USC’s Maualuga wins Bednarik Award

USC linebacker Rey Maualuga won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player at the college football awards Thursday night at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Maualuga beat out James Laurinaitis of Ohio State and Aaron Maybin of Penn State.

Maualuga and safety Taylor Mays of USC were named to the Walter Camp All-American team. The Trojans resume practice today and also will work out Saturday and Sunday in preparation for the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

Heisman Trophy finalists Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow were also award winners Thursday night. Florida’s Tebow won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best all-around player for the second consecutive year.

Oklahoma’s Bradford won the Davey O’Brien Award, beating out Texas’ McCoy and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell as top quarterback.

McCoy was the Walter Camp player of the year, leading the All-American team.

Michael Crabtree, a Texas Tech sophomore, won his second straight Biletnikoff Award for best wide receiver. Crabtree caught 18 touchdown passes this year, and has 93 receptions for 1,135 yards. He made the last-second, game-winning touchdown catch against Texas.

Shonn Greene of Iowa won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back, finishing ahead of Knowshon Moreno of Georgia and Javon Ringer of Michigan State.

The Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) was won by Andre Smith of Alabama.

The Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back) went to Malcolm Jenkins of Ohio State. He finished ahead of Eric Berry (Tennessee) and Mays.

Nick Saban was selected coach of the year after leading Alabama to a 12-1 record.

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Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs agreed to pay the $5.08-million buyout to Tommy Tuberville even though the coach quit. Under the contract, Auburn was required to pay Tuberville millions to purchase the remainder of his deal if he were fired. The school was under no obligation to pay if he quit. . . . East Carolina Coach Skip Holtz says he has withdrawn his name from consideration to become the head coach at Syracuse. . . . Alcorn State Coach Ernest T. Jones was fired days after filing a lawsuit seeking the reinstatement of seven assistant coaches, his attorney said. . . . Arizona Coach Mike Stoops said linebacker Sterling Lewis would be suspended for the Las Vegas Bowl after being arrested on an extreme DUI charge.

GOLF

Sorenstam shoots 70 in final event

Annika Sorenstam started the final tournament of her career with a two-under-par 70, four shots off the lead at the Dubai Ladies Masters in the United Arab Emirates.

Johanna Head of England opened with a bogey-free 66 to lead Anja Monke of Germany by two shots.

Sorenstam started with three birdies in her first four holes before dropping a shot on the 14th. On the par-five 18th, her third shot to the green spun back into the water hazard guarding the front of the green.

“I got off to a tremendous start,” Sorenstam said. “Played well for about 14 holes and collapsed on the other four, which is a bummer when you feel so good about something and then you come in with such a terrible finish.”

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As expected, Corey Pavin was named captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2010.

Pavin, who has 15 PGA Tour victories and won the 1995 U.S. Open, played in three Ryder Cups with an 8-5-0 record. The 49-year-old takes over for Paul Azinger, who helped the U.S. end a decade of European dominance at the Ryder Cup with a victory in September at Valhalla in Kentucky.

Pavin said he doesn’t expect his new role to reduce his playing schedule on the PGA Tour next year.

ETC.

Davenport eyes Australian Open

Former top-ranked tennis player Lindsay Davenport will continue her career at the Australian Open in January, the Australian Associated Press reported. Davenport, 32, hasn’t played a match since she lost to Marion Bartoli of France in the third round of the U.S. Open in August. The 2000 Australian Open champion told reporters after that match she didn’t know if she would return to the tour. . . . It would cost nearly $4.7 billion to stage the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics in Chicago, bid organizers estimate, making it a bargain when compared with the ballooning budget for the 2012 London Games. London now estimates the overall cost will be about $16.5 billion, three times the original estimate. . . . Nick Nickson, radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Kings since 1980, has been voted into the Hall of Fame of the Southern California Sports Broadcasters. He will be inducted Jan. 26 at the SCSB’s annual awards luncheon at the Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake. Also that day, The Times’ Eric Sondheimer will receive the Prep Award.

Sergio Medina said he was lying when he claimed death threats forced him to throw his World Boxing Organization super-bantamweight title bout against Juan Manuel Lopez last week. “I lied, now I ask forgiveness. I think my career has ended,” said Medina, whose loss Saturday to Lopez in Las Vegas was his second defeat in 35 fights. . . . Joseph Agbeko earned a 12-round majority decision over William Gonzalez to retain his International Boxing Federation bantamweight title at Newark, N.J. . . . Chris “Flash” Richardson, a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, died in his sleep while on tour in Japan, an official with the team said. He was 28. Although the cause of death was not confirmed, Richardson probably died of natural causes, said Globetrotters spokesman Brett Meister.