COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Stanford May Hire Former Assistant

Former Stanford assistant coach Tyrone Willingham, now with the Minnesota Vikings, is expected to be named new Cardinal head coach at a news conference today, according to published reports.

The university would not comment on a report in Thursday’s San Francisco Examiner that Willingham, the running backs coach with Minnesota, will replace Bill Walsh, who resigned last week.

“The candidates for the head football coach position at Stanford remain Tyrone Willingham, Terry Shea and Ron Turner,” Stanford Athletic Director Ted Leland said. “I cannot confirm or deny at this time that a candidate has accepted the position.”

Turner is offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears, and Shea is offensive coordinator at Stanford.

Willingham, 40, met with Leland and advisory committee members Tuesday, then flew back to Minnesota.

“Ty is an extremely demanding coach,” said Viking Coach Dennis Green, who hired Willingham as an assistant coach at Stanford in 1989, then brought him to Minnesota.

Unlike Turner or Shea, Willingham has no head coaching experience and has never been an offensive coordinator.

Turner, who served as offensive coordinator under Green, was thought to have the Stanford head coaching job locked up in 1992 before Walsh entered the picture. He moved to San Jose State for one year as head coach, leading the Spartans to a 7-4 record.

Willingham would become the fourth black head coach of a Division I-A program, joining Jim Caldwell of Wake Forest, Ron Cooper of Eastern Michigan and Ron Dickerson of Temple.

*

Penn State’s Kerry Collins, who led the nation’s top scoring offense, edged Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam for the Maxwell Award as the country’s outstanding college football player.

Collins also won the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s finest quarterback.

“I’m surprised,” Collins said. “The other two guys that vied for this honor are certainly very deserving. I’m very fortunate. . . . I’m just thrilled.”

Salaam did, however, pick up the Doak Walker Award that goes to the top running back.

Receiving the coach-of-the-year award was Rich Brooks of Oregon, who coached the Ducks to their first Pacific 10 title and Rose Bowl appearance since 1958.

The Miami Hurricanes’ Warren Sapp won the Football Writers Assn. award for top defensive player of the year, one of a number he has collected this year.

Other award winners:

--Jim Thorpe (defensive back): Chris Hudson, Colorado.

--Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Zach Wiegert, Nebraska.

--Fred Biletnikoff (receiver): Bobby Engram, Penn State.

--Honda Scholar-Athlete: Rob Zatechka, Nebraska.

*

Alcorn State quarterback Steve McNair, who passed for 4,863 yards and 44 touchdowns, was honored as the first recipient of the Eddie Robinson Trophy.

The award, named for the longtime Grambling coach, honors the top player in the country at a historically black college.

*

USC’s football team returns to practice today in preparation for its Jan. 2 Cotton Bowl game against Texas Tech.

Head Coach John Robinson will take on an additional role. In a Nov. 30 reshuffling of staff assignments, he appointed himself defensive line coach.

The Trojans will practice on their own field until Dec. 22. They will travel Dec. 26 to Dallas, where their practice site will be Texas Stadium.