Off the wire

— FOOTBALL Cowboys bring in Kiffin The Dallas Cowboys hired former Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin as the replacement for Rob Ryan on Friday. The team announced the move on its website a day after the 72-year-old Kiffin was at team headquarters to interview with Coach Jason Garrett and owner Jerry Jones. The hiring of Kiffin means the Cowboys will switch back to the 4-3 defense after going to the 3-4 under Bill Parcells in 2005. Kiffin hasn’t coachedin the NFL since ending a 13-year run in Tampa, Fla., in 2008. He spent the past four years coaching in college with his son, Lane Kiffin, at Tennessee and Southern California. At Tampa, Kiffin’s defenses frequently wereamong the league’s best, and the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl with him after the 2002 season. That unit was the first in the league since the champion Chicago Bears in 1985 to lead the NFL in total defense, points allowed and interceptions. Ryan was fired Tuesday after two seasons.

Alabama tailback Eddie Lacy, cornerback Dee Milliner and right tackle D.J. Fluker are entering the NFL Draft after helping lead the Crimson Tide to a second consecutive national title. Lacy and Milliner announced their plans to skip their senior seasons Friday at a news conference. Fluker couldn’t be there for the announcement because he was traveling. Milliner was a unanimous All-American after recording two interceptions and 22 pass deflections. Lacy was MVP of the national championship game against Notre Dame after rushing for 140 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He ran for 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry in 2012. The 6-6, 335-pound Fluker started 35 games for the Tide and was a second-team Associated Press All-American.

Single-season sacks leader Michael Strahan and two players who tried to block him are among 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Strahan, who had 22 1/2 sacks in 2001 and 141 1/2 for his 15-year his career with the New YorkGiants, is joined by offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden of the Baltimore Ravens and guard-tackle Larry Allen of the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. The fourth firstyear eligible to make the cut is defensive tackle Warren Sapp of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders. Strahan, Ogden, Allen and Sapp all won Super Bowls. The hall announced Friday that the other finalists are running back Jerome Bettis; receivers Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Andre Reed; LB-DEs Charles Haley and Kevin Greene; guard Will Shields; defensive back Aeneas Williams; coach Bill Parcells, and former owners Edward DeBartolo Jr. of the 49ers and the late Art Modell of the Cleveland Browns, who moved to Baltimore in 1996 to become the Ravens. The two senior nominees are defensive tackle Curley Culp - who played for Kansas City, Houston and Detroit - and linebacker Dave Robinson of Green Bay and Washington. Between four and seven new members will be selected Feb. 2, theday before the Super Bowl, in New Orleans.

Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen has hired two defensive assistant coaches. The school announced on Friday that David Turner will be in charge of the defensive line while two-time Super Bowl winner Deshea Townsend will lead the cornerbacks. Turner returns to Mississippi State, where he coached the defensive line from 2007-09. He has spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Kentucky and has 13 years of experience in the SEC. Townsend is a Batesville, Miss., native, who was a four-year starter at defensive back for Alabama before a 13-year NFL career that includes two Super Bowl victories with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has spent the past two seasons on the Arizona Cardinals’ coaching staff.

UCLA Coach Jim Mora has agreed to a one-year contract extension through 2017 after revitalizing the Bruins in his debut season. Mora led UCLA to nine victories, the Pacific-12 South title and a Holiday Bowl berth after replacing Rick Neuheisel.

New Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid announced Friday that former Philadelphia Eagles assistant Doug Pederson would be his offensive coordinator and longtime New York Jets assistant Bob Sutton the defensive coordinator.Reid announced that Matt Nagy will coach the Chiefs’ quarterbacks after two seasons as the Eagles’ offensive quality control coach. Eric Bieniemy will work with running backs, Tom Melvin the tight ends, and David Culley will be an assistant head coach and work with wide receivers.

BASKETBALL Camby out 2-4 weeks

New York Knicks big man Marcus Camby is expected to miss two to four weeks because of an injured left foot. The Knicks said Friday that Camby had a magnetic resonance imaging which revealed a strained left plantar fascia. He was hurt Thursday in a loss at Indiana. The 38-year-old Camby missed much of the early season with the injury, but had recently moved into the starting lineup at power forward for the short-handed Knicks.

BASEBALL

Fukudome back in Japan

Former major league outfielder Kosuke Fukudome has returned to Japan where he will play for the Hanshin Tigers of the Central League. The 35-year-old signed a three-year deal with the Tigers after spending five seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. Fukudome gave up plans to return to the majors after being released by the New York Yankees’ Class AAA affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at the end of the 2012 season.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley has been charged with abusing his estranged wife and faces up to 13 years in jail if convicted, Los Angeles prosecutors announced Friday. Bradley, 34, was charged Thursday with 13 misdemeanor counts of assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and dissuading a witness from making a report. In addition to jail time, Bradley could face up to $13,000 in fines and restitution if convicted. He remained free pending a scheduled Jan. 24 arraignment. Prosecutors contend that Bradley threatened and attacked his wife five times in 2011 and 2012. He was twice arrested at the home in 2011. The couple, who have two children, are separated and in the middle of a contentious divorce. Bradley has been a free agent since the Mariners released him in 2011.

TENNIS Radwanska wins title

Agnieszka Radwanska claimed back-to-back WTA titles by dispatching Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-0, 6-0 in the Sydney International final Friday. In the men’s bracket, Kevin Anderson of South Africa beat Julien Benneteau of France 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) in a match between players separated by a single ranking point to reach the men’s final. He moved on to face Australia’s Bernard Tomic, who beat third-seeded Andreas Seppi 7-6 (8), 6-4 to reach his first ATP Tour final.

Top seed David Ferrer beat second-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (5), 6-1 to win the Heineken Open title in Auckland, New Zealand, for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall.

GOLF Henley takes lead

Rookie Russell Henley moved into the lead of the Sony Open with his second consecutive 63 Friday in Honolulu. After having just one bogey Thursday, Henley put up seven birdies and no bogeys for a 14-under-par 126. He’s two shots in front of Scott Langley, who followed a 62 with a 66 Friday, and Scott Piercy. Matt Kuchar is another stroke back at 129. Scott Gardiner (Farmington) is six strokes out of the lead after a 64. He had an eagle on the ninth hole and seven birdies to offset a bogey and double bogey. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 68 with six birdies, a bogey and a double bogey and is at 137. John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks) is another stroke back after a 68 with five birdies and three bogeys. Tag Ridings (Razorbacks) shot a 71 with two birdies and three bogeys and is at 139, and Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) shto a 73 with three birdies and six bogeys and is at 141.

Louis Oosthuizen made a long birdie putt at the final green to take a one-shot lead after the second round of the Volvo Champions in Durban, South Africa. Oosthuizen had an 8-under-par 64 Friday on a rain-softened Durban Country Club course for a 12-under 132 total, one shot ahead of Scotland’s Scott Jamieson (64) and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee (68).

Sports, Pages 20 on 01/12/2013

Upcoming Events