Sports
After Cameron Dicker's historic boot, Chargers get to meet 'Quad Father' of free kick
Cameron Dicker pointed to a picture of a football card to the camera. The color drawing showed a man in a royal blue San Diego Chargers jersey with thick brown hair and a thick mustache.
“From me to Ray,” the Chargers kicker said while tapping his chest, “let’s go.”
Ray Wersching’s mustache has gone gray, as has the hair on his head, but 48 years after he made a 45-yard fair-catch free kick, the former Charger and San Francisco 49ers kicker is happy to pass the torch to Dicker.
After Dicker made the first successful fair-catch kick in the NFL since 1976 last Thursday, Wersching was a surprise guest in the Chargers practice facility Monday, invited by the Spanos family to fly from his home in the Bay Area to meet with the team. Before practice, he chatted with reporters and special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken and addressed the players.
For Dicker, he had a special message: “Thank you.”
The San Diego Chargers’ Ray Wersching was the last NFL player to be successful on a fair-catch free kick before the Chargers’ Cameron Dicker did it in Week 16 this season.
(James Flores / NFL)
“It brought that rule into now where everybody knows it,” Wersching said with a proud smile.
The obscure rule allows a team to kick immediately after a fair catch and if it goes through the uprights and over the crossbar, it counts as a three-point field goal for the kicking team.
In 2019, Joey Slye, then with the Carolina Panthers, was the last NFL player to attempt one. The Chargers watch the film of the attempt every week during special teams meetings.
Players sometimes roll their eyes when Ficken cues up the footage. They were celebrating the moment the ball shot off Dicker’s foot, however, giving the Chargers a jolt of energy going into halftime against the Denver Broncos.
“It’s always something that you never know if it’s going to occur or when it’s going to occur,” Ficken said, “but you’ve got to be prepared and ready.”
Chargers coaches realized the opportunity early enough to give Dicker enough time to practice one rep on the sideline with punter JK Scott. It was a stark contrast to Wersching’s kick. He told Dicker on Monday he didn’t get any warm-up kicks before his 45-yard kick nearly 50 years ago.
“They showed me a picture of him kicking and, I mean, the dude’s quads were massive,” Dicker said. “I called him the ‘Quad Father.’”
Wersching won two Super Bowls with the 49ers and kicked four field goals in the 49ers’ 26-21 victory in Super Bowl XVI. Wersching deserved the most valuable player award for that, Dicker said.
Dicker made his own MVP-worthy play Thursday as his unorthodox kick catapulted the Chargers to a comeback win over their AFC West rivals, clinching a season sweep and boosting their playoff opportunities. The Chargers (9-6) can clinch a postseason berth Saturday with a road win against the New England Patriots.
Watching games from the Bay Area, where he still lives after 11 years with the 49ers, Wersching used to breathe a sigh of relief every time he saw a team call a fair catch deep in its territory. His claim to fame could be safe for another play.
Wersching perked up, however, when he saw Derius Davis get interfered with while attempting to make a fair catch. The 15-yard penalty put Dicker on Denver’s 47-yard line.
Wersching knew the 24-year-old would make it. Dicker is one of the many young NFL talents who have impressed Wersching with their precision from long distances.
“I’m impressed with everyone because a 60-yard field goal now it’s like, ‘yeah, we can make this,’” said Wersching, whose career long was 53 yards. “Fifty-yard field goals now, you’re expected to make them. It’s amazing.”
NFL kickers are 173-for-245 (70.1%) on field-goal attempts of 50 yards or longer this season going into Monday night’s game. Dicker’s 57-yard kick was the longest fair-catch kick in NFL history and ranks as the third-longest field goal in Chargers history. He already tied a franchise record this season with a 59-yard kick against the Arizona Cardinals
Dicker has attempted 10 kicks from 50 yards this season and made nine. After signing a four-year contract extension worth reportedly $22 million, the former Texas Longhorns star is 31 of 33 on field-goal attempts and 27 of 30 on extra points.
Dicker was also the team’s nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year, which honors a player’s achievements on the field and in the community. Two nights before making his historic kick, Dicker hosted a charity shopping spree for 20 kids from Big Brothers Big Sisters at Dick’s Sporting Goods in El Segundo. While teammates were leaving the facility after a long day of meetings, Dicker scurried out of the Chargers locker room dressed as Buddy from Will Ferrell’s “Elf.”
“Really whatever he touches,” coach Jim Harbaugh said, “he’s going to be a force for good.”
Etc.
Running back J.K. Dobbins (knee) returned to practice off injured reserve Monday, beginning his 21-day window. … Safety Alohi Gilman (hamstring) is eligible to return off IR this week, but the team did not open his window Monday. … Safeties Elijah Molden (knee) and Marcus Maye (ankle) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) did not participate in practice while cornerback Cam Hart (concussion) and tight end Will Dissly (shoulder) were on the field.
The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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