Lurie Buys Eagles for a Reported $185 Million

Movie producer Jeffrey Lurie said Wednesday he will buy the Philadelphia Eagles for a reported $185 million, believed to be the highest price ever paid for a sports franchise.

Lurie, who intends to keep the team in Philadelphia, bought the club from Norman Braman after weeks of negotiations.

The Eagles did not disclose a selling price. However, reports have put the price tag at $185 million, which would eclipse the $173 million that Peter Angelos paid for the Baltimore Orioles last year.

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Art Monk, the NFL’s all-time leading receiver with 888 catches, rejected a contract offer from the Washington Redskins and will leave the team. . . . Warren Moon’s agent began talks with the Minnesota Vikings that could soon end the star quarterback’s 10-year career with the Houston Oilers. . . . The Chicago Bears waived defensive lineman Steve McMichael. . . . The Eagles re-signed quarterback Bubby Brister and acquired defensive end Burt Grossman from the San Diego Chargers for a conditional draft choice.

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Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward spent 45 minutes exhibiting his skills for an array of pro football talent evaluators at Tallahassee, Fla., but he is still undecided on whether he will pursue a career in the NFL or the NBA.

Pro Basketball

George Shinn, owner of the Charlotte Hornets, stopped short of a full vote of confidence for Coach Allan Bristow.

“Allan Bristow was hired to be the coach of the team, and presently, he’s still our coach and will be our coach,” Shinn said.

The NBA all-star team that will compete in this summer’s World Championships will play exhibition games on July 26 in Charlotte, N.C., and July 31 in Oakland.

Clemson center Sharone Wright will forgo his senior season to make himself available for the NBA draft.

Soccer

Referee Arturo Angeles of Temple City was the only American chosen when FIFA announced the 24 referees and 22 linemen for this summer’s World Cup.

Angeles, 41, refereed at the 1993 America Cup, which is the South American championship, as well as at the 1992 Olympics and the 1991 World Under-20 Championship.

Zambia, which lost most of its team last year in a plane crash, advanced to the championship game of the African Nations Cup by defeating Mali, 4-0, at Tunis, Tunisia.

Dallas hotels are cutting the number of rooms they had set aside for this summer’s World Cup.

Spain, a seeded country, plays in Dallas, and 1990 World Cup finalists Germany and Argentina each have one game there, but other nations with games at the Cotton Bowl--Bulgaria, Nigeria and South Korea--aren’t expected to bring many fans along.

Names in the News

Laurent Orsini, the No. 1-ranked tennis player in the NCAA, has been suspended indefinitely for apparently accepting money for winning matches before he enrolled at Mississippi State. . . . Pam Bowers, fired for the second time in a year as women’s basketball coach at Baylor, filed a $4-million federal suit accusing the university of discriminating against women’s athletics and of damaging her reputation. . . . Wayne Gretzky of the Kings and longtime amateur hockey administrator Bob Ridder were designated winners of this year’s Lester Patrick Award for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. . . . Bobby Hofman, an infielder for the New York Giants in the 1950s, died Tuesday night in St. Charles, Mo., at 68. . . . Dick Schultz, who resigned under pressure last year as NCAA executive director, was hired by the Metro Conference as a consultant.

Miscellany

The Bud Light Pro Beach Volleyball Tour stops in Belmont Shores on Saturday and Sunday with the $35,000 Outdoor Products Long Beach Shootout. . . . The 14th annual “Swim With Mike” swim-a-thon, which raises money for physically challenged athletes, will be Saturday, April 16, at USC.