Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates with teammate Pascal Dupuis (9) as Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) reacts to Crosby's second goal of the first period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, in Pittsburgh on May 17. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

by Will Graves

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dan Bylsma has spent more than four years watching Sidney Crosby be Sidney Crosby.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., right, poses for photos with his father, Floyd Mayeather Sr. after defeating Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision in a WBC welterweight title fight, May 4, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

(NEW YORK) – Galvanized by an unprecedented deal with Showtime that guarantees him at least $32 million per fight, boxing great Floyd (Money) Mayweather Jr. sits atop the 10th annual Sports Illustrated Fortunate 50, which ranks the 50 highest-earning professional athletes in the U.S. With $90 million in projected earnings for 2013, Mayweather tops the list for the second consecutive year. The complete list is available at si.com/Fortunate50 and is also featured in the May 20, 2013 edition of SI.

CLASSIC MVP—D.J. Boyce of Gateway receives the Most Valuable Player Award from Coach Bruce Schifino.

Champion Enterprises joined forces with Chuck Saunders Charities, Highmark, Penn Avenue McDonald’s, Judge Dwayne Woodruff, Sheriff William P. Mullen, William F. Goodrich, Esquire and John P. Goodrich, Esquire and the Penn Hills Democratic Committee to present the 38th Annual Pittsburgh City League versus WPIAL Boys and Girls High School All-Star Basketball Classic, the longest running high school all-star game in Western Pa.

The event, showcasing the area’s best basketball talent, was held at the new and magnificent Penn Hills High School and also featured the top middle school boys and girls in the early day tournament.

The games were attended by more than 1,000 people  including coaches from 27 Pennsylvania colleges. To date, seven participating students have received scholarship offers.

The day also featured the Penn Hills ROTC, the national anthem sung by Sheryl Sesay, a recent contestant on “The Voice,” trophies, t-shirts, uniforms, certificates to all participants and a breathtaking martial arts demonstration by former world champion kick boxer, Jacquet Bazemore. The All Star Basketball Classic featured top seniors from the City League and the WPIAL. The college bound seniors not only played a championship game but also competed in a three point and slam dunk competition.

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In this Jan. 19, 1983 photo, San Diego Chargers Chuck Muncie breaks free from Pittsburgh Steelers defender Dwayne Woodruff as he runs for a gain during the fourth quarter of an NFL football playoff game in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, File)

by Brett Martel
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Chuck Muncie, a Pro Bowl running back with both the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers, has died at age 60, the NFL clubs and a family spokesman said Tuesday.

Muncie family spokesman Vintage Foster of AMF Media Group in San Ramon, Calif., said Muncie died at his Los Angeles-area home on Monday from heart failure.

Muncie was the Saints' first-round pick, third overall, out of California in 1976. He played 4½ seasons in New Orleans before being traded in 1980 to San Diego, where he finished his nine-year NFL career.

In 1979, Muncie became the first Saint to rush for 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,198 and 11 touchdowns, and his 1,506 total yards from scrimmage earned him the first of his three Pro Bowl selections.

The 6-foot-3 Muncie, who played at 227 pounds, and fellow Saints running back Tony Galbreath formed what then-coach Hank Stram dubbed the "Thunder and Lightning" combination in the New Orleans backfield. Muncie's photo is among those featured on the Saints' Hall of Honor inside the club's training facility.

Saints owner Tom Benson said in a written statement that the Saints were mourning Muncie's "untimely passing," adding, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and other loved ones at this difficult time."

Muncie was traded by the Saints at midseason in 1980 to San Diego, where he played 51 games and was named to Pro Bowl rosters two more times, in 1981 and '82. In 2009, the club recognized him as one of the 50 greatest Chargers of all time.

His accomplishments on the field came despite cocaine use, and in 1989, five years after his retirement from pro football, Muncie was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a cocaine distribution conviction.

Thereafter, however, he began sharing his life story with at-risk youth, highlighting his struggles with drug abuse. He created the Chuck Muncie Youth Foundation, the mission of which was to offer children mentoring, educational assistance and counseling.

"His work with at-risk youth, the Boys and Girls Clubs and his foundation were the things that really made him shine," Muncie's daughter, Danielle Ward, said in a written statement provided by Foster.

"He was a star on the football field but his most impressive work was done in the second chapter of his life where he lived his life with great transparency," added Muncie's former wife, Robyn Hood. "He simply wanted others to learn from his mistakes. He carried that message with him everywhere he went. And as a result, he changed the lives of hundreds of kids. He made a difference."

Muncie also became an active alumnus for Cal, where he is a member of the university's athletic Hall of Fame. In 1975, he helped the Golden Bears win a share of the Pac-8 Trophy and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

"Although it's been nearly 40 years since Chuck suited up for the Cal football program, stories of his accomplishments on the field of play still resonate throughout Memorial Stadium," Cal Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said.

"After he hung up his cleats as a professional, he became an incredible advocate and positive influence on so many youth through his foundation, and he was a familiar face on campus and at Cal football games. All of us in the Cal family are saddened by his sudden and far-too-soon passing, and he will be deeply missed."

Muncie's 43 touchdowns for San Diego, and 19 touchdowns in a single season, both rank second in Chargers history, eclipsed only by LaDainian Tomlinson.

"Everyone at the Chargers is deeply saddened by the passing of Chuck Muncie, one of the greatest running backs in Chargers history," the team said in a written statement. "We will remember him as a tremendous athlete with a larger-than-life personality. It's a sad day for all of us and all Chargers fans."

In nine seasons, Muncie finished with 6,702 yards rushing, 2,323 yards receiving and 74 total touchdowns.

Ken Trahan, general manager of the Saints Hall of Fame, said Muncie was probably the most talented runner New Orleans ever had.

"Once he got the corner, to see that guy get north and south with that speed for his size was frightening," Trahan said. "Chuck could lower his shoulder and run over people, run through people as well as just run away from them."

Muncie has been nominated for the Saints Hall of Fame, which is run independently from the club, but has not been enshrined as Galbreath has. Part of the reason, Trahan said, is because members of the Hall's selection panel say the drug use that coincided with the Saints' decision to trade him also was detrimental to the club, which went 1-15 the season he left.

"Clearly he had some issues off the field and he ended up paying a price for that," Trahan said, alluding both to the damage to his reputation and his jail time. "The beauty of that is he really overcame that, grew up and became a much better person."

AP Sports Writers Bernie Wilson in San Diego and Josh Dubow in Oakland, Calif., contributed to this report.

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