Mason Hired at Minnesota

Glen Mason, who for the past nine years has coached at Kansas, has been hired as head coach at Minnesota.

Mason, whose Jayhawks finished 4-7 this season after a 10-2 mark in 1995, agreed to a seven-year contract that could pay him more than $500,000 a season at Minnesota.

Minnesota has lost 24 of its last 27 Big Ten Conference games.

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Auburn has extended Coach Terry Bowden’s contract through 2001 despite two consecutive disappointing seasons.

After posting a 20-1-1 record in Bowden’s first two seasons, the Tigers have slipped to 15-8 over the past two seasons, including a 7-4 mark this season.

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Texas defensive coordinator Gary Darnell was hired as coach at Western Michigan. Darnell, an assistant with the Longhorns for five years, replaces Al Molde, who was fired after 10 seasons.

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Colorado’s Matt Russell was selected as winner of the Butkus Award, given by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando to college football’s best linebacker.

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ABC broadcaster and former Pittsburgh Steeler and USC receiver Lynn Swann was selected the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s 1996 Man of the Year.

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Northern Colorado won its first Division II title with a 23-14 victory over Carson-Newman at Florence, Ala. Michael Schauer kicked three field goals and Billy Holmes ran for 136 yards and a touchdown for Northern Colorado (12-3). Carson-Newman finished 12-2. . . . Bill Borchert threw for 505 yards and seven touchdowns as Mount Union (14-0) posted a 56-24 victory over Rowan (10-3) in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III championship game, at Salem, Va.