Bears’ Turner Named as Coach for Illinois

Ron Turner, the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, was hired Monday as the football coach at Illinois, which is coming off its worst season since 1968.

Turner, a former coach at San Jose State, signed a five-year contract. He succeeds Lou Tepper, who was fired last month after five seasons and a 25-31-2 record. Illinois finished this season 2-9 overall and 1-7 in the Big Ten.

“I’m looking forward to getting the winning tradition going again and having a winning tradition here at Illinois,” Turner said at a news conference at Champaign, Ill.

Turner, 42, coached San Jose State to a 7-4 record in 1992. Before that, he was an assistant at seven Division I-A schools, among them Northwestern, Stanford and USC.

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Hal Mumme, the coach of Division II Valdosta (Ga.) State, was hired as the coach at Kentucky, which has not had a winning season since 1989.

Mumme replaces Bill Curry, who was fired Oct. 20, when the Wildcats were 1-6. They finished 4-7.

Mumme, 44, turned around programs at Iowa Wesleyan and Valdosta, compiling a 67-27-1 record in eight seasons.

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Memphis Coach Rip Scherer received a two-year contract extension despite losing records in his first two seasons with the Tigers.

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Texas Tech’s Byron Hanspard won the Doak Walker Award after becoming only the sixth running back to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season.

Hanspard edged fellow juniors Troy Davis of Iowa State and Darnell Autry of Northwestern for the award, given to college football’s top running back.

Baseball

Pitcher Sid Fernandez, coming off four injury-shortened seasons, agreed to a one-year contract with the Houston Astros, who also signed infielder Pat Listach and re-signed infielder Bill Spiers.

Shortstop Shawon Dunston returned to the Chicago Cubs after one season with San Francisco, agreeing to a $2-million, one-year contract. . . . Pitcher Lance Painter, one of the original members of the Colorado Rockies, was claimed on waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals. . . . The San Diego Padres signed infielder Rene Gonzales, catcher Carlos Hernandez and pitcher Bryan Eversgerd to minor league contracts. Hernandez had spent his entire 12-year career in the Dodger organization.

Golf

Tom Lehman was voted player of the year and Britain’s Laura Davies was picked as female player of the year by the Golf Writers Assn. of America.

Lehman, winner of the British Open and one-stroke runner-up in the U.S. Open, received 187 votes. Rookie Tiger Woods was second with 20 votes.

Jim Colbert repeated as senior player of the year.

Horse Racing

Canadian racing officials say they found evidence that Ricks Natural Star, a New Mexico thoroughbred who finished last in the $2-million Breeders’ Cup Turf race, did not receive proper care before and after the race. Owner William Livingston, a veterinarian, denies the allegation.

Miscellany

Former International Boxing Federation lightweight champion Rafael Ruelas will face Rocky Balboa in a 10-round junior welterweight main event tonight at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio. Ruelas (46-3, 36 knockouts) is seeking his fourth victory in a row.

Also on the card will be Paea Wolfgramm of Tonga, the 1996 Olympic silver medalist in the super-heavyweight division, making his pro debut against Jeff Kirk.

The Indy Racing League, comfortable with the apparently irreconcilable split in auto racing, will not change a qualifying rule that led to this year’s boycott of the Indianapolis 500.

Cuban fencing champion Roberto Figueredo sought political asylum from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service after taking part in the Pan American Fencing Championships in Puerto Rico.