Lou Saban Posts -- FanHouse

Longtime Coach Lou Saban Dies at 87

Lou Saban, who coached O.J. Simpson in the NFL and ran the New York Yankees for George Steinbrenner during a well-traveled career that spanned five decades, died on Sunday. He was 87.

Deaths in Sports

Lou Saban, March 29: The 87-year-old Saban coached the Patriots, Bills and Broncos in his NFL career. Saban died of heart failure Sunday. He also coached at Miami, Army, Northwestern and Maryland.

NFL / Getty Images

Alysheba, March 27: The winner of the 1987 Kentucky Derby, seen here being ridden by jockey Chris McCarron, was euthanized Friday night following a fall in his stall. Click through the gallery to see more recent deaths of athletes and sports figures.

Bob Daugherty, AP

Shane McConkey, March 26: The legendary big mountain skier and BASE jumper, pictured here in October 2007, died Thursday in a ski-BASE accident in the Italian Dolomites.

Alfredo Martinez, Red Bull Photo Files

George Kell, March 24: The Hall of Fame third baseman played 14 years in the AL with Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and Baltimore. He was a Detroit Tigers broadcaster from 1959 to 1996.

Walt Poddubny, March 21: Drafted 90th overall by Edmonton in 1980, Poddubny played 11 NHL seasons for the Oilers, Toronto, the New York Rangers, Quebec and New Jersey.

Clement Allard, The Canadian Press / AP

Whitey Lockman, March 17: Lockman, who doubled ahead of Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard Round The World" that clinched the 1951 NL pennant, passed away after a fight with pulmonary fibrosis.

Diamond Images / Getty Images

Alex Simonka, March 14: The U.S. Coast Guard women's basketball coach died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

United States Coast Guard

Andrew "Test" Martin, March 13: The former World Wrestling Entertainment champion was found dead in his apartment. He was 33.

Ryan Pierse, Getty Images

William "Jeff" Komlo, March 13: Authorities say the former NFL quarterback was killed in a car crash in Greece.

Drayton Holcomb, The Detroit News / AP

Bill Davidson, March 13: The Basketball Hall of Famer, Detroit Pistons owner and noted philanthropist died at age 86.

Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE / Getty Images

Best Moments in Big Ten Football History #4: Northwestern Smells the Roses, 1996

FanHouse is counting down the 10 best, 10 worst, and 10 weirdest moments in Big Ten football history.

Howard Stern could take over for Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News. Your cat could win the Nobel Prize in physics. Guns 'N Roses could actually release Chinese Democracy. Those are three things which seem as unlikely now as Northwestern's 1995 Rose Bowl run seemed at the time.

Northwestern had occupied a certain niche in the Big Ten's ecosystem, that of the perennial homecoming date. The Wildcats could be counted on to show up sometime between late September and late October to provide an all but guaranteed W for the returning alumni. And as long as they still played football in Evanston, every Big Ten team knew that no matter what other outrageous fortune befell them, they wouldn't go winless in the conference unless it was one of those years Northwestern just wasn't on the schedule.

A lot of coaches sacrificed large parts of their careers coaching in Evanston, trying to face up to the challenge of turning around a football team that hadn't won a conference title since 1949. But not even legitimately good coaches like Lou Saban, Ara Parseghian, and Dennis Green could accomplish anything with the Wildcats. So how did Gary Barnett do it?