COLLEGE: McFadden, Tebow win awards
Arkansas’ Darren McFadden was named the 2007 player of the year yesterday by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and won the Doak Walker Award for the second straight year.
Florida QB Tim Tebow won the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards. Penn State linebacker Dan Connor won the Bednarik Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player. LSU’s Glenn Dorsey won the Outland Trophy as best interior lineman. Coach of the year was Kansas’ Mark Mangino.
* Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano reportedly met with Michigan athletic director Bill Martin earlier this week to talk about the Wolverines’ coaching vacancy . . . Coach Jim Grobe will return next season to Wake Forest, having apparently rebuffed an attempt by Arkansas to hire him to replace Houston Nutt . . . LSU coach Les Miles signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Tigers through 2012.
* Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson said last night he would extend his leave of absence through the end of this season, citing undisclosed family matters that require his attention. Assistant coach Kevin O’Neill will continue to serve as interim coach for this season.
GOLF: Masters to televise Par 3 tourney
The Par 3 Contest at the Masters will be televised for the first time and season ticket holders are now allowed to bring one child free of charge, Augusta National announced yesterday. ESPN, which earlier signed a deal to televise the first two rounds of the Masters, will televise the Par 3 Contest April 9 from 3-5 p.m. The Masters will be held April 10-13.
* U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera shot a 4-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Eduardo Romero after the first round of the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.
BOXING: Foreman defeats Tsurkan
Undefeated Yuri Foreman won a 10-round split decision over Andrey Tsurkan to claim the NABF superwelterweight title last night at the Paradise Theater. In a middleweight fight, Sergio Martinez of Spain stopped Russell Jordan of Rochester 59 seconds into the fourth round of the scheduled 10-rounder.