TORONTO -- Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, the former American boxer who became a global champion for the wrongfully convicted after spending almost 20 years in prison for a triple murder he didnt commit, died at his home in Toronto on Sunday. Taijuan Walker Mariners Jersey . He was 76. His long-time friend and co-accused, John Artis, said Carter died in his sleep after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. "Its a big loss to those who are in institutions that have been wrongfully convicted," Artis told The Canadian Press. "He dedicated the remainder of his life, once we were released from prison, to fighting for the cause." Artis quit his job stateside and moved to Toronto to act as Carters caregiver after his friend was diagnosed with cancer nearly three years ago. During the final few months, as Carters health took a turn for the worse, Artis said the man who was immortalized in a Bob Dylan song and a Hollywood film came to grips with the fact that he was dying. "He tried to accomplish as much as he possibly could prior to his passing," Artis said, noting Carters efforts earlier this year to bring about the release of a New York City man incarcerated since 1985 -- the year Carter was freed. "He didnt express very much about his legacy. Thatll be established for itself through the results of his work. Thats primarily what he was concerned about -- his work," Artis said. Born on May 6, 1937, into a family of seven children, Carter struggled with a hereditary speech impediment and was sent to a juvenile reform centre at 12 after an assault. He escaped and joined the Army in 1954, experiencing racial segregation and learning to box while in West Germany. Carter then committed a series of muggings after returning home, spending four years in various state prisons. He began his pro boxing career in 1961. He was fairly short for a middleweight, but his aggression and high punch volume made him effective. Carters life changed forever one summer night in 1966, when two white men and a white woman were gunned down in a New Jersey Bar. Police were searching for what witnesses described as two black men in a white car, and pulled over Carter and Artis a half-hour after the shootings. Though there was no physical evidence linking them to the crime and eyewitnesses at the time of the slayings couldnt identify them as the killers, Carter was convicted along with Artis. Their convictions were overturned in 1975, but both were found guilty a second time in a retrial a year later. After 19 years behind bars, Carter was finally freed in 1985 when a federal judge overturned the second set of convictions, citing a racially biased prosecution. Artis was also exonerated after being earlier paroled in 1981. Carter later moved to Toronto and became the founding executive director of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, which has secured the release of 18 people since 1993. Win Wahrer, a director with the association, remembers Carter as the "voice and the face" of the group. "I think its because of him that we got the credibility that we did get, largely due to him -- he was already a celebrity, people knew who he was," she said. "He suffered along with those who were suffering." Though Carter left the organization in 2005, the phone never stopped ringing with requests for him, Wahrer said. "He was an eloquent speaker, a passionate speaker. I remember the first time I ever heard him I knew I was in the presence of a man that could move mountains just by his presence and his words and his passion for what he believed in," she said. Carter went on to found another advocacy group, Innocence International. "He wanted to bring people together. That was his real purpose in life -- to get people to understand one another and to work together to make changes," said Wahrer. "It was so important for him to make a difference. And I think he did. I think he accomplished what he set out to do." Association lawyer James Lockyer, who has known Carter since they were involved in the wrongful conviction case of Guy Paul Morin, remembered how Carter called him just before sitting down with then-president Bill Clinton for a screening of his 1999 biopic "The Hurricane." The call was to ask for advice on how to bring the U.S. leaders attention to the case of a Canadian woman facing execution in Vietnam. "Even though this was sort of a pinnacle moment of Rubins life -- to sit at the White House with the president and his wife on either side of him watching a film about him -- he wasnt really thinking about himself," said Lockyer. "He was thinking about this poor woman who was sitting on death row in Vietnam that we were trying to save from the firing squad." The film about Carters life starred Denzel Washington, who received an Academy Award nomination for playing the boxer turned prisoner. On Sunday, when told of Carters death, Washington said in a statement: "God bless Rubin Carter and his tireless fight to ensure justice for all." Carters fight continued to the very end. Never letting up even as his body was wracked with cancer, Carter penned an impassioned letter to a New York paper in February calling for the conviction of a man jailed in 1985 to be reviewed -- and reflected on his own mortality in the process. "If I find a heaven after this life, Ill be quite surprised. In my own years on this planet, though, I lived in hell for the first 49 years, and have been in heaven for the past 28 years," he wrote. "To live in a world where truth matters and justice, however late, really happens, that world would be heaven enough for us all." Hisashi Iwakuma Mariners Jersey . - Jason Day and Cameron Tringale shot an 8-under 64 on Friday in modified alternate-shot play to increase their lead to three strokes in the Franklin Templeton Shootout. Taijuan Walker Jersey . Now Arizonas new manager is hoping Yasmany Tomas can have the same effect on the Diamondbacks.The New York Jets stuck with defence. The San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders are giving it a try, too.The Jets hired Arizona defensive co-ordinator Todd Bowles as head coach Wednesday, the 49ers promoted longtime defensive line coach Jim Tomsula, and the Raiders turned to Denver defensive co-ordinator Jack Del Rio.Denver, Atlanta and Chicago still have openings. On Wednesday, John Fox interviewed with Chicago, two days after parting ways with Denver.The 49ers said Tomsula will be formally introduced Thursday at a news conference that comes after a more than two-week search that ended right in house.Tomsula replaces Jim Harbaugh, who parted ways with the 49ers on Dec. 28 in what the team called a mutual decision. Harbaugh was introduced as Michigans coach two days later following a successful four-year stint during which the 49ers reached three straight NFC championship games and a Super Bowl.After conducting a thorough coaching search, and meeting with a number of outstanding candidates, Jim Tomsula clearly is the right man to lead this team, CEO Jed York said in a statement.San Francisco went 8-8 this season and missed the playoffs.The Jets made it official with Bowles, also a top candidate for the Atlanta job, a day after hiring former Houston director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan as general manager. They fired Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik on Dec. 29 following a 4-12 finish.I am confident that Todd and Mike Maccagnan are the right combination to lead this team, Jets owner Woody Johnson said.Bowles, a former NFL defensive back, is the Jets sixth straight defensive-focused head coach and fifth since Johnson took over in 2000, following Bill Parcells, Al Groh, Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini and Ryan.Its an honour and privilege to coach the Jets, Bowles said in a statement. I cant help but be humbled by the chance to coach this team. I am going to do everything I can to build a consistent winner.Bowles from Elizabeth, New Jersey, was the Jets defensive backs coach under Groh in 2000 season. He beat out fiive other candidates who interviewed, including Seattle defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn and former Buffalo coach Doug Marrone. Seattle Mariners Jersey. A person with knowledge of the Del Rios hiring said a deal was agreed to Wednesday, not long after the team told interim coach Tony Sparano he would not get the job. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made.Del Rio, a former NFL linebacker, was the head coach in Jacksonville for nine seasons before spending the past three as Denvers defensive co-ordinator.Sparano was elevated from offensive line coach during the season to replace the fired Dennis Allen. Oakland went 3-9 under Sparano after losing the first four games under Allen.Ryan ended up in Buffalo on Monday and was as brash and bold as ever Wednesday at his first news conference.Is this thing on? Ryan said, tapping the microphone. Because its getting ready to be on.Outlining his objectives, Ryan said the job is his last chance to prove himself. He vowed to build the Bills into a bully and said he has an additional chip on his shoulder after being fired by the Jets.Yes, its personal, he said, about being fired. Its embarrassing.Marrone shocked the Bills by stepping down Dec. 31. The second-year coach opted out of his contract after Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the franchise in October. Ryan made a veiled reference to Marrones departure by saying: This football team deserves a loyal coach.Bowles becomes the fifth black head coach currently in the NFL, joining Pittsburghs Mike Tomlin, Cincinnatis Marvin Lewis, Tampa Bays Lovie Smith and Detroits Jim Caldwell.A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that former Dallas and Buffalo head coach Chan Gailey will be Bowles offensive co-ordinator. Gailey was out of football the last two seasons after being fired as the Bills coach after the 2012 season.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Jets have not announced the hiring.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '