Sports
Mike Utley's courage was the inspiration behind the Lions' last playoff win
Even in a hospital bed, with a horrific spinal-cord injury that would confine him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, Mike Utley gave his Detroit Lions teammate a helping hand.
It was in the form of a raised thumb.
That thumbs-up gesture, made by the fallen guard as he was wheeled off the field during a 1991 game against the Rams, became a rallying cry not just for his teammates but the entire city and beyond.
“When it happened certainly it was sobering, it was shocking, it was scary,” longtime Lions executive Bill Keenist said. “But when Mike was about to enter the tunnel, and predictably there were cameras on him, he raised his right thumb. It affected people in the most incredible way.”
That season is especially topical now because it was the last time the Lions notched a postseason victory. They play host to the Rams on Sunday night in a wild-card game.
Former Lions guard Mike Utley gives the thumbs-up after walking assisted from his wheelchair on Dec. 6, 2016 during his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
(Mike Fiala / Associated Press)
Detroit had a lot of exceptional play that season — the running of Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, the surprising emergence of quarterback Erik Kramer, a stifling defense that included Pro Bowl selections Jerry Ball, Benny Blades and Chris Spielman — but, as many would argue, the courage of Utley lifted the franchise to unexpected heights.
Nearly 33 years later, Utley has survived. He and his wife, Danielle, live in Hurricane, Utah, and oversee the Mike Utley Foundation, which supports research for function-restoring treatment for spinal-cord injuries. Since 2018, he has battled infections and various other health issues related to his condition. Still, he works hard to maintain a positive outlook.
“Life’s what you make it,” Utley, 58, said. “It’s something I’ve got to deal with. Every day I wake up to life, Danielle helps me out tremendously, and we make the best of it.”
Part of that life is an unyielding passion for the Lions, even though the Utleys are season-ticket holders to the Las Vegas Raiders, whose stadium is a two-hour drive from their home.
Erik Kramer is the last Lions quarterback to win a playoff game.
(John Biever / Getty Images)
“The Super Bowl will be a home game for me,” Utley said. “The Lions had damn well better be there.”
That would require three consecutive postseason victories from a franchise that is 1-13 in those games in the Super Bowl era, including a current streak of nine playoff losses in a row.
But some things mean far more than wins and losses, and the impact of Utley’s courage definitely had that effect on his teammates.
The fateful moment occurred on Nov. 17, 1991, on the first play of the fourth quarter against the Rams. He was in his third season out of Washington State, and was hurt on a pass play, sustaining injuries to his sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae. It would leave him largely paralyzed from the chest down.
Lions offensive lineman Eric Andolsek.
(George Gojkovich / Getty Images)
It was a jarring moment for the entire sports world, a reminder of the brutal nature of the game and the real potential for catastrophic injury. Utley’s response also galvanized his teammates, who all wore “Thumbs Up” T-shirts under their pads.
“Obviously you don’t want to use someone’s personal tragedy as your own rallying cry, but in a sense it not only pulled the team together and the city together,” Kramer said. “You could go one of two ways with that. The team clearly came together in the way that it did. I’m just grateful to be a part of that.”
The Lions won their final six games of that season to clinch the NFC North title. In their traditional Thanksgiving Day game, that year against Chicago, Detroit team captain and fellow offensive lineman Lomas Brown delivered a speech on the field before kickoff on the public-address speaker. The national broadcast showed it as well.
Utley was being treated at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., at the time.
“Mike, we know you are listening,” Brown said, reading words written by Keenist. “On behalf of your teammates, the fans, the players and the coaches, we want you to know that you are as big a part of this team today as you have ever been. And that you will always be a part of this team. Thanks for your courage, your inspiration and your strength. We’re all praying for you, we’re all pulling for you. So keep the faith. We love you, and thumbs up, Mike.”
That Lions team would go on to beat Dallas in the divisional round before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins in the NFC title game.
The Lions went 12-4 that season, their best win total, which the franchise matched this season.
In the summer that followed, more tragedy. Eric Andolsek, the Lions’ other starting guard, was killed in the front yard of his home in Thibodaux, La. He was doing yard work when a truck driver failed to maintain control of his flatbed diesel and ran over the player.
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1. Mike Utley and his wife, Danielle (Danielle Utley) 2. Former Detroit Lions quarterback Erik Kramer attends a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field in October 2017. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
“I always say 1991 was a bittersweet year for the Lions,” Brown said. “There were great moments, man, our team playing as well as it played, us getting one game away from the Super Bowl. But it came with a lot of tragedy and a lot of cost.”
As for Keenist, who retired in 2020 as the team’s senior vice president of communications, one of the most moving moments of that season came as the team busses were pulling out of the parking lot of RFK Stadium after the final loss to Washington.
“I’m getting goose bumps remembering it,” Keenist said. “Our bus was quiet, but it just got silent. When we rode past that crowd of people — players, families, fans — every single thumb went up in the air.”
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For the first time in more than two decades, the Illinois men’s basketball team will still be dancing when the Final Four tips off.
Iowa’s underdog run in the NCAA Tournament ended Saturday with a 71-59 loss to a dominant Illinois team. Before Illinois could cut down the nets at Houston’s Toyota Center, a buzzer malfunction caused a loud, roughly 10-minute delay.
The buzzer initially sounded signaling the end of a media timeout with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half. The horn continued blaring for about another seven minutes.
A referee talks with the scorer’s table during an official’s timeout due to a broken shot clock horn during the first half of an Elite Eight game between Iowa and Illinois in the NCAA Tournament Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Players stood on the court ready to play for a couple of minutes before both teams started to warm up as the buzzer continued to sound.
It was finally silenced, to cheers from the crowd, but then the main scoreboard and video screen that hangs over the middle of the court went dark.
The game ultimately resumed with the big scoreboard still off. Two smaller scoreboards at each end of the arena were working.
Freshman guard Keaton Wagler scored 25 points to help secure Illinois’ first Final Four berth since 2005.
Keaton Wagler (23) of the Illinois Fighting Illini dribbles against Isaia Howard (23) of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center March 28, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
This will be the sixth overall trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Fighting Illini will face either Duke or UConn next week in Indianapolis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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BASEBALL
CITY SECTION
Palisades 2, North Hollywood 1
South Gate 5, Sun Valley Poly 4
SOUTHERN SECTION
Alta Loma 5, Schurr 3
Anaheim Canyon 6, Segerstrom 4
Beaumont 13, San Jacinto Valley Academy 3
Bethel Christian 15, United Christian Academy 1
Brea Olinda 8, Tustin 2
Buena Park 5, Savanna 3
Cajon 9, Granite Hills 5
Claremont 13, Littlerock 2
Compton 12, Compton Centennial 3
Covina 9, San Marino 6
El Segundo 13, Palos Verdes 4
Ganesha 13, Santa Ana Foothill 3
Golden Valley 9, Lancaster 8
Hesperia 8, Miller 7
Katella 6, Canyon Springs 3
La Serna 5, Alhambra 2
Linfield Christian 10, Woodbridge 0
Long Beach Cabrillo 17, Hawthorne 1
Montclair 2, Vista del Lago 0
Moorpark 16, Foothill Tech 11
Oxford Academy 7, Century 6
Rancho Mirage 1, Indian Springs 0
Rancho Verde 9, Riverside Poly 5
San Dimas 13, Irvine 2
Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 14, HMSA 11
Sonora 7, Long Beach Wilson 6
St. Paul 5, El Modena 3
Troy 5, Hacienda Heights Wilson 2
Valley View 16, Carter 10
Whittier Christian 9, Estancia 3
INTERSECTIONAL
Dominguez 13, King/Drew 2
Downers Grove 11, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel
Downtown Magnets 12, Long Beach Jordan 5
Inglewood 10, Stella 0
Layton 5, Schurr 4
Kentucky Trinity 5, St. John Bosco 0
Murrieta Valley 10, Galena 7
Orange Lutheran 7, Florida Venice 6
Santa Barbara 14, Douglas 6
Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 16, Collins Family 1
St. Bernard 7, San Diego University City 5
Tonopah 23, Lone Pine 8
SOFTBALL
CITY SECTION
San Fernando 5, LA Roosevelt 3
San Pedro 11, Legacy 1
Sun Valley Poly 8, LA Roosevelt 2
SOUTHERN SECTION
Alemany 9, Canyon Country Canyon 1
Burbank Burroughs 2, Rosary Academy 1
California 16, Whittier Christian 13
California 7, San Clemente 1
Camarillo 4, Chaminade 3
Camarillo 18, Rio Mesa 0
Capistrano Valley 9, Beckman 3
Chino Hills 15, Chino 3
Corona 10, Ridgecrest Burroughs 0
Crean Lutheran 11, Avalon 2
Crean Lutheran 13, Avalon 2
Edison 7, Crescenta Valley 5
Edison 2, Vasquez 1
Irvine 7, Long Beach Wilson 5
JSerra 2, Capistrano Valley 1
Leuzinger 11, Hawthorne 0
Marina 2, Los Alamitos 1
Mater Dei 10, Redondo Union 0
Mira Costa 9, Newport Harbor 3
Palos Verdes 2, Los Altos 1
Paraclete 11, Saugus 1
Rancho Mirage 14, Cathedral City 6
Rosary Academy 7, Fountain Valley 2
San Clemente 7, Whittier Christian 2
Simi Valley 7, West Ranch 1
Simi Valley 5, St. Bonaventure 5
St. Genevieve 7, Sacred Heart of Jesus 4
St. Paul 6, Warren 2
St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy d. Hoover, forfeit
Thousand Oaks 8, Rio Mesa 0
United Christian Academy 13, Bethel Christian 5
Vasquez 4, Woodbridge 0
Warren 5, La Serna 0
Westlake 4, St. Bonaventure 2
Westlake 0, Chaminade 0
Westlake 4, St. Bonaventure 2
West Ranch 10, Thousand Oaks 4
West Torrance 6, Hart 0
INTERSECTIONAL
Alemany 11, Arleta 1
Arleta 10, Canyon Country Canyon 8
Downey 6, Legacy 0
Downey 10, San Pedro 0
Granada Hills 8, La Serna 5
Muir 8, San Fernando 4
Muir 12, Sun Valley Poly 3
San Luis Obispo 7, Torres 6
St. Paul 8, Granada Hills 4
Sports
‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin avenges Olympic disappointment with backflip for third straight world title
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It seems like Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God,” has done a nice job of moving on from his Olympic heartbreak.
Last month, the 21-year-old Team USA star was the overwhelming favorite to bring home the gold in the men’s free skate. But the unimaginable happened as he fell twice and dropped all the way to eighth place.
However, he has begun to avenge the loss and is now a three-time world champion.
Ilia Malinin from the United States competes during the men free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days of being tormented by his mistakes.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total of 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.
Malinin was blunt about his Olympic performance when speaking to NBC afterward, saying simply, “I blew it,” and said it was a clear mental hurdle from start to finish.
“I just had so many thoughts and memories flood right before I got into my starting pose, and almost, I think, it maybe overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told reporters.
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin from the United States waves to spectators after the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
LINDSEY VONN KEEPING RETURN TO SKIING ON TABLE DESPITE INJURIES: ‘I DON’T LIKE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON ANYTHING’
“So, I just feel like it’s the pressure of especially being that Olympic gold medal hopeful. It was just something I can’t control now. The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different, and I think not a lot of people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he added. “But it really just went by so fast I did not have time to process.”
But with some pressure off, Malinin was able to show who he truly is on the ice.
Gold medalist, Ilia Malinin from the United States waves before the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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