Jay North, who starred as the towheaded mischief maker on TV's “Dennis the Menace” for four seasons starting in 1959, has died. He was 73.

North died Sunday at his home in Lake Butler, Florida, after battling colon cancer, said Laurie Jacobson, a longtime friend, and Bonnie Vent, who was his booking agent.

“He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with ‘I love you with all my heart,’” Jacobson wrote in a tribute on Facebook.

North was 6 when he was cast as the smiling troublemaker in the CBS sitcom adaptation of Hank Ketcham's popular comic strip that took place in an idyllic American suburb.

Often wearing a striped shirt and overalls, Dennis' mischievous antics frequently frustrated his retired next-door neighbor George Wilson, played by Joseph Kearns. Dennis' patient parents were played by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry.

Dennis The Menace
R.I.P.

“HE’S A DIFFERENT BIRD.” Speaking of Downs, the All-American defensive back received high praise from a College Football Hall of Famer last week.

Login to view embedded media
“He’s a different bird. We’ve known that from the jump. Last year at our golf tournament, him and his dad came and played. He read a book while he played. He’s not a typical kid. This dude is very hyper-focused on what he wants to be—”

“Dialed into greatness,” Pollack’s podcast co-host Brent Rollins interrupted.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s not into the messing around,” Pollack continued. “And then you watch him play and you see that, too. It’s no nonsense. It’s not about the celebrations and the dancing; it’s about winning. He had a big part in why (Ohio State’s national title) happened. He’s been trained, but I think he’s been trained by his daddy super well, and I think he’s been raised unbelievable. He’s got a chip on his shoulder, an edge to him and a brain capacity that’s – he’s just special. He’s one of those guys who’s gonna go in the NFL right away and be great, and he’s gonna be great for a long time and probably have a Hall of Fame career because he’s just that kind of guy.”

Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Still Sees No Separation in Quarterback Battle, Matt Patricia Excited for First Ohio State Spring Game​

Ryan Day​

• On the state of the quarterback competition and what he saw Saturday: "The only thing that was different about Saturday's practice is that the students were there and that the media were there. But what it does make you realize is that every rep matters. ... It's been three guys getting after it across the board, improvement. ... Nobody is much further ahead of the other one."
• Day said it's better to have the challenge of a position battle at quarterback than to have no options. "It's nerve wracking when you don't have a quarterback. ... That's part of the problem, is finding the right one."
• Austin Siereveld is at the point where he could start at guard or tackle, Day said.
• On whether Lincoln Kienholz has a realistic shot to be the starting quarterback this fall. "Absolutely. ... You saw his potential in some of the throws he made. ... We need to see them make routine plays routinely."
• Jeremiah Smith's leadership and versatility are areas where he can improve this offseason. "I think everybody on the team is at a different point. ... For Jeremiah, it's like, 'How do I get that 1% better every day?' ... You're starting to see him come out of his shell a bunch. ... We're gonna increase his route tree. There's a lot of things that he can improve on."
• On freshman wide receiver Quincy Porter losing his black stripe: "He was productive. He made a lot of contested catches. ... He earned it."
• Linebacker Payton Pierce will have a "big impact" in 2025, Day said. "I think Payton Pierce is thriving right now. ... He's a guy that understands football at a high level, he's a great tackler."
• Day took the rare step of making his quarterbacks live during parts of Saturday's practice to give his young room a chance to develop pocket presence and learning when to scramble. "You start to get in a rhythm of practicing as opposed to playing, you get comfortable in the pocket. ... When you're standing there as a quarterback, you know it's live, it's a whole different feel. ... Everybody came out alive."
• Day said he realized about a week and a half into spring practice that Ohio State needed to put the pedal to the floor to get its young players ready. "We need about five more weeks of spring ball. ... It's actually become one of the most physical spring practices we've ever had."
• On the spring game format: "We'll break up offense and defense and the first part of that will be thud. ... Once that happens, after a few drives, we'll get right into it, we'll be tackling."
• On the defensive tackle position: "There's been flashes, but in order for us to play defense like we did last year, but we're going to need those guys to step up more than they have. ... We need these guys to step up in a big way."
• On how he weighs the spring game in the quarterback competition: "It's a piece. I think about quarterbacks' journeys along the way ... it's a process and a journey along the way. So it's hard to make hard and fast decisions, sometimes, with young players."

Matt Patricia​

• Patricia loves the competitive fire in his cornerback room.
• On what he wants to see in the Spring Game: "I'm looking for a lot of things, I'm pretty excited. ... I'm excited to see the fans. ... I think one of the things defensively that we're always trying to practice in these settings is communication. ... Our overall operation, coaching staff, make sure we're coaching well. ... And, of course, we want to see everybody compete."
• On the safety competition between Malik Hartford and Jaylen McClain: "It's a great evaluation now of seeing some deep play, seeing some in-the-box play. ... I'd say both are really shining and showing their skillsets."
• On Pierce: "Everyone's gonna feel Payton Pierce right away. He's gonna come downhill with a physicality that's undeniable."
• Larry Johnson is a big boost to the defensive line development, Patricia said. "I think those guys are working really hard. ... Those guys are blessed to be in that situation to be able to grow from that."
• Multiplicity and better technique are the top areas where he's seen the Buckeyes' defensive linemen grow. "Our pad level has gotten better. ... We've made strides there, hand placement, pad level."
• On Caleb Downs: "Outstanding presence on the football field. ... Really good football player, obviously, but that would be the thing I would say."
• Patricia is going to let offensive personnel, defensive fit and game situations will dictate what formations and personnel packages Ohio State utilizes.
• On Arvell Reese: "He definitely has a diverse skillset, so there's a lot of different things you can do with him at linebacker. ... Moving him around makes it difficult for people to figure out what he's going to do."

Brian Hartline​

.
.
.
continued