Gilbertson Will Take Over at Washington

Keith Gilbertson took over as Washington’s football coach Tuesday, the day after Rick Neuheisel’s firing became official.

The Huskies’ former offensive coordinator will earn $870,000 annually in a four-year contract, Athletic Director Barbara Hedges said.

“We’re very fortunate to have a person on our staff with the background and experience to assume the head coaching position,” Hedges said.

Gilbertson, who has supervised the football program’s day-to-day operations since last month, was the team’s offensive coordinator when the Huskies won a national championship in 1991.

“What’s taken place has been hard on everybody,” Gilbertson said of Neuheisel’s firing. “It’s been hard on our alums, it’s been hard on our fans, it’s been hard on our team, it’s been hard on Barbara and it’s been hard on Rick Neuheisel and his family.”

Hedges fired Neuheisel for breaking NCAA gambling rules by participating in neighborhood pools during the last two NCAA basketball tournaments. She said he wasn’t forthcoming when first questioned by NCAA investigators.

Gilbertson, 55, was the coach at Idaho from 1986 to 1988 and at California from 1992 to 1995. He had a combined record of 48-35 at those schools in seven seasons.

Gilbertson announced two additions and two title changes on the Washington coaching staff.

Scott Pelluer will be an assistant and Theron Aych will join the staff as a graduate assistant coaching the defense.

John Pettas, the Huskies’ quarterbacks coach, takes on the added responsibilities as offensive coordinator. Defensive line coach Randy Hart, in his 16th season with the Washington program, has added the duties of assistant head coach.

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Lawyers for the mother of a Northwestern football player who died during a 2001 training session said they will file an amended lawsuit alleging the school tried to cover up the circumstances of his death.

The new complaint, which attorneys said they plan to file today, also will add makers and sellers of dietary supplements containing ephedra as defendants -- a decision Northwestern says supports its claim that the supplements, not poor medical care, caused Rashidi Wheeler’s death.

The planned filing comes only weeks after Mark Gardner, a former Northwestern physician, admitted in a deposition that he burned records of a physical he performed three weeks before Wheeler died.

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Tennis

Andre Agassi had little trouble beating Ivo Heuberger, 6-3, 6-1, to reach the third round of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic at Washington.

Fourteenth-seeded Greg Rusedski also advanced to the third round with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ivan Miranda. Also advancing was Thomas Enqvist, who beat Australian Jaymon Crabb, 6-4, 6-3.

Third-seeded Anna Pistolesi beat 1998 champion Henrieta Nagyova, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, in the first round of the Idea Prokom Open at Sopot, Poland. In men’s play, 2002 Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian beat Bohdan Ulihrach, 7-6 (2), 6-2.

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WNBA

Tamika Catchings capped her 30-point effort with a driving layup at the buzzer to give the Indiana Fever a 92-91 overtime victory over the Mystics before 13,461 at Washington.... Janeth Arcain scored a season-high 20 points as the Comets beat the Minnesota Lynx, 73-58, before 7,179 at Houston.... Swin Cash scored 24 points to lead the Detroit Shock to a 77-65 victory over the Rockers before 5,009 at Cleveland.... Slobodanka Tuvic had 17 points to lead the Mercury to a 66-59 victory over the New York Liberty before 8,811 at Phoenix.

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Miscellany

Mike Skinner will take over as driver of the MB2 Motorsports Pontiac, starting with the Brickyard 400.

He will replace Mike Wallace, who has subbed for the injured Jerry Nadeau since The Winston Open in May.

The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed left wing Dmitry Afanasenkov and center Martin Cibak. Terms were not disclosed.... Left wing Brad Isbister signed a one-year deal to stay with the Edmonton Oilers.

UCLA has hired Robert Johnson to be the jumps coach for the men’s and women’s track and field teams.... The International Rowing Federation selected Peter Antonie of Australia as its 2003 winner of the Thomas Keller Medal for “an outstanding career in rowing.”