Norton Agrees to Five-Year Contract With San Francisco

Dallas Cowboy free-agent linebacker Ken Norton has agreed to a five-year, $8-million contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

A news conference will be held today at the 49ers’ office in Santa Clara to introduce Norton, who led the Cowboys in tackles last year and played on two consecutive Super Bowl championship teams.

“From the start, they let me know that I was their top guy, the guy they wanted,” Norton said. “It’s always nice to be appreciated.”

The agreement will give Norton a $2-million bonus and base salaries of $900,000 this year, $1 million in 1995, $1.3 million in ‘96, $1.4 million in ’97 and $1.4 million in ‘98, according to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

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Jimmy Johnson, his services in demand since his split with the Cowboys last month, is close to a signing with Fox Sports as an NFL commentator. Fox spokesman Vince Wladika said talks are progressing, but a television industry source said an announcement could come as soon as today.

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The Arizona Cardinals released quarterback Timm Rosenbach from his contract so he could sign as a free agent with Hamilton of the Canadian Football League. Rosenbach retired before the 1993 season, saying he wanted to compete in rodeo. He also said he wanted to finish his degree at Washington State.

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Unrestricted free agent Ricky Sanders, a former Washington Redskin wide receiver, agreed to a two-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

Jurisprudence

A Russian accused of threatening Alexander Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres used a fake passport to get into the United States, according to a federal indictment. Serguei Fomitchev was charged by a grand jury with using a false passport and three counts of visa fraud. He already has been accused by state authorities of attempted grand larceny for allegedly threatening to shoot or stab Mogilny if he didn’t pay him $150,000.

Fomitchev helped Mogilny defect from the Soviet Union in 1989 and worked as his agent and interpreter during his first season with the Sabres.

Seattle Seahawk cornerback Patrick Hunter has been sentenced to an additional 10 days in jail and ordered to spend 28 days in an inpatient alcohol treatment program for violating terms of an earlier drunk-driving sentence. Hunter tested above the legal blood-alcohol limit at a probation meeting April 5.

Tonya Harding is serving meals at a senior center, fulfilling the community service requirement of her sentence for her role in the assault on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan. She worked at a low-income senior center in Oregon City.

Antonio Seau, 17, younger brother of San Diego Charger linebacker Junior Seau, was sentenced to 10 years in custody at the California Youth Authority for his role in a gang-related attack in Oceanside that wounded a man.

Miscellany

Twenty-five Chinese athletes, including the world’s top women distance runners, have passed out-of-competition drug tests according to Christopher Winner, spokesman for the International Amateur Athletic Federation. In the third visit by IAAF drug-testers to China this year, four men and 21 women, including Wang Junxia--world record-holder at 3,000 and 10,000 meters--and Qu Yunxia--world record-holder at 1,500 meters, and four men submitted to unannounced tests March 7-8 in Beijing. Their urine samples were sent to Huddinge, Sweden, and all proved negative.

Southwest Conference athletic directors have scheduled an April 29 meeting in Dallas to discuss how to close down the conference, said Wally Groff, Texas A&M; athletic director. . . .Sampdoria of Genoa won the Italian Cup and a berth in next season’s European Cup Winners’ Cup by routing second-division Ancona, 6-1, at Genoa, Italy.

Prize money for the U.S. Open tennis championships will be increased to a record $9,360,100 for this year’s tournament, which begins Aug. 29. The singles title for both men and women will be worth $550,000, an increase of $15,000 from last year. Doubles winners will earn $200,000 per team with mixed doubles first prize set at $46,500.

Names in the News

Karl Benson, Mid-American Conference commissioner, was named as replacement for Joe Kearney as commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference. . . . John Rigas, a cable television executive and president of Adelphia Communications Corp. of Coudersport, Pa., completed a $15-million investment to become one-third owner of the Buffalo Sabres. . . . Brian Earley, two-time NCAA platform champion from Mission Viejo, coasted to the men’s one-meter springboard title in the U.S. Indoor Diving Championships at Minneapolis.