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  • Associated Press

Jan 11, 2024, 10:19 AM ET

NEW YORK — Bud Harrelson, the scrappy and sure-handed shortstop who fought Pete Rose on the field during a playoff game and helped the New York Mets win an astonishing championship, died early Thursday morning. He was 79.

The Mets said Thursday morning that Harrelson died at a hospice house in East Northport, New York, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. He was diagnosed in 2016 and publicly shared his struggle two years later, hoping he and his family could help others afflicted.

Throughout his health ordeal, Harrelson stayed involved with his professional pride and joy. He was part-owner of the Long Island Ducks, an independent minor league team located minutes from his home. He called his decades of work with the club — which he was instrumental in starting and running — his greatest achievement in baseball.

The team said Harrelson’s family was planning a celebration of his life for a later date.

During a major league career that lasted from 1965 to ’80, the light-hitting Harrelson was selected to two All-Star Games and won a Gold Glove. Known to family and teammates as Buddy, he spent his first 13 seasons with New York and was the only man in a Mets uniform for both their World Series titles.

The first came as the infield anchor of the 1969 Miracle Mets, the other as the club’s third-base coach in 1986.

In one of the most famous scenes in baseball history, it was a euphoric Harrelson who waved home Ray Knight with the winning run on Bill Buckner’s error in Game 6 of the ’86 World Series against Boston.

Harrelson also managed the Mets for nearly two seasons, guiding them to a second-place NL East finish in 1990 after taking over in late May. He was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 1986, joining Rusty Staub as the first two players honored.

“It was easy to see why the ’69 guys loved him. He was great on defense and he was tough,” Mets broadcaster Ron Darling, who pitched for the club from 1983 to ’91, told the New York Post in 2018.

In Game 3 of the 1973 NL Championship Series between the Mets and Cincinnati Reds, Rose slid hard into Harrelson at second base on a double play. The two ended up toe-to-toe and then wrestling in the infield dirt at Shea Stadium, triggering a wild, bench-clearing brawl that spilled into the outfield.

Outweighed by more than 30 pounds, the scrawny, gritty Harrelson got the worst of it.

But he didn’t back down.

“I have no regrets about going at it with Rose. I did what I had to do to protect myself, and Pete did what he thought he had to do to try to motivate his team,” Harrelson wrote in his 2012 memoir, “Turning Two: My Journey to the Top of the World and Back with the New York Mets” co-authored by Phil Pepe. “We fought and that was the end of it.”

Sort of.

The game was held up as irate fans hurled objects at Rose, and the Reds were pulled off the field by manager Sparky Anderson until order was restored. Mets skipper Yogi Berra and players including Willie Mays and Tom Seaver went out to left field to calm the crowd.

Cincinnati players apparently were peeved about a comment from Harrelson after Game 2. Making light of his own shortcomings, Harrelson said Mets pitcher Jon Matlack “made the Big Red Machine look like me hitting” after the left-hander tossed a two-hit shutout.

“I didn’t think it was all that bad. I was kind of putting myself down a little bit, but I was also putting them down,” Harrelson said. “Then I heard that they were going to come after me and all that, so I figured that was it right there. And when Pete hit me after I’d already thrown the ball, I got mad. And we had the little match. He just kind of lifted me up, laid me down to sleep and it was all over.”

Harrelson later wrote that Charlie Hustle caught him with “a cheap shot.” But the former shortstop would also joke about the fracas, often saying: “I hit him with my best punch. I hit him right in the fist with my eye.”

The two became teammates in Philadelphia years later and when their playing days were long over, Harrelson said Rose, baseball’s career hits leader, signed a photo of the fight for him and wrote, “Thanks for making me famous.”

Harrelson later managed Rose’s son with the Ducks, and the elder Rose even attended a couple of games, Harrelson said.

Harrelson was traded to the Phillies in 1978 and spent two years with them before playing his final season for the Texas Rangers. A switch-hitter, he finished his career with a .236 batting average and .616 OPS. He hit seven home runs — never more than one in a season — and stole 127 bases, including a career-high 28 for the Mets in 1971.

Despite his lack of power, Harrelson could be pesky at the plate. He drew 95 walks in 1970 and was always a good bunter. He batted .333 lifetime (20-for-60) against Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, with 14 walks and just three strikeouts for a .459 on-base percentage.

“I have always said I’ll take God to three-and-two and take my chances. I might foul two off before He gave me ball four,” Harrelson wrote.

Harrelson came off the bench in the 1970 All-Star Game in Cincinnati, getting two hits and scoring twice. He was the National League’s starting shortstop the following season at Tiger Stadium and won his only Gold Glove that year.

Harrelson went 3-for-17 (.176) with three walks when the Mets beat heavily favored Baltimore in the 1969 World Series. He had a .379 on-base percentage during a seven-game loss to Oakland in the ’73 Series, after New York upset Cincinnati in the playoffs.

As manager of the Mets from 1990 to ’91, Harrelson compiled a 145-129 record.

Derrel McKinley “Bud” Harrelson was born in Niles, California, on D-Day: June 6, 1944. He went to college at San Francisco State and signed with the Mets in June 1963 for $13,500 even though the New York Yankees offered $3,000 more.

Harrelson said he was a little intimidated by the Yankees’ storied history and worried he might get stuck in the minors with them. He figured the Mets, an expansion franchise in 1962, might provide a faster path to the majors.

Early in his pro career with the struggling club, he tried switch-hitting at Casey Stengel’s suggestion and stuck with it.

In 1972, Harrelson authored an instructional book titled “How to Play Better Baseball.”

After his diagnosis, Harrelson joined the board of directors of Alzheimer’s Association Long Island and worked with his family to raise awareness. He still made it out to Ducks games, eagerly greeting fans as a goodwill ambassador even if he couldn’t throw batting practice or coach first base anymore.

“I feel like I’m home when I’m there. I’m with the people I love,” Harrelson told the Post.

“I want people to know you can live with [Alzheimer’s] and that a lot of people have it,” he said. “It could be worse.”

Despite his condition, Harrelson was at Citi Field in 2019 for the Mets’ 50th anniversary celebration of their 1969 championship. Tom Seaver, his good friend and former roommate, did not attend after the Hall of Fame pitcher was diagnosed with dementia.

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Kiffin to make ‘hard decision’ on future Saturday

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5 hours ago

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November 28, 2025

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Kiffin to make 'hard decision' on future Saturday

  • Mark SchlabachNov 28, 2025, 06:08 PM ET

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    • Senior college football writer
    • Author of seven books on college football
    • Graduate of the University of Georgia

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Lane Kiffin said he’ll decide Saturday whether he will return as Ole Miss‘ coach in 2026 or take another job, presumably at LSU, which is trying to poach him from its SEC rival with a lucrative contract offer that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.

Kiffin, while speaking to reporters after the No. 7 Rebels’ 38-19 victory at Mississippi State in Friday’s Egg Bowl at Davis Wade Stadium, would only say that he’ll have to make a decision one way or the other, after Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce said they needed an answer by Saturday.

“I feel like I’ve got to,” Kiffin said.

When Kiffin was asked if he had made up his mind about where he’ll be coaching next season, he said, “Yeah, I haven’t. Maybe that surprises you. But, you know, I’ve got to do some praying and figure this thing out.”

Kiffin said he planned to attend his son’s high school playoff game in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Friday night. Knox Kiffin is Oxford High’s starting quarterback.

“Tonight, I’m going to go be a dad and watch a more important game to me,” Kiffin said.

Kiffin wasn’t sure what time he would make a decision Saturday.

“There’s a lot [that goes] into it,” Kiffin said. “It’s a hard decision. You guys have them all the time. You’ve got to make decisions about jobs you take and where you move, and we get paid a lot so I understand we’re under a lot of spotlight and scrutiny.”

Kiffin said he regretted not being able to speak to his father, Monte Kiffin, while trying to make one of the most important decisions of his career. The longtime NFL defensive coordinator died in July 2024. He was 84.

Kiffin, 50, has sought the advice of former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll, his former boss at USC, the past few weeks.

ESPN reported earlier Friday that Florida, which was also courting Kiffin, is now focused on other candidates in its search because the Gators believe he’s more interested in other opportunities.

Carter and Boyce met with Kiffin a week ago in Oxford, Mississippi, and the sides came to an understanding that Kiffin would make up his mind the day after the Egg Bowl.

If the Egg Bowl was Kiffin’s last game as Ole Miss’ coach, it was a fitting end to one of the most successful tenures in school history.

As speculation about Kiffin’s future continued to swirl over the past two weeks, the Rebels rolled past their rivals for their fifth win in the past six meetings in the heated series. The Rebels had 545 yards of offense, as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss passed for 359 yards with four touchdowns.

The Rebels (11-1, 7-1 SEC) all but secured a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. They’ll have to wait another day to find out whether they’ll play in next week’s SEC championship game in Atlanta.

No. 3 Texas A&M would have to fall at No. 16 Texas on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) and No. 10 Alabama would have to lose at Auburn in Saturday’s Iron Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET/ABC) for the Rebels to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game.

And, of course, Ole Miss fans will be waiting Saturday to find out which coaches will be on the sideline for the CFP, which might begin with a first-round game at home on Dec. 19 or 20.

If Kiffin decides to leave for LSU, former New York Giants coach Joe Judge would likely serve as the Rebels’ interim coach in the CFP, sources told ESPN.

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Oregon State hires Bama’s Shephard as coach

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10 hours ago

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November 28, 2025

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Oregon State hires Bama's Shephard as coach

Oregon State has named Alabama co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shephard as the school’s next head coach, the school announced Friday.

The deal is for five years, per ESPN sources.

Shephard was also Alabama’s assistant head coach and wide receivers coach.

“I’m honored to lead the Oregon State University football program and to join a community that cares so deeply about its student-athletes,” Shephard said in a statement. “We will build a culture rooted in toughness, integrity, and relentless effort, and I’m excited to get to work with our players, staff, and supporters to write the next great chapter of Beaver football.”

Shephard brings significant experience in both the Pacific Northwest and in the Pac-12, as he has worked at both Washington State (2016) and was on Kalen DeBoer’s Washington staff (2022-23) that went to the national title game after the 2023 season.

Shephard replaces Trent Bray, who was fired with a 5-14 record in his second season this October. Oregon State is 2-9 this season, and the athletic department is dealing with the seismic financial shift that came with the traditional Pac-12 fracturing apart.

Alabama has one of the country’s top wide receiving duos in Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams. That group for Shephard comes in the wake of Shephard coaching the best trio of wide receivers in college football in 2023 at Washington: Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan.

At Purdue, Shephard coached star receivers Rondale Moore, a first-team All-American, and David Bell, who earned first-team All Big Ten honors. At Purdue, he worked as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

At Washington State in 2016, Shephard coached future NFL receiver River Cracraft. Throughout the years, Shephard has developed a reputation as an elite connector, with an ability to identify and develop talent.

Shephard faces a tough challenge amid the financial uncertainty and roster churn that has come with Oregon State’s new reality outside of a major conference.

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Sources: Vanderbilt’s Lea lands new 6-year deal

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10 hours ago

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November 28, 2025

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Sources: Vanderbilt's Lea lands new 6-year deal

In the midst of a historic season for Vanderbilt, the school agreed to a new contract with coach Clark Lea with the aim of keeping Vanderbilt competitive with the top of the SEC.

Per ESPN sources, Lea has a new six-year deal to remain the Commodores coach. This comes amid a hectic coaching cycle in which Lea drew interest from multiple high-end suitors with open jobs.

Lea and Vanderbilt agreed to the deal this week, and it includes a significant salary increase for Lea. It also includes numerous assets to continue the program’s upward trend, including additional resources for both staff and facilities.

Lea has led No. 14 Vanderbilt on a remarkable ascent the past two seasons. This year, he has led Vanderbilt to a 9-2 record and a 5-2 mark in the SEC, as Vanderbilt is part of the College Football Playoff conversation with a chance to get to 10-2 at No. 19 Tennessee this weekend.

Last season, Vanderbilt rattled off a series of firsts in program history, including a first win over a No. 1 team when the Commodores toppled Alabama. It marked the first time since 1955 that Vanderbilt beat Alabama and Auburn in the same season.

Vanderbilt’s turnaround came in sync with a staff overhaul after a 2023 season that saw the team go winless in the SEC. That included the hiring of New Mexico State offensive coordinator Tim Beck in the same role and New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill in a chief consulting role.

That led to the transfer of dynamic quarterback Diego Pavia, who has spearheaded the culture change on the field for the Commodores.

Following Lea’s extension, sources told ESPN’s Eli Lederman that Vanderbilt is expected to intensify its efforts to flip five-star Georgia quarterback commit Jared Curtis before the early signing period opens next week.

Curtis, ESPN’s No. 1 pocket passer in the 2026 class, is from Nashville and could have the opportunity to compete to start from Day 1 with the Commodores next fall. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound passer has been the top-ranked member of Georgia’s incoming recruiting class since May.

Lea is a longtime successful defensive coach, who took over in Vanderbilt in 2021 after the Commodores went winless in 2020. He came from Notre Dame, where he worked under Brian Kelly. Lea is a protegee of Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, who he worked under at both Wake Forest and Notre Dame when Elko coordinated at those stops.

The strong financial commitment to Lea, his staff and facility upgrades is in line with Vanderbilt’s recent newfound commitment to high-end athletics under Candice Lee, as the school is pushing through more than $300 million in athletic facility upgrades on campus.

Lee is a Vanderbilt alum, and the school has worked hard to channel resources to stay competitive in the SEC.

Vanderbilt continues its season of rare air this weekend, as its only two losses are at Alabama and at Texas. The Commodores have wins over South Carolina, Missouri and LSU, which were all ranked at the time.

Lea is a Nashville native and Vanderbilt graduate.

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