LOS ANGELES — Although Jim Mora hasn’t coached college football in a quarter of a century, the longtime NFL coach has spent the last two years preparing for a chance to go back to school.
UCLA is giving him that opportunity in the hopes this polished pro coach can revitalize a beleaguered college program. Mora, 50, agreed to a five-year, $12 million contract with UCLA on Saturday, replacing Rick Neuheisel as the Bruins’ first football coach in more than 60 years with no ties to the school.
Mora was the coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, going 31-33 over four seasons while reaching one NFC title game. The son of longtime NFL coach Jim Mora is a former University of Washington defensive back who had only one season of college coaching experience at his alma mater in 1984 before beginning a 25-year career in the NFL.
• Texas A&M hired Houston’s Kevin Sumlin as its new football coach. Sumlin, 47, who was an assistant coach at A&M under R.C. Slocum in 2001-02, went 35-17 in four seasons with Houston, and the Cougars routinely ranked as one of the nation’s highest scoring teams.
Donald eyes second money title
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Top-ranked Luke Donald was on the verge of becoming the first golfer to win the European and American money titles, shooting a 6-under-par 66 in the third round at the Dubai World Championship to trail leader Alvaro Quiros by four strokes.
The big-hitting Quiros shot a 70 to total 14-under 202. He led Paul Lawrie (66) by two strokes. Louis Oosthuizien (66) was another shot back.
• PGA champion Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele shot a 10-under 62 in better-ball play to take a one-stroke lead over Mark Calcavecchia and Nick Price in the Franklin Templeton Shootout in Naples, Fla.
Uhlaender on skeleton podium
LA PLAGNE, France — No American woman had reached a World Cup skeleton medals podium in nearly three years until Annie O’Shea took the silver medal and Breckenridge’s Katie Uhlaender won bronze.
Uhlaender is a former two-time World Cup overall champion, but O’Shea is a second-year member of the tour who had never before finished better than seventh. Canada’s Mellisa Hollingsworth won the race.
• Canada’s Patrick Chan won his second consecutive ISU Grand Prix Final skating title in Quebec City.
Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi finished second, and Aspen native Jeremy Abbott finished fifth. Also, Carolina Kostner of Italy won gold in women’s singles and Joshua Farris of Colorado Springs finished third in the junior men’s singles.
• Germany’s Thomas Florschuetz and Kevin Kuske won a World Cup two-man bobsled event, edging Steven Holcomb and Steve Langton of the U.S.
Footnote.
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Andy Sutton has been suspended without pay by the NHL for eight games for charging Carolina’s Alexei Ponikarovsky on Wednesday night.
The Associated Press
