Tired Grgurich Resigns Amid Bitterness

Tim Grgurich, blaming his hectic pace and bitter feelings over his treatment by former school officials, resigned as Nevada Las Vegas’ basketball coach Friday.

“I’ve reached the point where I can’t sacrifice my physical and mental well-being,” Grgurich said. “To continue to would put both in jeopardy.”

Grgurich, a former Jerry Tarkanian assistant who coached only seven games after being hastily hired in October to replace Rollie Massimino, was hospitalized Jan. 6 because of exhaustion after UNLV opened the season with only two wins in seven games.

Assistant Cle Edwards will finish the season as coach.

UNLV interim President Kenny Guinn said a national coaching search will begin immediately.

*

The women’s basketball tournament at the Pan American Games has been canceled because only four teams, one fewer than the rules allow, were available after Puerto Rico’s withdrawal, officials said.

Motor Sports

Brazilian rookie Gil de Ferran stole the show on an error-filled opening day of the Indy car Grand Prix of Miami, taking the provisional pole for Sunday’s race.

The little-known 27-year-old de Ferran, driving a Reynard-Mercedes for Jim Hall, turned a lap at 104.038 m.p.h., edging former national champion Michael Andretti in a Lola-Ford.

Snow wiped out Friday’s scheduled first round of time trials for Sunday’s 300-mile NASCAR stock car race at Richmond, Va., and rain and cold weather washed out this weekend’s NHRA drag racing program at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Tex.

Track and Field

Darnell Hall broke his meet record in the men’s 400-meters in qualifying at the USA-Mobil Indoor Championships at Atlanta, setting up a duel with world record-holder Michael Johnson.

Hall had a 45.77 and Johnson coasted in his heat in 46.66.

Alina Astafei, a Romanian granted German citizenship last week, leaped 6 feet 8 1/4 inches at a meet in Berlin, improving her world indoor high jump best this year.

Despite concerns about broiling summer heat, the men’s marathon at the Atlanta Olympics probably will be held at the traditional time of late afternoon, a top official said.

Carl Lewis will compete in the long jump at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on April 15.

Football

The Chicago Bears signed three-time Pro Bowl safety Mark Carrier of USC to a four-year package worth $6.2 million. The Bears also signed another safety, unrestricted free agent Marty Carter, formerly of Tampa Bay, to a four-year deal totaling $5.2 million.

The Detroit Lions lost Mel Gray, the NFL’s career kickoff return leader, to Houston when the Pro Bowl specialist agreed to a two-year, $2.4 million contract with the Oilers.

The New England Patriots reached agreement with Miami Dolphin free-agent center Jeff Dellenbach on a four-year, $7 million contract.

The Las Vegas Posse of the Canadian Football League is apparently not moving to Los Angeles. CFL Commissioner Larry Smith said three groups remain interested in buying and relocating the Posse, two in Jackson, Miss., and the other in Miami.

A Houston judge agreed to send former Washington Redskin Dexter Manley from the county jail to a psychiatric center for evaluation. The hearing was held after the former defensive end was arrested three times on drug charges from November to February.

Tennis

Australian Mark Philippoussis, in his first year on the ATP tour, defeated Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the semifinals of the MassMutual tennis tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. He will meet top-seeded Todd Martin, who beat Germany’s Carsten Arriens, 7-5, 7-6 (7-1). Jim Courier downed Mark Woodforde of Australia, 6-3, 6-3, and will face Stefan Edberg, who beat New Zealand’s Brett Steven, 6-3, 6-2.

Second-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia defeated Martin Damm of the Czech Republic, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6), in the quarterfinals of the ABN AMRO indoor tennis tournament at Rotterdam, Netherlands. He will next face Paul Haarhuis.

Miscellany

The all-women America’s Cup team sailed its new boat, Mighty Mary, to a victory over Young America. Making its second America’s Cup race appearance, Mighty Mary led Young America around all points of the course and won by almost a minute. On the challenger course, John Bertrand’s oneAustralia and Chris Dickson’s Tag Heuer Challenge clinched semifinal berths with victories.

Four-time winner Susan Butcher is pregnant and won’t be among the 58 mushers heading for Nome, Alaska, today in the 23rd running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. But Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod, in 1985, returns in hopes of becoming one of only four repeat winners.