to a fast start before fading. Its something that was lacking most of

LONDON -- Nico Rosberg retired from Formula One at age 31 Friday, a startling announcement that came five days after winning his first drivers championship.Some other sports stars who retired at a young age:---BJORN BORG (TENNIS)Borg retired at the beginning of 1983 at 26. One of the greatest tennis players, the Swede won Wimbledon five times in a row and also captured six French Open titles.Borg failed to win the US Open in 10 tries, losing four finals -- 1976 and 1978 to Jimmy Connors, and 1980 and 1981 to McEnroe.He played only one tournament in 1982, reaching the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo, before announcing he was quitting the game.---ROCKY MARCIANO (BOXING)Marciano had been the world heavyweight champion for four years and won all 49 of his fights -- 43 by knockout -- when he retired in 1956 at the age of 32. The American wanted to spend more time with his family.He died 13 years later in a plane crash.Marciano, nicknamed the Brockton Blockbuster, remains the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated.---SANDY KOUFAX (BASEBALL)Koufax was baseballs most dominant pitcher when he played his final game in 1966. Though he was only 30, his left elbow was ravaged by arthritis.Koufax had a career-high 27 wins for the Dodgers that last season. He also led baseball in ERA, strikeouts and innings while tossing 27 complete games.A three-time Cy Young winner and two-time World Series MVP, he was an All-Star his last six seasons. Known for his sharp curve and pinpoint fastball, Koufax became baseballs youngest Hall of Famer when he was elected at 36 in 1972.Koufax avoided the spotlight for years after leaving the game, but has been more active recently.---JIM BROWN (FOOTBALL)Brown was the top runner in NFL history when he walked away. His last carry came in the 1965 championship game at age 29, capping an MVP season for the Cleveland Browns.Still considered by many the best and most rugged rusher ever, Brown abruptly retired in the summer of 1966 while on the set of The Dirty Dozen. He had a main part in the popular movie and when filming lagged on, the Browns objected to the idea of him missing the start of training camp.Brown ran for 12,312 yards and scored 106 touchdowns, and the led the league in rushing for eight of his nine pro seasons.The Hall of Famer went to an acting career and is still involved with the Browns as an adviser.---BARRY SANDERS (FOOTBALL)Sanders reeled off dazzling runs for a decade with the Detroit Lions before his surprising retirement at 31. He gained nearly 1,500 yards in 1998 and was nearing the NFLs all-time record when he simply said he was done.My desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to remain in it, he said in a statement faxed to his hometown newspaper in Wichita, Kansas.Sanders was in the middle of a long-term contract and healthy when he left. A Pro Bowler in all 10 of his seasons, he was later elected to the Hall of Fame.---BOBBY JONES (GOLF)Considered the greatest amateur in golf, Bobby Jones capped off his career when he captured the Grand Slam in 1930 by winning the British Open, British Amateur, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur. He was treated to a ticker-tape parade in New York.And then he retired at age 28. He described championship golf as a cage.First you are expected to get into it, and then you are expected to stay there, he said. But of course, nobody can stay there.Jones co-founded Augusta National Golf Club, and played the Masters more as a ceremonial figure over the next 12 years.---MARCO VAN BASTEN (SOCCER)Van Basten won three Ballon dOr titles and two European Cups as well as the European Championship with the Netherlands in a glittering career that was cut short by injury at age 28.He also helped Ajax to three Dutch titles and Milan to four Italian league A trophies.Milans Champions League final defeat to Marseille in 1993 would be his final match due to persistent ankle problems that forced his retirement two years later.Van Basten went on to a career in management, coaching Ajax and the Netherlands among others.---LORENA OCHOA (GOLF)Ochoa was the top-ranked female player when she announced her retirement in 2010 at 28, putting aside golf so she could start a family. Coming two years after the retirement of Annika Sorenstam at 37, the LPGA was robbed of another of its biggest names.Ochoa was probably the best-known athlete in Mexico who was not a soccer player, winning 27 LPGA titles and two majors -- the Womens British Open in 2007 and the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2008.Ochoa gave birth to her first child 20 months after retiring.---JUSTINE HENIN (TENNIS)The seven-time Grand Slam winner was still No. 1 in the WTA rankings when she shocked tennis in 2008 with her retirement at 25.She said she had lost the desire to train and wanted to rediscover the small pleasures of life.Before Henin, no reigning No. 1 had retired from the womens game.But the break did not last long. The 2004 Olympic champion returned 20 months later and reached the 2010 Australian Open final. She retired for good in January 2011 because of a lingering elbow injury. Bryan Rust Jersey . 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"Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. BOSTON -- Boston College coach Jim Christian saw his team play very well with the game tight in the closing minutes.Its something that was rare for the Eagles last season.Jerome Robinson scored a career-high 24 points, Ky Bowman had 14 and Boston College beat Towson 80-70 on Tuesday night for its third consecutive victory.The Tigers had just grabbed a 57-56 edge on John Davis hook in the lane with 8:35 to play. Christian called timeout and was pleased with what he saw.I was proud of our guys when they took the lead with that timeout, he said. There wasnt any heads down. There was just talk about what they needed to do to fix the defense and they did it.Connar Tava scored 13 points and Jordan Chatman added 10 points for the Eagles (3-1).Mike Morsell led the Tigers (2-2) with 24 points. Amaud William Adala Moto had 18 before fouling out in the final minute.Neither team held more than a two-possession lead for over 15 minutes until BC went on an 8-0 spree, pushing it to 74-65 with 53 seconds to play.We tried to make some hero plays, Towson coach Pat Skerry said. We did some things that we must get better at to be honest with you.Tavas basket in the lane pushed BC up 68-65. Nik Popovic hit a jumper before Bowman sealed it with four free throws.They took the lead and we didnt back down, BC forward A.J. Turner said. We didnt let that affect us. We just fought right back.The Eagles led 45-27 at halftime.BC used an 11-3 spree to pull ahead 33-20 in the first half, with Robinsons 3-pointer from the top capping the run. Chapman also had a pair of 3s -- one from each side of the court -- coming 1:32 apart.BIG PICTURETowson: The Tigers looked a little flat at thee start and played very soft defensively, giving BC numerous easy looks before they clamped down over the final 20 minutes.dddddddddddd.Give them credit. They were more ready to play than us, Skerry said. We just didnt play Towson basketball. We let an opportunity slip. We didnt guard. We historically guard and rebound. We didnt do either one of them well enough tonight.Boston College: For the second straight game the Eagles showed immediate confidence, played with poise and got off to a fast start before fading. Its something that was lacking most of entire games last season and likely shows a team thats maturing.Were starting to gain confidence, Christian said. Theyre starting to see when we execute things work.POUND THE GLASSBC owned a 36-26 rebounding edge, collecting 10 on the offensive glass.The one thing thats happened the last two games is weve rebounded the ball, Christian said. I think theyre understanding that if we do these certain things weve got a chance to win the game.Tava led the way with eight boards.PERFECTThe Eagles were 20 for 20 from the free throw line in the second half.SLOWER PACEBoth teams tightened up defensively in the second half after an up-and-down, wide-open first, causing longer possessions and a much slower pace.It also slowed things when BC switched to a zone defense for about five minutes late in the half, forcing Towson to move the ball around the perimeter.UP NEXTTowson: Faces Stony Brook in the Barclays Classic on Friday.Boston College: Plays Kansas State Friday at the Barclays Center. ' ' '