Panthers Give Collins $7-Million Bonus

The expansion Carolina Panthers have signed quarterback Kerry Collins to a long-term contract that includes a $7-million signing bonus, called by his agent the largest in NFL draft history.

Agent Leigh Steinberg said the complex contract is structured for seven years worth $23.18 million, or six years at $21.6 million.

Collins, the fifth selection in April’s draft, signed the contract Saturday night in the Panthers’ main offices in Charlotte, N.C., and then drove to Spartanburg, S.C., for today’s opening of training camp.

*

Matt Dunigan completed 22 of 34 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns as the Birmingham Barracudas routed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 51-28, in the Canadian Football League expansion team’s home opener. Birmingham (2-1) played before a crowd of 31,185, the largest for an opener in the league this season.

Dunigan, who sat out the first two games because of a broken thumb, had 45- and 70-yard scoring pass plays to Marcus Grant and one-yarder to Delius Morris.

*

Carlos Huerta kicked four field goals, including a 48-yarder with 4:30 left in the game, and the Baltimore Stallions beat the San Antonio Texans, 28-23, in a CFL game at the Alamodome. Baltimore is 2-1, San Antonio 1-2.

*

Defensive lineman Steve Emtman was cut by the Indianapolis Colts after refusing to renegotiate his contract down $1.3 million. . . . Defensive end Mike Mamula, the Philadelphia Eagles’ first-round draft pick and the seventh choice overall, has agreed to a four-year, $6-million contract.

Basketball

The Dallas Morning News said that academically deficient junior college basketball players are getting into Division I schools by using degrees from questionable programs.

The Morning News said there were potential NCAA violations involving eight junior college athletes who ended up at four schools: Arkansas, Kansas State, Murray State and Louisiana State.

NCAA officials have investigated Independence and Allen County (Kan.) community colleges, and officials at both schools say they’re cracking down on summer degrees awarded to transferring athletes.

Soccer

Interim U.S. Coach Steve Sampson said his team’s 3-0 victory over Argentina in the America Cup was “the second most important victory in the history of U.S. soccer. It is second only to our 2-1 victory over Colombia at last year’s World Cup.”

The Argentine perspective was somewhat different. The nation’s newspapers called it a “black night” and a “historic defeat.”

Tennis

Mark Petchey and Neil Broad recovered from a break down in the first set to beat Sebastien Graeff and Christophe Boggetti, 6-4, 6-0, 7-6 (7-1), to give Britain an unbeatable 3-0 lead over Monaco and end a run of six consecutive Davis Cup losses.

Defending champion David Wheaton used an overwhelming service game, with seven aces and victories on 77% of his first serves, to beat Byron Black, 6-4, 6-1, in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships at Newport, R.I. Wheaton, top-seeded in this grass-court tournament, will play Germany’s David Prinosil in the final.

Unseeded Fernando Meligeni of Brazil notched his second upset of the week, beating fifth-seeded Carlos Costa of Spain, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2, in the semifinals of the Swedish Open at Bastad. Meligeni will play Christian Ruud of Norway in the finals.

Three-time champion Sergi Bruguera’s 18-match Swiss Open winning streak was stopped when he lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals at Gstaad. Kafelnikov plays Jakob Hlasek in the final.

Defending champion Irina Spirlea of Romania beat Italy’s Silvia Farina, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), and Austria’s Barbara Schett, 6-3, 6-1, to advance to the final of the Palermo Grand Prix clay-court tournament in Sicily. Spirlea will play Sabine Hack of Germany in the finals.

Tony Trabert, winner of 10 Grand Slam event titles and a television commentator for 24 years, will be honored at this year’s Infiniti Open in Los Angeles.

Track and Field

Donovan Bailey ran 100 meters in 9.91 seconds at the Canadian championships in Montreal, shattering the national record with the best time in the world this year. Bruny Surin was runner-up in 9.97, the second-fastest time in the world this year.

Olympic champion Linford Christie, given a “guest” spot in the 100-meter final after failing to qualify, won the sprint at Britain’s championships with a time of 10.18 seconds at Birmingham.

Motor Sports

Robin Pemberton, crew chief for the Miller Genuine Draft Ford, was fined $20,000 and put on probation until Aug. 30 for the use of unauthorized roof flaps on the car, and Rusty Wallace, driver of the car, will start today’s Miller Genuine Draft 500 at Pocono International Raceway in 22nd position.

Jacques Villeneuve led second-day time trials with a record-breaking lap of 110.396 m.p.h. and will start on the pole for today’s Toronto Molson Indy car race. . . . Damon Hill’s 1:28.124 lap of Friday held up in the rain Saturday and he will start on the pole for today’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. . . . Butch Miller’s Ford beat Mike Skinner’s Chevrolet to the finish line by inches to win the Total Petroleum 200 SuperTruck race near Denver.

Names in the News

John Zinda, director of the joint athletic departments of Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd and Scripps Colleges, died at 57 of cancer. . . . Hensley Sapenter, who retired last month as athletic director of the San Antonio school system, was hired as football coach and athletic director at Prairie View A&M;, which has lost 46 games in a row.