Sooner Great Wilkinson Dead at 77

Bud Wilkinson, who won three national championships at Oklahoma and coached the Sooners to an NCAA-record 47 straight victories, died late Wednesday night in St. Louis after a long illness. He was 77.

Wilkinson, a member of the National Football Coaches Hall of Fame, had been in a St. Louis hospital for an extended period of time before returning home this week.

Wilkinson compiled a record of 145-29-4 in 17 seasons at Oklahoma. He won one Big Six title, a dozen Big Seven championships and one Big Eight championship. He later coached the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFL and became a broadcaster for ABC and ESPN.

The football dormitory at Oklahoma is named for Wilkinson, who earned a reputation for class and excellence during his career.

Linebacker Junior Seau of the San Diego Chargers agreed to a contract that makes him the NFL’s second highest-paid defensive player at what sources say is $16.3 million over four years. Green Bay’s Reggie White signed a $17-million, four-year deal last season.

Baseball

The Angels have invited minor league left-hander Andrew Lorraine to their spring-training camp, after learning that starter Joe Magrane will be sidelined at least two months while recovering from arthroscopic elbow surgery.

The Angels also promoted Bob Fontaine to Angel assistant vice president for scouting and player personnel. Fontaine, 40, has been Angel scouting director since 1986.