Abner Haynes, a former star running back who spent most of his career in the Kansas City Chiefs’ organization, has died, the team said Thursday. He was 86.

Haynes was selected in the American Football League and NFL Drafts in 1960 after a standout career at North Texas. He ended up playing for the Dallas Texans in his and their first season in the AFL and was with the team when they moved to Kansas City to become the Chiefs.

He also spent time with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets through the 1967 season.

“My family and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Chiefs Hall of Famer Abner Haynes,” Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement. “Abner was one of the first great stars of the Dallas Texans and the American Football League. In the league’s first season in 1960, Abner earned Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors, and more importantly, he earned the respect and admiration of his teammates and fans alike. 

“In addition to his on-the-field prowess, Abner was a man of courage and leadership from a very young age. He remained involved in the community well after his playing days were over, and his legacy extends far beyond the gridiron. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Guadalupe and his entire family during this difficult time.”

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Haynes was the UPI Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 1960 and earned All-Pro honors as he led the AFL with nine rushing touchdowns and 875 rushing yards. He led the AFL in rushing touchdowns in 1961 and 1962 as well.

Abner Haynes, #28 of the Dallas Texans, runs with the ball during an AFL game against the Buffalo Bills on November 12, 1961, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. (Hy Peskin/Getty Images)

Haynes was a Pro Bowler in 1961 and 1962 and again in 1964.

He gained notoriety in the AFL Championship Game in 1962 when he famously told a referee when choosing whether to kick or receive told the referee, “We’ll kick to the clock.” The referee only heard “We’ll kick” and the Houston Oilers received the ball first.

Luckily for Haynes, and the Texans, Dallas won the game in two overtimes.

He finished his career with 4,630 rushing yards and 46 total touchdowns.

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UFC president and CEO Dana White introduced former President Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday night.

White spoke to Republican Party members right before Trump was set to accept the presidential nomination for the third straight time.

The 54-year-old Connecticut native told the crowd the stakes have never been higher. He praised Trump as the “toughest, most resilient human being” he’s ever met in his life.

“I know he wants what’s best for the American people – all American people,” White said. “I know he’s running for president to save our American dream. I’m living the American dream and I know the American dream is very real. Whether you were born in this country or came here from someplace else, this is the last real land of opportunity.

“I know President Trump is fighting to save the American dream and that’s what’s at stake in this election.

White continued, saying the country was in a better place when Trump was president and the chose for him was clear.

“I know I’m going to choose strength and security. I know I’m going to choose opportunity and prosperity. I know I’m going to choose real American leadership and a real American bada–.”

Donald Trump and UFC President Dana White attend the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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White has said that he and Trump have been friends for over two decades. He said in his speech Trump asked him as “a friend.” 

As UFC struggled in the early 2000s to become a legitimized sports organization, Trump put on UFC shows at his former Atlantic City casino known as Trump Taj Mahal.

White spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention months before Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in that presidential contest. He praised Trump at the time for taking the sport “seriously.”

Trump’s Atlantic City’s endeavors have either been demolished or bought and rebranded. But White has remained loyal to the billionaire business mogul through it all8-

Trump has routinely been seen at sporting events over the course of his first presidency and while he was running for re-election in 2019 and 2020. While he had been seen at baseball and college football games, he shows up to UFC events the most.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, UFC president Dana White, and Kid Rock pose fora photo during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

He appeared at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for UFC 302 following the verdict in his New York criminal trial. He received a rousing ovation as he entered the arena. He even received a few shoutouts from some of the fighters.

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JJ Redick and a chunk of his new coaching staff sat baseline Thursday in Las Vegas, the Lakers’ key young pieces all flashing elements of why the team valued them.

The result — another Summer League victory and some critic silencing — was momentary. Maybe in the 93-89 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, there was something more.

From the jump, Dalton Knecht, the Lakers’ first rounder, splashed threes and attacked the rim with an athletic two-handed dunk. It all reinforced that he can score — something the team and Redick will probably try to incorporate this season.

Knecht scored 20 and grabbed seven rebounds, looking like a piece the Lakers could try to use sooner than later.

Bronny James, more of a long-term developmental project, showed the midrange and rim-attacking skills that can help offset a three-point shot that’s still under construction.

He finished with 13 points on 50% shooting.

Maxwell Lewis played a more complementary game while still showing the elite tools that made the Lakers value him a season ago.

Second-year center Colin Castleton fired pretty bounce passes to cutters, a skill that could help separate him from other big men. French two-way rookie Armel Traore had his best game of the summer, using his physicality and motor to make plays at the rim on both ends. And two-way rookie Blake Hinson showed that he’s willing to try and stretch the floor with his shooting while playing with plenty of passion.

Maybe there’s something to be gained, an advantage to be mined, from what Redick and his staff were watching Thursday. In a summer where the coaches and the young players are all that’s new, the Lakers better hope there is.

As the team’s young players led a fourth-quarter comeback, their draft picks all made plays.

James scored on a sweeping left-handed hook and hit a stepback three off the dribble, maybe his biggest highlight in Vegas. And Knecht’s cutting and foul-drawing led to easy fourth-quarter points.

The Lakers finish their Summer League schedule Saturday against Chicago.