Kansas’ Mangino is coach of the year

Kansas Coach Mark Mangino was named the Associated Press coach of the year after leading the Jayhawks to their first major bowl game in 38 years.

Mangino, 51, received 28 of a possible 58 votes to win the award over Missouri’s Gary Pinkel, who had 11.

The Jayhawks won 11 consecutive games before losing to Missouri, which cost Kansas a spot in the Big 12 Conference championship.

Mangino has taken the Jayhawks to three bowl games, with a 36-36 record in six seasons.

Senior nose tackle Sedrick Ellis and senior tight end Fred Davis were voted USC’s co-most valuable players by teammates and were honored during the team’s annual awards banquet at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.

USC had not had co-MVPs since 1979, when tailback Charles White and quarterback Paul McDonald shared the honor. Senior linebacker Thomas Williams won the most inspirational award.

USC resumes Rose Bowl practice today at the Home Depot Center.

--Gary Klein

Tom Osborne will stay on as Nebraska’s athletic director through 2010.

Osborne, 70, coached the Cornhuskers from 1972 to 1997 and won three national titles in his final four years. He took over as the interim athletic director in October and helped hire former Nebraska assistant Bo Pelini as coach on Dec. 2.

Florida assistant coach Doc Holliday has interviewed for the head coaching job at West Virginia.

Holliday is a West Virginia native and was a linebacker for the Mountaineers before spending 17 years (1983 to ‘99) as an assistant coach under Don Nehlen.

Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden called off an afternoon practice to meet with his players, about two dozen of which are expected to be suspended for the Music City Bowl for involvement in an academic cheating scandal.

“Naturally we’re having to make a lot of adjustments,” Bowden said. “We’ve got some guys who will be playing positions they haven’t played before.”

Arizona State linebacker Morris Wooten will not play in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 because of an unspecified team rules violation, Coach Dennis Erickson said.