They say bad news comes in threes, and the murder of Redskins safety Sean Taylor was followed Tuesday by the death of two figures who had a prominent impact on the game of football.

 

Willis was the anchor in the middle of the five-man front of the Cleveland Browns dynastic teams of the 1940s and 50s. He was also a pioneer in race relations, as Ohio State’s first black All-American and one of the first black players during the reintegration of pro football in the 1940s, joining the Browns in 1946, a year before Jackie Robinson famously broke the color barrier in baseball. He was 86.

 

NFL.com has a brief story here.

 

His Hall of Fame bio can be found here.

 

The Cold, Hard Football Facts also wrote about Willis during our first look at bias in the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection process a couple years ago. He remains the only nose tackle (or "middle guard" in his era) in the HOF.

The name Dr. Cade might not ring a bell, but his creation is familiar to most Americans: Cade is the former University of Florida doctor who created Gatorade in the 1960s. He was 80.

 

The University of Florida has the story here.

 

Among the many interesting notes: UF has generated $150 million in royalties through the sales of the drink.

 

Also, the story talks about the international publicity Gatorade received in 1966. You wonder what kind of impact this publicity had on the Heisman Trophy voting that year, when quarterback Steve Spurrier became the first Florida player to win the award.