Elizabeth Merrill Archive
- Senior writer for ESPN.com
- Formerly at "The Kansas City Star" and "The Omaha World-Herald"
Merrill: From Boston to OKC, a race is finished
Two weeks after the Boston Marathon bombing, runners came to the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon -- to run, to remember and to finish.
Apr 29 11:29 AM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
NFL draft: Tales from the green room
There are plenty of reasons NFL draft prospects avoid coming to New York to sit in the green room to wait ... and wait ... and wait.
Apr 27 10:54 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Joe Andruzzi: Marathon became 'mayhem'
Former New England Patriots offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi and Matt Chatham helped victims of bombing.
Apr 17 2:58 AM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
NFL Hot Read: Who's laughing now? Garrett Gilkey
The NFL draft prospect out of Chadron State spent his childhood in fear of his classmates. Now, he's ready to deliver an anti-bullying message to kids.
Mar 27 2:19 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Josh Jones still at the heart of Creighton's success
A serious heart condition forced the fifth-year senior to stop playing basketball, but he remains committed to making the most out of his situation.
Mar 12 10:47 AM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Merrill: The dreaded Super Bowl distractions
This is the Super Bowl, the most serious week of players' lives. This also is New Orleans, a city that oozes temptation.
Feb 1 2:44 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Merrill: Justin Smith just does his job
Justin Smith is one of the most important players on the San Francisco 49ers' vaunted defense, but he prefers to remain in the background. When his teammates are getting sacks, it means Smith is doing his job.
Jan 30 8:19 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Merrill: Ray Lewis, do you believe?
Ray Lewis is going back to the Super Bowl, ending his 17-year football career on the biggest stage, and it's either captivating or nauseating. There is no in-between.
Jan 28 8:00 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Tom Brady through the eyes of his backups
Being a backup for the New England quarterback is one of the toughest jobs in the NFL
Jan 22 1:31 AM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
No second chance for Lee Evans, Billy Cundiff
Sunday night, the Baltimore Ravens will face the Patriots in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game for 2011. They get a second chance. Lee Evans and Billy Cundiff won't.
Jan 16 5:33 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Where did things go wrong for McKinley, Murdock?
They arrived at South Carolina on the same day, irrepressible wide receivers with ungodly physical skills, ready to take over the world of college football and, soon enough, the NFL. But then their lives and dreams began to go incomprehensibly wrong.
Dec 18 6:30 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Merrill: Kansas City copes with loss
Anyone in Kansas City will tell you that winning and losing aren't in the same stratosphere as life and death. But they'll also concede that this, the 50th year of Chiefs football, has been one of the most challenging seasons in franchise history.
Dec 5 3:09 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
The Mag: Tide's Eddie Lacy heads home
Eddie Lacy was born on the Bayou, but the trip he made to Death Valley on Nov. 3 was no homecoming, writes Elizabeth Merrill in ESPN The Magazine.
Nov 14 | By Elizabeth Merrill
Matt Schaub plays it close to the vest
Texans QB Matt Schaub is closing in on 20,000 career passing yards, is 10-1 in his past 11 starts and has a tendency to roll his eyes a bit when someone asks him if he's becoming one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks.
Oct 25 10:25 AM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
J.J. Watt -- Mayberry and mayhem
Family helps Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt stay grounded
Oct 28 4:20 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Merrill: The true measure of Russell Wilson
Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson is defying the prototype. He's measured by more than just height.
Sep 20 3:27 AM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Calvin Johnson is magic on Sundays
Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson makes us believe in the magic of Sundays
Aug 22 12:12 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Former youth baseball player shares story of recovery from sexual abuse
Former Minnesota Little Gophers baseball player David Wiser has a message for the young men abused by Jerry Sandusky and other victims of sexual abuse: You can survive and thrive -- and live a rich and rewarding life.
Jul 18 10:05 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Former Saints DC Williams: 'I will coach again'
Gregg Williams, suspended indefinitely for his role in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal, said Friday that he hasn't communicated with commissioner Roger Goodell in months but that he does not plan on being in coaching exile forever.
Jul 13 9:17 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
KC Royals fans are 'tired of waiting'
The Kansas City Royals have not been back to the postseason since the 1985 World Series. It's the longest drought in baseball. Yet here they are, their city hosting the MLB All-Star Game. Fair, or foul?
Aug 20 6:16 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Town mourns loss of high school coaches
Zane Harvey and Anthony Blum fondly remembered for doing what they loved: coaching high school sports in Broken Bow, Neb.
Jun 19 12:31 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
The tragedies of the 1994 Chargers
With Junior Seau's death last week, eight players from the 1994 San Diego Chargers Super Bowl team have now died, all under the age of 45. One of them, Doug Miller, was struck by lightning -- twice.
May 8 3:34 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
- More Sports
Players lean on their women at NFL draft
At the NFL draft, wives, mothers and daughters provide love and support to the young men waiting anxiously to be chosen.
Apr 27 3:50 PM ET | By Elizabeth Merrill
Columnists
Mechelle Voepel
- Voepel: Cambage's return to WNBA brings tempered expectations
(05/16/2013) - Voepel: Minnesota's Moore as motivated as ever
(05/13/2013)
Michelle Smith
- Smith: Mercury have pieces in place to succeed
(05/15/2013) - Smith: Sports moms personify victory, defeat
(05/10/2013)
Sarah Spain
- TWSS: Realignment makes Wings-Hawks series special
(05/15/2013) - Spain: Elena Delle Donne making Chicago her home
(05/15/2013)
Jane McManus
- McManus: Firing highlights double standard
(05/10/2013) - McManus: Frances open doors in Azerbaijan
(05/03/2013)
Graham Hays
- Hays: 5 questions heading into super regionals
(05/19/2013) - Hays: Super regional surprises may be in store
(05/18/2013)
