Sports

HOF jockey, ’67 Derby winner Ussery dies at 88

Published

2 years ago

November 17, 2023

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Associated Press

Nov 17, 2023, 03:47 PM ET

Bobby Ussery, a Hall of Fame jockey who won the 1967 Kentucky Derby and then crossed the finish line first in the 1968 edition only to be disqualified days later, has died. He was 88.

Ussery died Thursday of congestive heart failure at an assisted living facility in Hollywood, Florida, his son Robert told The Associated Press on Friday.

The elder Ussery won his first race at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Nov. 22, 1951, and went on to major wins in the Travers, Whitney and Alabama at Saratoga by the end of the decade.

He retired in 1974 with 3,611 career victories and he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1980.

Ussery won the 1967 Derby aboard 30-1 longshot Proud Clarion. He picked up the mount after his original Derby horse, Reflected Glory, couldn’t make the race because of sore shins.

Ussery and Dancer’s Image crossed the finish line first in the 1968 Derby only to become the first horse ever disqualified days later as the result of a positive drug test. They rallied from last to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Forward Pass even though Ussery lost his whip.

It was the start of a four-year legal odyssey by owner Peter Fuller, who spent $250,000 unsuccessfully fighting the disqualification.

Traces of the anti-inflammatory phenylbutazone, known as bute, were found in Dancer’s Image’s post-race urinalysis. It was legal at some tracks at the time, but not at Churchill Downs. Veterinarian Alex Harthill had given the colt a dose of bute six days before the race, seemingly enough time for it to clear his system.

Dancer’s Image was disqualified by the stewards and placed 14th and last; Forward Pass was declared the winner. The trainer of Dancer’s Image and his assistant each received 30-day suspensions.

Fuller sent the winner’s gold trophy back to Churchill Downs to be engraved, but the track never returned it.

Ussery kept the trophy awarded to the winning jockey.

“As far as I’m concerned, I won the Derby in 1968 because they made the race official,” he told The Associated Press in 2019. “What they did with Dancer’s Image was another thing. It had no reflection on me.”

The Derby media guide includes the official chart showing Dancer’s Image as the winner, with a two-sentence explanation about the DQ, but in other sections Forward Pass gets the credit.

Ussery’s best finish in the Belmont Stakes was in 1959 aboard Bagdad. That same year he won Canada’s most prestigious race, the Queen’s Plate, with New Providence, one of his record 215 winners in 1959.

In 1960, he won the Hopeful Stakes on that year’s 2-year-old champion, Hail To Reason. He won the Flamingo, Florida Derby and Preakness on Bally Ache that year after they finished second in the Kentucky Derby.

He was born Robert Nelson Ussery on Sept. 3, 1935, in Vian, Oklahoma.

At Aqueduct in New York, Ussery was known for guiding horses to the outside of the track, near the crown where the dirt was packed hard, then diving toward the rail and opening them up on the far turn. That path was dubbed Ussery’s Alley.

“He was running on the hard surface and all the other horses were running in the sand like at the beach,” his son Robert recalled. “He would be so many lengths in front and he was the only one who could do that successfully.”

In 2011, Ussery was inducted into the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Besides his son, Ussery is survived by four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His daughter, Debra Paramanis, died in 2010.

Sports

Tampa named host city for 2029 CFP title game

Published

6 hours ago

October 29, 2025

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Tampa named host city for 2029 CFP title game

Tampa will host the College Football Playoff national championship game at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 22, 2029, the CFP announced Wednesday.

Tampa will become the fourth city to host the CFP title game for a second time, joining Atlanta, New Orleans and Miami Gardens, Fla.

“We are excited to bring the College Football Playoff National Championship back to Tampa Bay in 2029,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a news release. “The city has established itself as an exceptional host for world-class sporting events, and its vibrant downtown, beautiful waterfront, and proven commitment to excellence make it an ideal setting for college football’s greatest night. We look forward to partnering with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and local leaders to deliver a national championship experience worthy of college football’s biggest stage.”

The 2029 game will be the 15th national championship game in the CFP era, which went into effect following the 2014 college football season.

Miami will host the next national championship game on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium, a game that will feature the winners of the Fiesta and Peach bowls, which will host the semifinals.

The 2027 site will be Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, followed by the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans in 2028.

Sports

Sources: Cincy leading rusher Pryor out vs. Utah

Published

6 hours ago

October 29, 2025

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Sources: Cincy leading rusher Pryor out vs. Utah

Cincinnati senior running back Evan Pryor will be officially listed as out with an ankle injury on the Big 12 availability report for the game at No. 24 Utah on Saturday, per sources.

There’s hope Pryor can return for No. 17 Cincinnati’s Nov. 15 game at home against Arizona, per sources.

Pryor suffered the ankle injury against Baylor last week. Pryor, an Ohio State transfer, is the leading rusher for the Bearcats with 478 yards, and he averages 7.2 yards per carry.

Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield said earlier this week that Pryor was expected to be out this week.

At Utah on Saturday night, Cincinnati is expected to lean on Wisconsin transfer Tawee Walker, who has 466 yards and averages 5.2 yards per carry.

Cincinnati has a bye after the game at Utah.

Sports

Just like old times? Orgeron talks LSU return

Published

6 hours ago

October 29, 2025

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Just like old times? Orgeron talks LSU return

Oct 29, 2025, 01:07 PM ET

LSU football has a high-profile coaching vacancy, and a familiar face has thrown his hat into the ring.

Ed Orgeron, who was ousted by LSU less than two years after coaching the Tigers to a national championship, said he “would love” to return to the school as Brian Kelly’s replacement.

LSU fired Kelly in stunning fashion Sunday, citing the “high hopes” that the program failed to reach under his leadership and announcing that a “national search” was underway for the Tigers’ new coach.

Three days later, during an interview Wednesday with ESPN’s “UnSportsmanLike,” Orgeron was asked whether he wanted his old job back.

“I’d love to,” Orgeron responded. “Are you kidding me? Hey, I’m one phone call away. I just gotta get in my truck; I could be there today.”

One of the top coaches currently linked to the LSU job is Ole Miss‘ Lane Kiffin, who also worked with Orgeron at USC.

Orgeron, who has been out of coaching since leaving LSU in 2021, was asked Wednesday if he would consider returning to the program as an assistant under Kiffin.

“Yeah, I’d consider it,” he said. “I love LSU. I still got my home in Baton Rouge. I loved when I was coaching for Coach Miles being the defensive line coach. I love the Tigers, and if I’m getting back into coaching, for sure I’d consider it. No doubt.”

Orgeron’s tenure as LSU’s head coach ended after the 2021 season in what he described as a mutual decision between himself and the school. He went 51-20 in his six years at LSU, highlighted by the Tigers’ 15-0 run in a 2019 season punctuated by an NCAA championship.

Orgeron, who grew up rooting for the Tigers in nearby Larose, Louisiana, said LSU’s next head coach must embrace being a part of the state’s culture — something he says Kelly never did.

“I think that’s one of the things — whether it’s true or not — the look from the outside, Brian Kelly never embraced the state of Louisiana,” he said. “When you get those guys on your side, it’s very powerful. I think getting everybody to pull in the same direction, like Pete Carroll did, like we did, one team, one heartbeat, is gonna be the key for the next coach.”