Texans Will Pick Carr No. 1

The Houston Texans know the ultimate success for most National Football League teams lies at quarterback.

So when the expansion Texans make the first selection in the NFL draft April 20, they will choose Fresno State quarterback David Carr. That announcement, unusual in that it came more than two weeks before the draft, was made Wednesday by owner Bob McNair, although the decision was reached by General Manager Charley Casserly and Coach Dom Capers.

“To win, you have to have a good quarterback. Charley and his people have looked at this long and hard,” McNair said. “We know enough about Carr that we feel like we know who he is.”

In 37 games at Fresno State, Carr completed 62.8% of his passes for 7,849 yards. He threw 70 touchdown passes and had 23 passes intercepted. As a starter, he had an 18-8 record.

As a senior, Carr led the nation with 4,308 yards passing and 42 touchdown passes, becoming only the sixth quarterback in NCAA history to throw for more than 4,000 yards and more than 40 touchdown passes in the same season.

He led the Bulldogs to an 11-2 record last season.

Carr finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top senior quarterback.

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Defensive tackle Lional Dalton, who played for Baltimore in its Super Bowl victory two seasons ago, has signed a $22-million, seven-year contract with Denver. The deal was reached two weeks ago, Dalton’s agent Steve Weinberg said.

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Chicago matched a $2.85-million, three-year offer sheet made last week by Minnesota to receiver D’Wayne Bates. The deal will cost Chicago $1.1 million against the salary cap this year.

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Carolina quarterback Chris Weinke is still bothered by a sore throwing shoulder and surgery remains an option.

Weinke said any procedure on his right shoulder would be minor and he expected to be on the field in time for Carolina’s next minicamp.

Basketball

Rebecca Lobo, a star on Connecticut’s first unbeaten national champion, was traded by the WNBA’s New York Liberty to the Houston Comets for a second-round draft choice.

Lobo has been plagued by knee injuries the last few seasons. She appeared in 16 games last season.

Chris Morris, an 11-year NBA veteran, signed with the ABA’s Southern California Surf. He had been playing with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Tennis

Andre Agassi was the first pick in the World Team Tennis draft at New York and was assigned to the Sacramento Capitals.

The rights to John McEnroe were retained by the New York Hamptons, owned by brother Patrick.

Other top players drafted included Lindsay Davenport, whose rights were traded by the St. Louis Aces to the New York Buzz, who then drafted Davenport.

The league will play July 8-28.

Soccer

Chris Henderson scored two goals and goalkeeper Scott Garlick moved into second place on the MLS career victories list as the Colorado Rapids beat D.C. United, 2-0, at Denver.

Garlick moved ahead of Mark Dougherty with his 66th career victory and is one behind career leader Zach Thornton of Chicago.

Henderson scored in the 44th minute, beating goalie Nick Rimando inside the right post from 25 yards, and in the 89th minute.

The Women’s United Soccer Assn. said its second title game will be held Aug. 24 at Atlanta’s Herndon Stadium.

Miscellany

Included in the announcement that Bob Costas has signed a new three-year contract with HBO was that he will become a cohost of “Inside the NFL.” That means the departure of Len Dawson, Nick Buonoconti and Jerry Glanville. Dawson had been with the show for 24 years and Buonoconti for 23.

Jeff Clinton died from blunt head and neck injuries when he crashed March 1 during practice for the Nextel 250 Grand Am series race the next day at Homestead-Miami Speedway, an autopsy report said.

He was wearing a head-and-neck restraint.

His car veered off the course as he entered Turn 1 and flipped repeatedly. His head was severed at the base of the skull, said the report by Miami-Dade County Associate Medical Examiner Mark Shuman.

Sydney’s Olympic organizing committee closed the books on the 2000 Summer Games with a $51-million loss after an unexpected $47-million payment to the Australian Olympic Committee, it said in its final report.

In 1992, before Sydney was awarded the Games, Sydney’s bid committee predicted a surplus of $15 million on revenue of $975 million. Ticketing, opening and closing ceremonies and the Internet were among items that cost more than predicted.

Technology, which cost $205 million, was the largest single expense for Sydney organizers, although it was down from the $219 million spent by organizers of the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.

The Ice Dogs lost to the San Diego Gulls, 2-0, at the Long Beach Arena. Despite the loss, the Ice Dogs wrapped up second place and will have home-ice advantage when the playoffs start next week.