Barry Word, who holds the University of...

Barry Word, who holds the University of Virginia single-season football rushing mark with 1,224 yards and was named Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year in 1985, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of distributing less than an ounce of cocaine.

Word, 22, will be sentenced Oct. 6 and faces a possible 15 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. The New Orleans Saints, who drafted him in the third round, suspended contract negotiations after Word’s agent told the club the charges would be forthcoming.