CHANDLER, Okla. -- James Jimbo Elrod, an All-American defensive end who played on Oklahomas 1974 and 1975 national championship teams, died in a car wreck Monday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said. He was 62.The single-vehicle crash happened at about 3:45 a.m. on Interstate 44 near Chandler, about 60 miles southwest of Tulsa. The patrol said Elrod was killed after his 2015 Lexus struck a guardrail, ejecting him through the vehicles sun roof. A preliminary report says Elrod was not wearing a seatbelt and that a passenger was taken to an Oklahoma City hospital in serious condition. According to the school, the passenger was his wife, Diana.This is a very sad day for the OU football family, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. Jimbo was an All-American player and person, a great friend of our program who loved his Sooners. He was a true joy to be around, and we will miss him dearly. We wish Diana the absolute best in her recovery and are praying for Jimbos entire family on this extremely difficult day.Elrod was also a member of Oklahomas 1974 national champion wrestling team.Great wrestler and a great football player, said Barry Switzer, who coached those championship football teams. Wrestling is what made Jimbo such a great football player. It gave him great upper-body strength and quickness. He could really run. He was a tenacious player and a competitor. He was really good and he was a member of a great group at Oklahoma.Elrod played three years in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and one with the Houston Oilers.In his younger days, he left quite an impression when he walked into the room.Jimbo has always been an 18-year-old guy to me because thats what he was when I signed him, Switzer said. He always had movie-star looks and a lot of hair. I was always jealous of his hair. Everybody was.Its the second fatal crash this year in Oklahoma involving a football standout. In October, former NFL defensive lineman Dennis Byrd died in a two-vehicle wreck on an Oklahoma highway.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. Stitched Soccer Jerseys Ireland . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Soccer Jerseys Ireland Outlet .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. http://www.cheapsoccerjerseysireland.com/ . PAUL, Minn. Cheapest Soccer Jerseys Ireland . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Clearance Soccer Jerseys Ireland . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. INDIANAPOLIS -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not race again this month because of concussion-like symptoms and the No. 88 car will be turned over to trusted former teammate Jeff Gordon for the next two weeks.Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that Earnhardt has not yet been cleared to drive by doctors and will miss Sundays Brickyard 400 as well as next weekends race at Pocono. NASCARs most popular driver has been battling balance issues and nausea since a July 2 crash at Daytona.Earnhardt pulled himself out of the car last weekend in New Hampshire and was replaced by Alex Bowman. After another medical evaluation Tuesday in Pittsburgh, doctors told Earnhardt to take more time off.Our focus is giving Dale all the time he needs to recover, team owner Rick Hendrick said. Theres nothing we want more than to see him back in the race car, but well continue to listen to the doctors and follow their lead. Whats best for Dale is whats best for Hendrick Motorsports and everyone involved with the team. Were all proud of him and looking forward to having him racing soon.While retirement talk for the 41-year-old Earnhardt might be premature, his history of concussions is clearly a concern. He had two in a six-week span in 2012 and missed two races. The latest symptoms surfaced after a mid-June crash at Michigan International Speedway and the wreck at Daytona. Earnhardt said he felt steadily worse, believing it was allergies at first. A neurological specialist later confirmed Earnhardt had sustained a head injury.Ive struggled with my balance over the last four or five days, and I definitely wouldnt have been able to drive a race car this weekend, Earnhardt told fans in a recording made Sunday night. I made the decision I had to make.A team spokeswoman said Earnhardt will not take questions this week or next and that Gordon is not expected to speak publicly until Friday in Indy.The move comes at a time that Hendricks powerhouse team has been out of sync. Its drivers have been shut out of the top three finishing spots in four consecutive races. Hendrick is now turning to Gordon, the four-time NASCAR champion who retired at the end of last season. Hes a five-time winner at the Brickyard, which has struggled with sluggish ticket sales in the lead up to Sundays race at a track that is just a short drive awayy from his childhood home in Pittsboro, Indiana.ddddddddddddGordon has not competed since retiring after the 2015 season finale.Brickyard organizers had billed last years race as Gordons last ride on his home track. They were wrong.The 44-year-old Gordon will get one more chance to become the first driver to reach victory lane six times at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He also counts a record six wins at Pocono among his 93 career Cup victories, all with Hendricks team.Jeffs a team player, Hendrick said. I know hell be ready, and I know Dale has incredible trust in him. Its going to be an emotional weekend (at Indianapolis) with Dale not being there and seeing Jeff back behind the wheel. (Crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the team did a great job at New Hampshire, and they have the full support of our organization.Gordon steps into Earnhardts No. 88 Chevrolet at a time when Axalta, a longtime primary sponsor of Gordons, is scheduled to sponsor four of the next five races for Earnhardt. He will be racing against his much more familiar No. 24 car, which Chase Elliott drives.That will be a really weird feeling because the only car he ever drove was the 24, Fox Sports commentator and three-time Cup champ Darrell Waltrip said Wednesday. To climb in another car and compete against your old car -- I cant imagine what that must feel like, but its probably one of those surreal, out-of-body experiences.Not having Earnhardt in Sundays starting lineup also will be odd. The North Carolina resident has started every Brickyard since 2000.But even without one of NASCARs top drivers, Indiana fans will have two storied drivers to watch -- Gordons comeback and what is supposed to be Tony Stewarts grand finale on his home track. Stewart, a three-time Cup champ and two-time Brickyard winner, plans to retire at the end of this season.We wish the circumstances were different, but were thrilled anytime we see Jeff Gordon on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and know our fans will love seeing him race again, speedway President Doug Boles said. Between Jeff making a return visit and Tony Stewart making his final Brickyard start, this will be a legendary weekend for Hoosier race fans at IMS! ' ' '