Jaguars Decide on Coughlin

Boston College Coach Tom Coughlin will become the coach and director of football operations for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

The expansion club has called a news conference for this afternoon, although Jaguar president David Selden would not confirm the hiring.

However, Chet Gladchuk, Boston College’s athletic director, said Coughlin made the decision Sunday.

Coughlin was 21-13-1 at Boston College in three years, taking the Eagles to bowl games the last two years. He went 4-7 in his first season after succeeding Jack Bicknell. Coughlin’s biggest victory, by 41-39, cost Notre Dame last season’s national championship.

Pro Basketball

The Detroit Pistons traded center Olden Polynice to the Sacramento Kings for center Pete Chilcutt and a first-round pick. The trade came a day after the Pistons rejected trading Polynice and forward David Wood to the Kings for center Duane Causwell. The Pistons said Causwell failed a physical examination because of a “pre-existing condition.”

Christian Laettner was suspended for today’s game after being ejected from the Minnesota Timberwolves’ practice after a heated exchange with assistant coach Bob Weinhauer.

Miscellany

Michael Chang beat Paul Haarhuis, 6-3, 6-2, to win the U.S. Indoor title in Philadelphia. . . . Top-seeded Martina Navratilova beat Julie Halard of France, 7-5, 6-3, to win the Paris Women’s Open. The victory extended Navratilova’s record of singles titles to 167.

Pitchers Dave Stewart and Todd Stottlemyre of the World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays were arrested in Tampa, Fla., after allegedly scuffling with police outside a nightclub.

Ireland’s Eamonn Coghlan ran the mile in 3 minutes 58.15 seconds to become the first man over 40 to run a mile in less than four minutes. Coghlan’s performance came at Harvard’s Albert E. Gordon track in Boston. Coghlan, 41, broke his Masters indoor mile record of 4:01.39.

Cory McClenathan (top fuel), John Force (funny cars) and Scott Geoffrion (pro stock) won titles at the Ford Quality Care Nationals at Chandler, Ariz.

Four months before the World Cup, Saudi Arabia has fired Dutch soccer coach Leo Beenhakker, saying his style was not appropriate for the team.

Tommy Morrison stopped Tui Toia with a third-round knockout in a heavyweight bout at Biloxi, Miss.