dodgers (80-53).

Since his first MLB job with the Dodgers in 2011, Mattingly has compiled a 968-1005 overall record for LA (2011-15), Miami (2016-22) and Philly. 

In other news, Sam Fuld -- who had been team GM from 2020-24 -- will remain in his current role as president of baseball operations. Fuld had been seriously courted by the Athletics franchise for the same role, but withdrew his name from consideration. 

Additionally, the club has decided to move on from two coaches: hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson.

Long has been the subject of external criticism for the Phillies' overall lack of awareness and execution of basics such as bunting, moving runners over and other situational hitting since at least the final two games of the 2023 NLCS defeat to Arizona. Long had been with the organization since late in 2021, coming over from the Washington Nationals. 

The 59-year-old California native had served in the same capacity for no less a hot hitting team as the 2009 New York Yankees, under then-manager and future Phillies skipper Joe Girardi, a club which beat the Phils in the World Series.