Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS ó The list of great quarterbacks who have played at Purdue is lengthy both in time and number, from Len Dawson, Bob Griese and Mike Phipps in the 1950s and ’60s, to current NFL quarterbacks Drew Brees and Kyle Orton.
Robert Marve will try to follow in their footsteps after deciding he’ll transfer to Purdue instead of walking on at Tennessee.
Purdue announced that Marve will be a Boilermaker Thursday. He will have two years of eligibility, starting with the 2010 season.
– SOUTH BEND, Ind. ó Looking to celebrate its football history, Notre Dame is considering a game at the new Yankee Stadium.
“I’d be interested as we look forward to scheduling to think about how to sort of echo the history of our program,” athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Thursday. “Obviously there have been some important Notre Dame games at Yankee Stadium so I have a general interest in whether that’s possible to do. None of this is any further than thinking out loud.”
Swarbrick said he took a tour of the new stadium and inquired whether a football field would fit, but the game is only in the idea stage.
GOLF
IRVING, Texas ó PGA Tour rookie James Nitties finished with four consecutive birdies for a 5-under 65 and a share of the first-round lead with Ken Duke on Thursday in the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
The 26-year-old Australian who appeared on the Golf Channel’s “Big Break” series finished second at the PGA Tour qualifying tournament last fall.
– BEACHWOOD, Ohio ó Scott Hoch bogeyed the final two holes for a 4-under 66 and share of the first-round lead with Tom Purtzer in the 70th Senior PGA Championship, the first major of the year for the over-50 set.
– CORNING, N.Y ó France’s Karine Icher and South Korea’s Hee Young Park shot 8-under 64s to share the first-round lead in the final LPGA Corning Classic.
NAACP VS. ACC
COLUMBIA, S.C. ó The NAACP condemned the Atlantic Coast Conference for bringing its baseball tournament back to South Carolina, in defiance of the civil rights group’s nearly decade-long boycott of the state for flying the Confederate flag.
“Dignity, decency and most importantly respect continue to be absent from the action plan of the ACC,” the NAACP said it the resolution, passed by its national board last weekend.
The resolution is in response to ACC leaders voting last week to award its postseason tournament to Myrtle Beach for three years, starting in 2011.
HAIR PULLING
SAO PAULO ó Ronaldo will go on trial at a Brazilian sports tribunal for pulling the hair and pinching a defender in a Brazilian league match.
The three-time world player of the year could miss up to three matches if found guilty in next week’s trial, the sports tribunal said Thursday.
The 32-year-old Ronaldo was denounced after TV images showed him grabbing the hair and pinching defender Fahel inside the area last Sunday.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TULSA, Okla. ó Dave Wojcik is expected to leave his brother’s coaching staff at Tulsa to reunite with former high-school coach Dino Gaudio at Wake Forest.
Tulsa head coach Doug Wojcik announced Thursday that his brother was expected to leave his staff after the two spent four years together with the Golden Hurricane to become an assistant at Wake Forest.
“We thought we weathered the storm of losing Dave, but another offer came along that he just couldn’t refuse for himself, professionally, and for his family, financially,” Doug Wojcik said in a statement.
TENNIS
HONG KONG ó Pete Sampras thinks his record of 14 Grand Slam titles will be tied by Roger Federer at Wimbledon this year.
Sampras made the prediction Thursday while discussing an October exhibition match against his old rival Andre Agassi in Macau.
Federer needs one more major title to match Sampras’ mark. Sampras never managed to win the French Open before he retired. Federer hasn’t won the title at Roland Garros, either, leaving Wimbledon as the most likely opportunity for him to tie Sampras.
Federer’s five-year winning streak at Wimbledon ended last year in a five-set final loss to Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who also won the French Open.