16 Biggest Sports Stories of 2016

16.

Legends Pass Away: Ali, Palmer, Howe

For sports fans, 2016 was a rough year as three legends passed away, Muhammed Ali, Gordie Howe and Arnold Palmer. 

Ali passed away at the age of 74 after being admitted to the hospital on June 2 with a respiratory condition. 

Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome in 1984, a disease that commonly results from head trauma from activities like boxing.

Howe passed away at 88 years old following a storied career in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and in the World Hockey Association. 

Palmer passed away at the age of 87. He had been in deteriorating health since late 2015, with his last public golf shot coming at the 2015 British Open.

15.

The Best Athlete of Al-Time in Every Community

It is the argument for the ages, who is the best athlete from your hometown. GoLocalProv.com tried to end the argument by selecting the best athlete of all-time from each of the 39 cities and towns in Rhode Island. 

The list includes top NBA, NHL top draft picks, and superstars, but also includes brilliant runners from nearly a century ago. 

A players stats, career path, and championships at any level as well as individual honors were all taken into account during the search. 

14.

Which RI College Basketball Coach was the Best Player?

The college basketball scene in Rhode Island is filled with great head coaches and accomplished assistant coaches in each of the Division I programs. But which of those coaches was the best player in college? 

GoLocalProv took a look at the men's basketball coaches and ranked them as college players

The rankings were based on what division they played, the school they played for and most importantly their stats, GoLocal compiled a ranking to find out which coach (assistants included) was the best player.

13.

Warwick North Reaches Little League World Series 

Warwick North defeated Fairfield, Connecticut in the New England Championship and advanced to the Little League World Series. 

Warwick would win one game in Williamsport before being eliminated by Iowa. 

12.

Mount Hockey Coach Bill Belisle Inducted into US Hockey Hall of Fame

Legendary Mount Saint Charles hockey coach Bill Belisle was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. 

At Mount, Belisle has won 990 games and 32 State Championships, including a record streak of 26 straight. 

Belisle began his speech before instructing his son Dave to take over.

See the Speech Below:

Photo: NHL.com

11.

Brown Lax Coach Tiffany Leaves Brown for Virginia 

Just a short time after Brown's run to the Final Four came ot a close, coach Lars Tiffany left the program to become the head coach at Virginia. 

In ten seasons with the Bears, Tiffany led the program to Ivy League regular season titles in 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2016 as well as NCAA Championship berths in 2009, 2015 and 2016. 

Tiffany was named the New England Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2015 and 2016 and earned Ivy League Coach of the Year honors in 2015 and 2016. 

10.

RI Pee Wee Football Team Plays 18-Year-Old Against 12 and 13 Year Olds

A coach for the Capital City Buccaneers youth football team dressed and played an 18-year-old man against 12 and 13 year-olds in a game in the RI Pre-Teen Football League. 

Alexandra Diaz, the founder of the Capital City Buccaneers confirmed the incident to GoLocalProv.com and said she was “totally disgusted by it.” 

GoLocalProv then got an exclusive interview with Diaz days after the team was suspended by the league. 

9.

GoLocalProv Questions URI Head Coach Dan Hurley 

Following a loss to #1 Duke at Mohegan Sun Arena, GoLocalProv questioned Hurley's play calling and coaching in an analysis piece. 

As GoLocal wrote, "the main problem is Danny Hurley wants to whine at the referees more than coach during the game. No doubt the guy can recruit and the players seem to like him, but if Hurley wants to win this year and be that big time coach, he should stop the eye rolling, arm crossing theatrics and focus on the fundamentals."

Following the editorial, the Rams beat Belmont and then lost back-to-back road games to unranked Valparaiso and rival Providence College, knocking them out of the national rankings. 

8.

Ben Bentil Leaves PC for NBA Draft 

Forward Ben Bentil decided to leave Providence College and head for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season. 

Bentil was drafted 51st overall by the Boston Celtics and is currently playing overseas after being waived by Boston and Indiana. 

In his sophomore season, Bentil averaged 21.2 points per game overall and 22.9 points per game in conference play, making him the leading scorer in the Big East. 

7.

Brown Lax's Molloy Wins Tewaaraton Award

Brown Lacrosse star Dylan Molloy was named the winner of the Tewaaraton Award, recognizing him as the top men's college lacrosse player in the country. 

Molloy was named first team all-American and led the country in points (116) and assists (54) while ranking third in the country in goals with 62. 

6.

GoLocalProv's Special Report on URI Football's Losing Legacy and Concussions 

After the URI football program suffered an 84-7 loss, GoLocalProv took a closer look at the football program and the growing issue of concussions in the sport. 

As GoLocalProv wrote, "the University of Rhode Island football team has had a long history of mediocrity. The team has played for more than 120 years, but has only had one winning coach and that was more than a century ago.

After an 84-7 conference loss this year on top of decades of losing seasons, URI's track record -- and the potential threat of concussion-driven litigation -- has one leading national expert questioning why the continued massive investment in football.

But constant losing is just one of the issues.

5.

NCAA Basketball Tournament Comes to Providence 

The first two rounds of the 2016 NCAA Tournament were held at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in March. 

The tournament brought teams such as Baylor, Miami, Yale and Duke as well as Wichita State, Buffalo, Arizona and UNC-Wilmington to Providence for six great games that drew huge crowds and put Providence in the national spotlight. 

4.

Brown Lacrosse Advances to Final Four

The Brown Bears lacrosse team defeated Navy 11-10 in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal and advanced to their first Final Four since 1994. 

In the Final Four, they would lose a heartbreaker to Maryland in overtime. 

3.

PC Basketball Wins a NCAA Tournament Game 

Rodney Bullock converted a layup with just seconds left and the Providence College Friars men's basketball team won their first NCAA Tournament game in 19 years, beating the USC Trojans 70-69 in the first round. 

"Kris and Ben took a lot of the attention away. I guess Drew saw me and made a great play and I just finished it," said Bullock after the game. 

Relive the Play Below 

2.

Tom Brady Serves 4 Game Deflategate Suspension

After months of fighting in court, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady stopped the legal process and served his four-game Deflategate suspension. 

"It has been a challenging 18 months and I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process," Brady said in a statement on Facebook. 

Brady made the decision after his request for a hearing at the Federal Court of Appeals was rejected, meaning his only option left was the Supreme Court. 

1.

Kris Dunn Goes 5th Overall in NBA Draft

Former Providence College star Kris Dunn was selected 5th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2016 NBA Draft in late June. 

Dunn is the first PC player to be drafted in the first round since MarShon Brooks in 2011 and is the first Friar to be drafted in the top 10 since Otis Thorpe was taken 9th overall in 1984. 

Dunn is the 4th PC player to be drafted in the top 5 of the NBA Draft behind Jimmy Walker, Marvin Barnes and Ernie DiGregorio.