Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas will enter NFL draft

University of Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

Thomas made the announcement, which caught many by surprise, Saturday night. He follows Ducks running back LaMichael James, who announced last week that he would skip his final year of eligibility.

“I came to this decision on behalf of myself and my family,” Thomas said in a statement released by Oregon. “I have a dream of playing in the NFL and I’m going to pursue those dreams.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior passed for 2,761 yards and a school-record 33 touchdowns this season, despite sitting out a game because of an injury. He also ran for three scores.

The Ducks finished 12-2 with losses to Louisiana State and USC before beating Wisconsin, 45-38, in the Rose Bowl. The previous season, the Ducks lost only to Auburn in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

“As in all cases, we educate our players with the information we feel will be beneficial to them throughout the process. But ultimately, the decision is left up to the players,” Oregon Coach Chip Kelly said. “I will always support Darron in his decision and want to thank him for everything he has done for this program.”

ETC.

Tapizar wins San Fernando Stakes

Tapizar, a Kentucky Derby contender last year before a bone chip knocked him out of the Triple Crown chase, had a rousing start to his 4-year-old season with a runaway win in the $150,000 San Fernando Stakes at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Corey Nakatani for trainer Steve Asmussen, the heavily favored Tapizar took the lead early and pulled away in the homestretch, beating Balladry by 31/2 lengths. Tapizar covered 1 1/16 miles in 1 minute 41.94 seconds.

Recruits who sign letters-of-intent in February and April will not have access to an extra $2,000 in money after the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors delayed a decision on the new stipend.

On the final day of the NCAA convention at Indianapolis, the board was expected to modify language for compliance with Title IX regulations and partial scholarships. Instead, it asked a working group to make a new proposal in April.

The board agreed to send the multiyear scholarship rule to a full online vote. It requires a five-eighths majority of more than 300 Division I schools to rescind the rule — far more than the 82 that opposed it.

The board also rejected a proposed scholarship cut in football and women’s basketball and the elimination of foreign tours.

Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryan acknowledged that the American League champions have had talks with free-agent slugger Prince Fielder. Ryan described the discussions as “very preliminary.”

Rangers officials, including Ryan, had an initial session Friday with Fielder and agent Scott Boras.

Switzerland’s Beat Feuz won the World Cup downhill on the Lauberhorn course at Wengen, Switzerland. Feuz came down the longest course on the World Cup tour in 2 minutes 35.31 seconds for a victory that gave him the lead in the downhill standings in his breakout season.

Austria’s Hannes Reichelt was 0.44 of a second back in second. Christof Innerhofer of Italy trailed Feuz by 0.49 of a second in third.

American Bode Miller seemed poised for victory but lost speed near the bottom and finished 0.77 of a second back in fifth. Miller led the downhill standings going into the race but slipped to second, 41 points behind Feuz.

Italian veteran Daniela Merighetti finally won a World Cup race despite a broken thumb, and American Lindsey Vonn finished second at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in one of the season’s biggest downhills.

Merighetti was timed in 1:33.17 on the Olympia delle Tofane course on a day when wind slowed the favorites. She is racing with a cast on her left thumb this weekend and is to have surgery Monday.

Vonn, the overall World Cup leader, was 0.21 of a second behind. Defending overall champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany was third, 0.40 of a second back.

The Golden State Warriors signed free-agent center Earl Barron, giving them another big man with Kwame Brown expected to be out for the season because of a chest injury.

Finnish qualifier Jarkko Nieminen won the Sydney International for his second ATP title, beating France’s Julien Benneteau, 6-2, 7-5, on Sunday in the rain-delayed final.

Qualifier Mona Barthel of Germany won her eighth straight match at the Hobart International in Australia, defeating top-seeded Yanina Wickmayer, 6-1, 6-2, for her first WTA Tour title.