Briefs | Vanderbilt coach gives up $100,000 raise to fund team's trip

College basketball

Vanderbilt coach didn't take $100,000 raise: Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings sacrificed a $100,000 pay raise to fund his Commodores' 10-day trip to Australia earlier this month.

Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor David Williams said Monday the coach's decision came in May, when officials were trying to find money for the already planned trip during a time when cuts up to 20 percent were being made around Vanderbilt.

Teams can take overseas trips every four years and raise money through fundraisers, games or donors. The trips cannot be paid for directly by a coach.

"I don't think Kevin meant to be a trailblazer, but he is a trailblazer in this," Williams said.

College football

Sentencing for Collins is Nov. 12: Ex-Nebraska running back Thunder Collins was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges stemming from a September shooting in Omaha that left one man dead and another seriously wounded.

The Douglas County jury also found Collins, 29, guilty of attempted second-degree murder, felony assault and two weapons counts.

Collins faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison for the first-degree murder conviction. He faces up to 170 years on the other counts, said Deputy County Attorney John Alagaban. Sentencing is Nov. 12.

As Collins left the courtroom, he shouted toward the jury of six men and six women: "Are you happy? Are you happy? You know I didn't kill anyone!"

Arizona coach Stoops says he is getting divorced: Arizona coach Mike Stoops is going through a divorce, he announced at a news conference. Stoops, 47, and his wife, Nicole, have two children.

South Carolina's Geathers is suspended: Clifton Geathers, a South Carolina defensive end, has been suspended by coach Steve Spurrier. Geathers, a junior, was arrested for allegedly fighting outside a nightclub and charged with public drunkenness, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, a police spokesman said.

Riley to start for Cal: Kevin Riley will be California's starting quarterback for the Sept. 5 opener against Maryland, coach Jeff Tedford said.

Golf

Jackson leads U.S. Amateur: Tim Jackson, 50, of Germantown, Tenn., shot a 2-under-par 68 to take the first-round lead at the U.S. Amateur in Tulsa, Okla. Stroke play continues at two courses today, with the top 64 after two rounds advancing to match play that starts Wednesday at Southern Hills Country Club.

Washington Huskies golfer Richard Lee of Bellevue was tied for 62nd place at 74 and UW teammate Nick Taylor was tied for 235th at 80.

Andrew Yun of Tacoma shot a 75 and Jarin Todd of Woodinville had a 77.

The 2010 U.S. Amateur will be played at Chambers Bay in University Place.

Woods wins skins game: Top-ranked Tiger Woods earned $230,000 to win the Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge skins game in Verona, N.Y. Woods was Begay's roommate at Stanford.

Tennis

Agassi's autobiography to be available in November: Andre Agassi's autobiography, "OPEN," is to be in stores in November. The winner of eight major singles titles retired from top-level tennis in 2006.

Auto racing

Johnson gives money to schools: Jimmie Johnson, who has won the last three NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, donated $150,000 in grants to four school systems in the Charlotte, N.C., area.

Boxing

Mayweather's car is searched: Police searched boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s Rolls-Royce at his home in the investigation of a shooting outside a Las Vegas skating rink Sunday, authorities said.

Police later said they suspect a man who goes by the name "O.C." in the shooting. Authorities described the man as a "known associate" of Mayweather Promotions.

Mayweather has not been named a suspect; police said he is cooperating in the investigation.

Meanwhile, it was announced a Sept. 19 bout between Mayweather (39-0) and Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1) in Las Vegas will be shown live in about 170 theaters nationwide. The bout also will be shown on pay-per-view television.

Track and field

Rally is planned for South African runner Semenya: South African runner Caster Semenya, who is undergoing gender testing after questions arose about her muscular build and deep voice, returns home to celebrations today. The 18-year-old won the women's 800 meters at the world championships in Berlin.

Semenya is not accused of trying to cheat but of perhaps unknowingly having a medical condition that blurs her gender and gives her an unfair advantage over other female runners.

Horse racing

Rachel Alexandra is set to take on elders: She has dominated races for 3-year-old fillies and also defeated 3-year-old males in the Preakness and the Haskell. Rachel Alexandra's next challenge will come against older males Sept. 5 in the Grade I Woodward Stakes at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., trainer Steve Asmussen said.

No female has won the Woodward, a 1-1/8-mile race that will have its purse raised from $500,000 to $750,000.

Rachel Alexandra has an eight-race winning streak and is the leading contender for North American Horse of the Year.

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