46-Year-Old Lineman Truly One for Ages

Chuck Roseberry is a sophomore defensive tackle for Kutztown University, a Division II school in Pennsylvania.

He is also 46 years old.

Ray Didinger of Knight-Ridder News Services writes that “Roseberry is quite possibly the oldest player in the annals of college football.

“The NCAA is not exactly certain of that, but a spokesman for the organization said he would be surprised if there has been anyone older.”

Trivia time: Who was the last NFL player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a game?

Praise, indeed: Player agent Ralph Cindrich, recognized in the Sporting News last January as one of the 100 most powerful people in sports, grew up in Avella, Pa., which he calls a “a shot-and-a-beer place.”

“Probably the best compliment ever paid to me was from Carmen Policy, the San Francisco 49ers’ general manager,” Cindrich told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He called me a blue-collar SOB.”

Silence: From David Letterman: “Yes, we won’t be hearing the crack of the bat again until next April. Or in the Mets’ case, maybe June or July.”

Tire-biter: Bill Lyon of the Philadelphia Inquirer interviewing Eagle cornerback Eric Allen, who is listed at 5 feet 10 and 180 pounds, but is probably smaller, on tackling larger running backs:

“Sometimes it’s kind of like trying to stop a runaway bus by tackling one of the tires.”

Bring back the rug: Tom Weir in USA Today: “In 1968, Tennessee helped inspire one of sport’s worst trends as it became the first college to install artificial turf for football.”

The Volunteers now have a grass field that was inaugurated Saturday with a 31-0 loss to Florida. Time to dig up the grass?

FYI: Ichiro Suzuki, who goes by his first name because Suzuki is so common in Japan, became the first in Japanese baseball to get 200 hits in a season.

On target: When ESPN announcer Joe Theismann recently asked former New York Giant quarterback Phil Simms how his injured shoulder was doing, Simms replied:

“Fine, Joe. How are your alimony payments?”

Looking back: On this day in 1973, the Oakland Raiders defeated the Miami Dolphins, 12-7, in Berkeley on four field goals by George Blanda, ending the Dolphins’ 18-game winning streak.

Trivia answer: Ron Brown of the Rams on Nov. 24, 1985 against Green Bay.

Quotebook: Nick Canepa in the San Diego Union-Tribune: “If Buddy Ryan coached the Miami Dolphins, he’d find a way to make Jim McMahon his starting quarterback.”