Vivian Stringer Gets Top Deal at Rutgers

Rutgers has selected Vivian Stringer coach of its women’s basketball team and made her the highest-paid women’s coach in the country. Stringer, who had coached at Iowa State, was appointed to the position Friday and reportedly will be paid $150,000 per season for seven seasons, plus benefits that would double that amount. Stringer’s salary exceeds that of Rutgers men’s basketball Coach Bob Wenzel, who reportedly earns $124,000 a year.

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St. Bonaventure reportedly has paid former women’s basketball coach Mary Jane Telford $100,000 in settlement of her suit accusing the school of giving women’s sports second-class status. . . . Saying it has created misunderstandings, New Mexico State basketball Coach Neil McCarthy said he doesn’t want to be considered for a $50,000 annual bonus tied to his team’s making a cumulative 2.0 grade-point average. The university said it will honor his request.

Boxing

Former two-time world champion Michael Nunn (45-3) stopped replacement Terry Bee (10-5) at 1:41 of the third round of their scheduled 10-round cruiserweight fight in Las Vegas. . . . Julio Cesar Chavez will defend his World Boxing Council super-lightweight title against David Kamau, and Frankie Randall will defend his World Boxing Assn. junior-welterweight title against Juan Martin Coggi as part of a Sept. 16 card in Las Vegas.

Vinny Pazienza, beaten badly by Roy Jones Jr. in his last fight, said World Boxing Organization light-heavyweight champion Darius Michalczewski wants to fight him in Hamburg, Germany, early next year. . . . WBO light-middleweight champion GianFranco Rosi, 38, was suspended for two years for testing positive for amphetamines. . . . The International Boxing Federation complied with Oscar De La Hoya’s request to strip him of its lightweight title.

Motor Sports

Bill Elliott put his Ford on the pole for NASCAR’s Miller Genuine Draft 500 at Pocono International Raceway with a speed of 162.496 m.p.h. . . . Jacques Villeneuve drove a 1.78-mile, 11-turn temporary circuit at 109.855 m.p.h. to take the provisional pole for the Toronto Molson Indy car race. . . . Damon Hill took the provisional pole for the British Grand Prix, averaging 129.166 m.p.h. around the 3.142-mile Silverstone circuit in a Williams Renault. . . . Mike Tate and the Smokin’ Joe’s hydroplane set a Dallas race qualifying record of 158.849 m.p.h.

Hockey

Mighty Duck assistant coach Al Sims has interviewed for the Buffalo Sabres’ head coaching job and is one of a large group of candidates led by former King coach Robbie Ftorek and Hartford assistant Ted Nolan. . . . The St. Louis Blues signed unrestricted free agent left wing Geoff Courtnall to a three-year, $6.6 million deal. . . . The Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov to a four-year contract and agreed to three-year deals with right wing Doug Brown and center Tim Taylor.

Soccer

New match-rigging allegations against Bernard Tapie, the former boss of French club Olympique Marseille, will be left to civil courts for the time being, UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, said. . . . Belgium and the Netherlands were selected as the hosts of the 2000 European Championship. . . . The feud between Brazilian World Cup star Romario and coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo culminated in the firing of Luxemburgo.

Jurisprudence

A federal appeals court upheld the NFL’s television blackout rule, concluding it does not discriminate against the hearing-impaired. . . . Missouri wide receiver Rahsetnu Jenkins was charged in the rape of a 24-year-old woman in Columbia, Mo., and released on $25,000 bond. . . . Former Auburn cornerback Chris Shelling was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession and given a suspended sentence. . . . Alex Sanchez, 31, claiming to be a former quarterback at Abilene Christian, was arrested after leading police on a high-speed chase that began when he tried unsuccessfully to register at the Denver Broncos training camp in Greeley, Colo. He was charged with attempted assault on an officer, menacing, eluding and reckless driving.

Miscellany

Steffi Graf, suspected of tax evasion by German authorities, said she trusted her father, Peter Graf, to manage her finances. Peter Graf is also being investigated. . . . The Indianapolis Colts will release defensive lineman Steve Emtman after the two sides failed to restructure his contract, Marvin Demoff, Emtman’s agent, said. . . . Butch Reynolds, world record-holder in the 400 meters who feuded with the sports’ governing body after a 1990 suspension for alleged steroid usage, said two representatives of the International Amateur Athletic Federation made an unannounced visit to his home to request a urine sample this week. Reynolds said he complied, but fearing a possible repeat of the earlier testing of which he claimed was faulty, then went to a local hospital for an independent urinalysis. . . . If the many skeptical calls to an Oakland toll-free telephone line about the financial implications of the Raiders’ 225 million bond package are any indication, support is growing to question and block--if necessary--the team’s move back to the city. “There are huge numbers of people who are questioning this deal,” said Paul Shinoff, spokesman for Taxpayers for a Vote on Raiders Deal.

The Phoenix Cobras handed the Anaheim Bullfrogs their first loss of the Roller Hockey International season in regulation, 10-8, before an announced crowd of 9,836 at the Pond of Anaheim. Rick Judson scored three goals for the Bullfrogs, who remain atop the Pacific Division at 13-1-1. Phoenix is 7-7.

Names in the News

Former NBA star Orlando Woolridge has signed a one-year contract in Italy with Bologna. . . . American slugger Kevin Mitchell will return to baseball in Japan next week after a two-month hiatus because of an injury.