IN BRIEF : West Virginia Coach Honored

West Virginia football coach Don Nehlen today was named winner of the 13th annual Bobby Dodd Award in recognition of “a higher and more noble aspect of college coaching” and “a belief that the game of football should be kept in perspective with college life in general.”

His Mountaineers, unbeaten this year, play Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl next Monday.

Nehlen, 52, a protege of Michigan’s Bo Schembechler, has a 69-35-1 record in nine seasons at West Virginia. Before that he coached nine years at Bowling Green, his alma mater, and was an assistant coach under Schembechler for three years.

This year was the first unbeaten, untied season in the 96-year history of football at West Virginia and the sixth postseason bowl game in Nehlen’s nine years at the school.