VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota hired Joe Glenn as its new head football coach.
The 62-year-old Glenn had been living in semi-retirement in Phoenix when he was asked to replace Ed Meierkort as the Coyotes’ coach. Meierkort’s contract was not renewed after eight years.
Glenn, a South Dakota graduate, had most recently been head coach at Wyoming, where he was fired after six years in 2008. Before that he won NCAA Division II national titles at Northern Colorado in 1996 and 1997 and a I-AA crown at Montana in 2001.
• Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, along with Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, Alabama running back Trent Richardson, LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and Wisconsin running back Montee Ball, was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented Saturday night in New York.
• Weber State hired former Louisville and Michigan State coach John L. Smith to replace Ron McBride as its coach. Smith has a career record of 132-86.
• Tulane named New Orleans Saints receivers coach Curtis Johnson to replace coach Bob Toledo.
• Hugh Freeze, who led Arkansas State to the Sun Belt Conference championship, was selected to replace Houston Nutt as Mississippi’s coach.
• Hawaii coach Greg McMackin retired after a disappointing 6-7 season and missing the postseason for the second time in his four years leading the Warriors.
• All-America cornerback Cliff Harris was dismissed from the Oregon Ducks for violating undisclosed team rules.
MLB salaries climbing
DALLAS — The average major-league salary increased 2.7 percent this year to nearly $3.1 million, the largest rise since 2008.
The 913 players on Aug. 31 rosters and disabled lists averaged $3,095,183, the MLB Players Association said in its annual report, up from $3,014,572 last year when the average topped $3 million for the first time. The average should go up next year, with the minimum salary rising from $414,000 to $480,000 under the new labor contract.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers are nearing a deal with pitcher Aaron Harang and have agreed to a $6 million, two-year contract with utilityman Jerry Hairston Jr.
• San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, whose season ended in May after he was hurt in a bruising collision at home plate, will spend some time at first base in 2012.
• Reliever Matt Capps and the Minnesota Twins agreed to a $4.75 million, one-year contract.
• Former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona will replace Bobby Valentine, who succeeded him as Red Sox manager, as an analyst on ESPN.
Footnotes.
Former NHL forward Matthew Barnaby was fired by ESPN as the cable network’s hockey analyst a day after being charged with drunken driving for being found behind the wheel of an SUV that was missing its front tire.
• Former New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard, who died in May of an accidental overdose of alcohol and oxycodone, suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain ailment related to Alzheimer’s disease that is caused by repeated blows to the head, The New York Times reported.
• New Jersey Nets forward Travis Outlaw has a broken right hand and will be out indefinitely.
• Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt and Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski were selected as Sports Illustrated’s sportswoman and sportsman of the year.
• Kurt Busch and Penske Racing parted ways after six bumpy seasons, a split that clouds the former champion’s future in NASCAR.
The Associated Press
