Defensive end Tedy Bruschi celebrates UA's 29-0 win over Miami in the 1994 Fiesta Bowl.

So we’re closing. The Big C. We’re done for. The whistle is blowing. The horn is sounding. We’ve run out of extra time. Just took a called third strike.

I’d like to think you will miss us here in Citizen sports, but I don’t want to be presumptuous.

But even if you think that only once a month we nailed a story, a scoop, a column, a feature – and I think our batting average was much higher – well, that’s one story, scoop, column, feature you won’t be getting any more.

That’s not good for anybody.

I asked Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood in February about the Citizen’s impeding demise and how it might affect his department.

“For a great number of years, we’ve had the ability to have things balanced, and all of a sudden you lose that,” Livengood said of this turning into a one-newspaper town.

“It also has an impact on the outside world, about the perception of Tucson when you lose an institution like this. There is an impression that we’re not going forward; we’re moving backward.”

Certainly, Livengood was telling me what I wanted to hear, but he also lamented a financial aspect to the closing and a potential loss of sponsorshi\n\nadvertising dollars from a reconfigured Tucson Newspapers.

I guess that’s now a story for our pals at the Arizona Daily Star to track down.

I got my start in this crazy business at the Star, back in the fall of 1986. My first byline was on a high school football game, featuring a flash of a running back from Flowing Wells. His name escapes me now.

There have been a blur of running backs, point guards, pitchers and catchers in the years since then.

It was a pleasure to chronicle the Arizona football team through most of the 1990s – the Fiesta Bowl victory over Miami, the Holiday Bowl victory over Nebraska. Waldrop. Bruschi. Bouie. McAlister. Keith and Ortege, the tag-team quarterbacks.

One of my favorite stories: Back in the early 1990s, UA football coach Dick Tomey, upset over something I had written that day, went ballistic on me after practice as the players were leaving the field.

I have never heard someone so copiously and creatively use another term for horse manure.

We agreed to disagree that day, and I feared that a good working relationship would be damaged. Football coaches have been known to hold a grudge.

But the next time I saw Tomey, it was as if nothing had happened. That was his style. Say what you have to say, and then let it go. It’s a life lesson I have never forgotten.

Elsewhere, I covered seven of Arizona’s eight national championships in softball, and had access to the mind of coach Mike Candrea for two decades. Sometimes, this job is so worth it.

No complaints here.

I had a chance to work with, travel with and learn from the twin towers of local sports columnists – retired Corky Simpson of the Citizen and Greg Hansen of the Star. Tucson was lucky to have two such voices for all those years.

So, yeah, it’s been a good ride.

It hit me a while ago, though, that the best part of this job at the Citizen for the past four and a half years had nothing to do with newspapers or journalism.

Recently, for no other reason than boredom, I reached into the closet and pulled out a box I hadn’t opened in years. It was filled with various items from college days.

Two things caught my eye.

One was a 20-year-old edition of the Tombstone Epitaph. A journalism class at the University of Arizona produced – and still does – the newspaper for the Town Too Tough To Die.

In this particular edition, I shared a few bylines with a guy named John Moredich.

As I dug deeper in the box, I found an old address book – the kind of thing we used before we all had cell phones. Thumbing through, I saw I had the old phone number of a guy named Steve Rivera.

Point is, the two writers I have worked most closely with at the Citizen since the start of 2005 – Moredich covering football, Rivera covering basketball – have been friends for more than two decades.

Working with them has been the rewarding part of the job.

Whatever you do for work, I hope you have been as lucky.

<h4>Going green on Irish course </h4>

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy lines up his shot on the 17th hole in the first round of the Irish Open in Baltray, Ireland, on Thursday.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Greg Paulus is returning home to Syracuse to play football.

The former Duke point guard will enroll in graduate school at Syracuse and try to make a comeback in football for the Orange, he said Thursday.

“My gut and my heart were telling me that (Syracuse) was the best place for me,” Paulus said from Durham, N.C., during a conference call.

The decision ends a month of speculation whether the one-time star high school quarterback from Syracuse would resume his football career.

He worked out for the Green Bay Packers in April, acknowledged meeting with Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez about playing for the Wolverines, also visited Nebraska and said he was contacted by about two dozen programs.

“It got me thinking, got me throwing again (and) once I got doing that, the itch and the desire came back,” Paulus said. “To have this opportunity where I have two sports, and to be able to do them both at the college level, it’s something that’s pretty unique and special.”

He said he called new Orange coach Doug Marrone on Thursday morning to notify him of his decision.

The three-year starting guard graduated from Duke earlier this month. He has one season of eligibility remaining and can play immediately if he receives a waiver from the NCAA.

Marrone could not comment on the announcement because the NCAA paperwork has not been completed.

Paulus was a record-setting quarterback in high school at Christian Brothers Academy, located less than a mile from Marrone’s office, and now has a legitimate chance at Syracuse, a proud program that’s fallen on hard times.

The Orange hired Marrone in December to resurrect the team he once played for – Syracuse has gone 10-37 over the past four seasons. He already has moved former starting quarterback Andrew Robinson to tight end and demoted Cam Dantley, last year’s starter, to backup behind redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib.

Paulus said Marrone has made “no promises, no guarantees” about playing time.

At CBA, Paulus was one of the nation’s top prep quarterbacks. As a senior running a potent spread offense, he threw for 3,700 yards and 43 touchdowns in a 13-0 season. He finished his prep career with 11,763 yards and 152 touchdowns passing.

Miami and Notre Dame offered him football scholarships, and he received a basketball offer from Syracuse before choosing to play basketball at Duke. His younger brother, Mike, is a quarterback at North Carolina.

BC linebacker has cancer

BOSTON – Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich, who earned Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year honors, has cancer.

Herzlich said Thursday he was diagnosed earlier this week with Ewing’s Sarcoma after feeling pain in his leg and will undergo more tests in his home state of Pennsylvania. Ewing’s Sarcoma is a malignant tumor often found in bone or soft tissue.

Herzlich said he was determined to return to football after fighting the disease.

The Associated Press

Grizzlies’ Miles charged

ST. LOUIS – Memphis Grizzlies forward Darius Miles, who was suspended last season for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program, was free on bond Thursday after being charged with possession of marijuana.

Miles, 27, was alone in his car in suburban Fairview Heights, Ill., Wednesday night when an officer pulled him over for allegedly failing to use a turn signal. During a search of the car, police found a small amount of marijuana in a plastic bag in the passenger compartment.

The Associated Press

Sorenstam to have girl

CLIFTON, N.J. – Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sorenstam, a former University of Arizona standout, is going to have a girl this fall.

The 38-year-old Swede and her husband, Mike McGee, announced the gender of her first baby on her blog Thursday.

“To use golf terms, we just “made the turn” from a timing standpoint and are very excited that everything looks good so far,” Sorenstam said. “We’ll keep you posted.”

Sorenstam retired from the LPGA Tour last year after 72 victories and 10 majors, saying she wanted to start a business and a family.

The Associated Press

Bradley still unhappy

CHICAGO – Milton Bradley’s suspension was reduced from two games to one by Major League Baseball on Thursday, but that didn’t make him any happier.

The Chicago Cubs outfielder still feels he was a victim of his reputation as a hothead.

“It figures,” he said after MLB announced its decision regarding the April 16 incident. “I never get treated fairly. This is me. This is exactly what I expected.

“I’m Milton Bradley, you know what I’m saying? You expect me to be crazy and throw stuff and do whatever.”

Bradley will have to sit out Friday’s game against Houston.

The Associated Press

QUOTABLE

'We're digging ourselves a hole. If we keep digging too much longer, it's going to be tough to get out of.'

MARK REYNOLDS,

Diamondbacks third baseman, on team's 13-22 record

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Fans philosophical as D’backs discuss flight

Re: D’backs down to three Phoenix sites for spring training facility

• It’s time we let the D’backs leave. . . . We’ve dropped too much money and have gained very little. They have the money to have multiple farm teams, scouting divisions and inflated player contracts, so why can’t they build their own training facility? MOTORMOUTH

• The county blew it and the city blew it. If you thought it was tough in Tucson before, wait until spring training baseball is gone. LDONYO

• Tucson can’t compete with Phoenix in baseball, so we can stop trying. Let’s get creative. How about recruiting an Arena Football team for the soon-to-be-built arena? Or a minor league basketball team? Either way, it’ll be nice when the Cactus League rental car tax can go away. IT’SLILA

———

BY THE NUMBERS

1-5

Diamondbacks’ record since they replaced manager Bob Melvin with A.J. Hinch, a front-office executive. Other Arizona numbers this year:

Record: 13-22

NL West: Last place, 10.5 games behind leader Los Angeles

Batting average: .232, worst in the National League

On-base percentage: .307, worst in the National League

Runs scored: 129, ranked 15th out of 16 in the National League

———

ON THIS DATE

1981: Len Barker of Cleveland pitches the first perfect game in 13 years as the host Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0.

1993: Prairie Bayou, ridden by Mike Smith, rebounds from a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby to become the first gelding to win the Preakness in 79 years.

1998: Notah Begay III joins Al Geiberger and Chip Beck as the only players to shoot a 59 on a U.S. pro tour. He does it at the Nike Old Dominion Open.

2003: The Spurs end the Lakers’ three-year NBA title reign with a 4-2 series win in the Western Conference semifinal.

Former Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama is apparently exploring opportunities in the Canadian and Arena 2 football leagues after failing to land a free-agency shot in the NFL.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have claimed Tuitama’s negotiation rights, the Stockton (Calif.) Record reported Thursday.

The newspaper also said the Stockton Lightning, an Arena 2 minor league team for the Arena Football League, has offered Tuitama a roster spot. His mother, Nancy, is the Lightning’s travel agent, the Record said, and Tuitama is a Stockton native.

Jeff Sperbeck, an agent for Tuitama, told the Record that he has been in contact with CFL teams but was unaware of the Arena offer.

“We’re talking to some teams in Canada and trying to find an opportunity,” Sperbeck said. “Willie wants to show that he can still play.”

The CFL season begins in June, and Tuitama could negotiate with other teams if he chose not to sign with Saskatchewan, the Record said.

Sperbeck told the paper there’s still a chance Tuitama could be invited to an NFL training camp. Tucson police arrested Tuitama on March 7 on suspicion of extreme driving under the influence, which may have hurt his NFL prospects.

Meanwhile, former UA basketball player Fendi Onobun is still trying to land an NFL free-agency shot after working out for scouts for several teams, including Buffalo.

ALPI DI SIUSI, Italy – Lance Armstrong is still a long way from regaining the form that won him a record seven consecutive Tour de France titles.

The Texan finished nearly three minutes behind the leaders in the grueling uphill finish in the fifth stage of his first Giro d’Italia on Wednesday. Armstrong dropped from sixth to 22nd overall, 3 minutes, 34 seconds behind new race leader Danilo Di Luca.

“I didn’t come in with any big illusions. I knew that I would be minutes behind the best guys,” Armstrong said.

Denis Menchov sprinted away from a select group of riders and held off Di Luca in a sprint for the stage victory. In the overall standings, Di Luca holds a five-second overall lead on Sweden’s Thomas Lovkvist. Armstrong teammates Levi Leipheimer is fourth (43 seconds back) and Chris Horner eighth (1:17 behind).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Pitt senior middle linebacker Adam Gunn has been suspended indefinitely from the team after being charged with public drunkenness and several other offenses resulting from a dispute outside a Pittsburgh nightclub.

NFL: Baltimore Ravens right offensive tackle Willie Anderson, 33, is retiring. He played 11 years with the Bengals, named to the Pro Bowl four times.

SOCCER: Manchester United moved within one point of a record-tying 18th English league title, rallying to win 2-1 at Wigan on Wednesday night behind second-half goals from Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick.

TENNIS: Rafael Nadal powered into the third round of the Madrid Open with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Jurgen Melzer. Novak Djokovic beat Oscar Hernandez 6-3, 6-3, Andy Roddick beat Tommy Haas 1-6, 7-6 (9), 6-4, and James Blake downed Ivo Karlovic 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6(4) to set up a match with Roger Federer.

Magazine names tight end 2nd-team All-American

Arizona's Rob Gronkowski signs posters of the team for fans before the start of the annual Spring Game at Arizona Stadium last month. Gronkowski was named a second-team preseason All-American by Lindy's magazine, due out soon.

Spring football is all wrapped up, so the next thing in the college football calendar is the preview magazine season.

They’ll be coming soon – in some cases, later this month – to newsstands near you.

I’ve been doing my part, thoroughly immersed with production on Lindy’s six college football editions in the past couple of weeks, which means I know at least one thing: I absolutely can’t wait for the season to begin.

Here are 25 things – local, regional and national – to whet your appetite for the 2009 season . . . or at least until the magazines come out.

1. Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes took a trip in the offseason to visit with the staff of the Dallas Cowboys. The purpose: To study how it used tight end Jason Witten.

Dykes came back to Tucson with new ideas on how to involve junior tight end Rob Gronkowski.

“We took some of the stuff we saw with the Cowboys,” Dykes said. “We are trying to put it in our packages.”

2. Gronkowski is a Lindy’s second-team preseason All-American behind Oklahoma’s Jermaine Gresham, who surprisingly came back for his senior season.

3. I normally wouldn’t divulge Lindy’s No. 1 team, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out this season. It’s Florida.

Question is, who is No. 2 . . . Texas or Oklahoma? Or should that be Oklahoma or Texas?

4. Lindy’s picks the best of the decade in this year’s editions, and the question about the 2009 Gators is if they can become the team of the decade.

The champ in the clubhouse is 2001 Miami, which went undefeated, outscored opponents 512-117 and produced 15 first-round picks in the next three drafts.

5. I can’t wait to see how Salpointe Catholic graduate and former Arizona assistant Rich Ellerson does at Army. Ellerson made one of the most fascinating moves of the spring, switching starting left tackle Ali Villanueva (6 feet 10 inches, 283 pounds) to wide receiver.

Villanueva is expected to be a red-zone threat and serve as a heck of a blocker on screen passes.

6. Sure looks like a down year for the Pac-10, with eight of the teams having some sort of quarterback battle in the spring.

The only ones that didn’t were Oregon (Jeremiah Masoli) and Washington (Jake Locker, coming back from a thumb injury).

7. It figures: East Carolina junior Dustin Lineback is a . . . linebacker.

8. It doesn’t figure: Defensive back Miami Thomas plays for Illinois, running back Princeton McCarty plays for Idaho, Bob Toledo coaches Tulane, and the University of Washington doesn’t have anyone named Washington, although it does have a player named Houston, which is something Houston doesn’t have.

Running back Darius Marshall got it right. He plays for – you guessed it – Marshall.

9. Looking for a reason why the Big Ten flops in big games? It’s not because of speed at the skill positions; it’s because of speed and athleticism at defensive tackle.

Consider this: NFL teams have drafted 16 defensive tackles in the first round since 2004. None has been from the Big Ten.

10. The SEC, not deep in quarterbacks this season after Florida’s Tim Tebow and Mississippi’s Jevan Snead, is nonetheless the conference of elite quarterbacks. Five of the past 12 No. 1 overall draft picks have been SEC quarterbacks.

11. Salpointe Catholic graduate Kris O’Dowd, a junior at USC, is Lindy’s first-team preseason All-America center.

12. The middle of the Pac-10 is a jumbled mess. The top three are USC, Cal and Oregon. The bottom two are Washington and Washington State. Flip a coin for the teams in between, although Lindy’s picked Arizona fifth.

Lindy’s went with Oregon State at No. 4, because at least the Beavers have two quarterbacks they can win with – rehabbing Lyle Moevao (shoulder) and Sean Canfield. The rest of the Pac-10 middle has big questions at QB.

13. The ACC is 2-9 in BCS bowl games and has barely sniffed the national title since expansion. Blame a lack of skill: Of the past 29 first-round picks from the league, only four have been a quarterback, receiver or running back.

14. This year’s BCS buster: TCU.

15. Then again, if Boise State beats visiting Oregon on Sept. 3, who is going to stop the Broncos?

16. Arizona opens against Central Michigan on Sept. 5. The Chippewas are the pick to win the Mid-American Conference, and good-looking pro prospect Dan LeFevour is rated the eighth-best quarterback in the country, higher than anyone from the Pac-10.

17. Notre Dame isn’t in the preseason Top 25, but the Irish could get there because of an easy schedule and an offense that has a chance to be all grown up. Their receiving corps is a national top 10 group.

18. Florida’s defense is this good: The Gators have the nation’s top-rated defensive line, the second-rated linebackers and the top secondary.

19. And that Tebow guy is Lindy’s favorite to win the Heisman.

20. Alabama launched its 12-0 regular season in 2008 with a season-opening blasting of ACC favorite Clemson in Atlanta.

The Tide’s path is the same, a season opener in Atlanta vs. ACC favorite Virginia Tech.

21. Would it kill the Pac-10 to hold a coaches’ teleconference with the media in the spring like other major conferences?

22. Oklahoma State: Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

The Cowboys have the nation’s best trio of quarterback, receiver and running back. The defense hasn’t finished better than 74th nationally since 2001. Is that the right combination to challenge Oklahoma and Texas?

We might know after opening week. Georgia plays at Oklahoma State.

23. Steve Spurrier is still hoping Stephen Garcia is his long-awaited answer at quarterback for South Carolina.

But an SEC coach, speaking to Lindy’s on condition of anonymity, said this of the Gamecocks: “I don’t see them being a very good football team. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he (Spurrier) called it quits after this season.”

24. The Pac-10 has four players rated the best at their positions: O’Dowd, USC safety Taylor Mays, Cal running back Jahvid Best and UCLA kicker Kai Forbath.

25. A year from now, Tennessee, Miami, Notre Dame and Michigan could be back in the preseason Top 25. But not this summer.

Anthony Gimino’s e-mail:

Anthony Gimino’s e-mail: agimino@tucsoncitizen.com

<h4>Meet the press </h4>

Former Catalina Foothills pitcher Matt McCune, left, and Tucson Toros manager Tim Johnson speak to reporters after McCune was given a contract to play pro baseball.

Matt McCune has taken advantage of his first opportunity of being a professional baseball player.

The 22-year-old Catalina Foothills High graduate signed with the independent Tucson Toros Wednesday after emerging from a list of local prospects.

“This is awesome,” said McCune during a press conference near the pitcher’s mound at Hi Corbett Field. “I am ready to get the season going. This is a good opportunity for me. It has always been my dream to be a professional baseball player. I am excited to pitch for the Tucson Toros.”

McCune, who works at a local UPS Store and also attends classes at the University of Arizona, was chosen from six pitchers invited back following Saturday’s tryout that drew 160 players.

“I knew I threw well even though no one spoke to me,” McCune said. “I felt I threw to my potential. I felt I did my job.”

McCune, a right-hander, went 5-0 at Foothills in his senior season of 2005, earning all-state honorable mention honors. He also played for GateWay Community College in Phoenix before going to Kansas Wesleyan University.

“He opened a lot of eyes,” Tucson manager Tim Johnson said. “We felt he was the right guy. I am going to put him in situations to get his feet wet a little bite and I am going to put him in situations where it’s going to be tough. We’re going to go game to game. But I feel good and our coaching staff feels good.

“He has good presence on the mound. He throws 88 and 89 (miles per hour). He’s not just a guy who tries to nibble. He know how to throw balls by guys. He has a good breaking ball and changeup. He has a good fastball.”

McCune was working his afternoon shift Tuesday at the UPS store near North Kolb Road and East Sunrise Drive when the Toros dropped in to tell him about the contract.

He plans to put his communication degree on hold at UA.

“I was leaning toward getting my degree in that and see what job openings there are,” McCune said. “Once I found out that the Toros were coming, there was nothing I wanted to be. I want to work hard and be a part of this club. I can always go back to (UA). This is my No. 1 priority.”

The Toros plan to invite 30-plus players to their spring training on Monday, including former local high school pitchers Jason Hanna and Tom Wihelmsen and Canadian Byron Bell, the club said.

Terry, Mavs need help

DALLAS – Ex-UA Wildcat Jason Terry is the Dallas Mavericks’ mood-lifter, the guy who pumps up teammates and fans every chance he gets.

Yet after enduring a second straight pounding in Denver, Terry couldn’t even fake being positive on Tuesday.

“Not tonight,” he said, declining to be interviewed. “I don’t have anything tonight.”

The Mavericks went into this second-round series convinced they could hang with the Nuggets, pointing to three narrow losses in the regular season as proof of how close they were. Besides, they proudly noted, they were on their best roll of the season, having blown through the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

So far, Denver has toyed with Dallas. Denver is up 2-0 in the series and 6-0 for the season. The Mavs must win four of the next five. Game 3 is Saturday in Dallas.

The Associated Press

NBA star has intruder

DALLAS – FBI agents have arrested a woman on a probation violation and theft of service warrants at the home of Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki.

Dallas police said 37-year-old Cristal Taylor was taken into custody Wednesday at Nowitzki’s home. She has eight aliases, police said.

The Associated Press

Big 12: Keep tiebreaker

PHOENIX – Big 12 coaches have rejected a proposal to change the controversial tiebreaker that gave Oklahoma the nod over Texas in the three-way tie in the Big 12 South last season.

Meeting at a resort on Wednesday, they voted to keep the Bowl Championship Series standings as the method to break ties between more than two teams. Under that rule, the Sooners edged the Longhorns by 13 thousandths of a point in December.

The coaches had considered adopting a three-team tiebreaker that would eliminate the lowest-ranked team in the BCS standings, then go to the head-to-head result of the remaining two teams.

If that had been in place last year, Texas Tech would have been eliminated, and Texas would have emerged as the division champion because it had defeated Oklahoma.

The Associated Press

ASU lands running back

PHOENIX – Deantre Lewis, a 5-foot-10, 189-pound running back from Norco (Calif.) High School has given an oral commitment to Arizona State, according to Scout.com.

Lewis, who was also being recruited by Oregon and Oregon State, is ASU’s second commitment for 2010, along with running back Taylor Walstad of Chandler High.

The Arizona Republic

TRIVIA QUESTION

Who was lowest-seeded team to win the NBA Finals?

Answer: The 1994-95 Houston Rockets, who defended their NBA title as the sixth seed. With series victories over the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic, the Rockets became the first NBA team to beat four teams with 50 or more wins in the playoffs.

QUOTABLE

'It was a fun game to be a part of. I knew I was going to get a foul.'

RON ARTEST,

Houston Rockets player, ejected in Wednesday's 111-98 loss to the Lakers after scuffling with Kobe Bryant

———

ON THIS DATE

1972: The Los Angeles Lakers win their first NBA championship with a 114-100 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 5.

1977: Heavily favored Seattle Slew, ridden by Jean Cruguet, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 3/4 lengths over Run Dusty Run.

1982: A federal jury rules that the NFL violated antitrust laws when it unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the Oakland Raiders from moving to Los Angeles.

1995: Reggie Miller scores eight points in the last 16 seconds to lead Indiana to a 107-105 win over the Knicks in the second-round opener of the NBA playoffs.

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Readers mixed on getting top basketball recruit

Re: Cats in running for Lance Stephenson

• Getting Lance out of New York and the circle of influence he runs with., and you may find a fresh start is exactly what he needs to rise above it all. ZOMBIE

• Take a guy with his issues, move him all the way across the country away from any sort of family/friends, and you’re asking for trouble. Regardless of how good this guy might be, it’s not worth the risk to the university’s basketball reputation. Pass on him. ARIZONA91

• I’m sure he isn’t the only kid brought into our program with a checkered past. The key is, UA has always had great leadership and a strong influence over these kids. If he brings value to the team, I say give the kid a chance. AZCAT01

• Did you guys see his YouTube stuff? He is just trying to market himself for the NBA. YOUSTRUELY

Speedster Nelson, safety Robbins receive scholarship offers for 2010

Canyon del Oro High School's Josh Robbins (right) has starred as a free safety and a receiver for the Dorados.

High profile Tucson-area football stars Adam Hall and Jake Fischer signed letters of intent in February to play at the University of Arizona this fall.

If UA coach Mike Stoops has his way, at least two more Tucson football players will be part of the team in fall 2010.

Sabino’s Keanu Nelson, a receiver/cornerback/return specialist, and Canyon del Oro’s Josh Robbins, a safety/wide receiver, have received scholarship offers from the hometown Wildcats in the past couple of weeks.

“It was pretty exciting to get an offer from the school my dad played for,” said Robbins, whose father is former UA and NFL defensive back Randy Robbins and is the cousin of former UA defensive back Mike Scurlock. “They’re one of my favorite schools and I could see myself playing there.”

In February, Ironwood Ridge linebacker Fischer and Palo Verde receiver/defensive back Hall both signed with the Wildcats.

Robbins, who said Wednesday he is 6 feet 3 and 195 pounds, first announced his presence on the high school football stage when he caught a key fourth-quarter touchdown as a sophomore in the 2007 Class 4A Division I state championship game, which CDO lost 23-21 to Scottsdale Saguaro on a field goal with two seconds remaining.

CDO coach Dustin Peace, who was defensive coordinator the past two seasons, said he tells recruiters Robbins has developed into “a phenomenal free safety.”

Robbins said he loves playing safety, but is open to playing receiver in college.

Former CDO head coach Pat Nugent, now head coach at Pima Community College, said Robbins, who high-jumped 6-6 as a sophomore in 2008, is one of the best athletes he’s ever coached.

“AT CDO, he is not going to put up the kind of numbers like the Palo Verde kid (Hall, who scored 38 touchdowns last fall) and others,” Nugent said. “The numbers are not going to stack up, but physically I would put him up there with anybody. He has great speed and can jump out of the gym.”

Peace said he’s been bombarded in recent weeks by college recruiters inquiring about the senior-to-be.

While UA is the only one to formally give Robbins an offer so far, the others expected to in the coming weeks after reviewing game film are Utah, Colorado, California and Kansas State.

The list is even longer for Nelson.

The 5-11, 165-pound “Mr. Versatility” for Sabino has already had 10 scholarship offers according to coach Jay Campos. They are UA, BYU, Colorado, Colorado State, Nebraska, San Diego State, Stanford, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Washington State.

“His greatest asset is his ability to start and stop on a dime,” Campos said of Nelson, who has been clocked at 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash. “There are guys who might beat him in a 100 or maybe a 40, but nobody starts and stops as quick as he does.”

Nelson scored touchdowns in 2008 by rushing, receiving, punt return, interception return and fumble return.

He had 1,051 yards from scrimmage (571 rushing, 480 receiving) and 443 in punt returns.

“Everyone likes him as a punt returner,” Campos said. “Some recruiters we’ve talked with like him as an inside receiver, some as a cornerback, but all love him as a punt returner.”

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Colleges including UA, Nebraska and Colorado have projected Sabino High School's Keanu Nelson (center) as a punt returner.

<h4>Game interrupted </h4>

Chile's Fernando Gonzalez breaks his racket during a match at the Italian Rome Masters tennis tournament in Rome on Thursday.

One member of the Baucus family wasn’t enough.

The University of Arizona football team received a commitment from offensive tackle Mickey Baucus on Thursday. His brother, Jack, a tight end, signed with the Wildcats in February as part of the 2009 recruiting class.

The two could some day line up next to each other.

“My brother being there is obviously huge,” Mickey said in a phone interview Thursday. “We are really close and wanted to play together in college. I’m excited to have the chance.”

The younger Baucus, from Carmel High School in Mundelein, Ill., scheduled several unofficial trips this spring to check out schools.

Arizona was the place for a 6-foot-8, 255-pound player who has good size and leverage for his tackle position.

“Combined with good flexibility for a big man, we feel he has the tools and athletic ability to start his career at left tackle,” ESPN.com wrote.

“For a person of his size, his ability to bend at the waist and knees is an attribute. . . . Can dominate at the line of scrimmage.”

Baucus took little time to accept a scholarship offer from UA offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh.

“I’ve been ready to commit for two months now,” Mickey said. “This is the right choice for me. I told my brother and he was stoked.”

Jack is rehabilitating a knee injury that he suffered late in his team’s November playoff run.

“He is sprinting now and the rehab is going really well,” Mickey said.

Jack arrives in June, with Mickey slated for the 2010 season.

More A-Rod accusations

NEW YORK – A new, unflattering biography of Alex Rodriguez reportedly says he may have used steroids as early as high school and even after he joined the New York Yankees.

Rodriguez admitted in February to using steroids while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03, but insisted he stopped before he was traded to the Yankees in February 2004.

He brushed off a question Thursday about details from Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts’ upcoming book “A-Rod” that cast doubt on his earlier statements.

“I’m not going there,” he said after homering in an extended spring training intrasquad game in Tampa, Fla. Rodriguez has been rehabbing from hip surgery in March and hasn’t played for the Yankees this season.

“I’m just so excited about being back on the field and playing baseball. My team has won two games (in a row) up there and hopefully I can come back and help them win some more,” he said.

The Daily News reported Thursday that Roberts’ book portrays the three-time AL MVP as a needy personality who wanted his ego stroked constantly and a player who tipped opponents to pitches in blowout games, hoping the favor would get returned someday.

A high school teammate of A-Rod’s told Roberts that the future No. 1 draft pick was on steroids as a prep player and his coach knew it – an allegation the coach, Rich Hofman, denied.

Rodriguez said he wasn’t worried that the steroids issue was being brought up again.

“No. Not really,” he said. “I’m in a good place. I think more importantly physically I feel like I’m getting better everyday.”

The Associated Press

McDaniel going for title

Canyon del Oro High School graduate David McDaniel will go after his fourth straight Tucson City Amateur golf title this weekend at Randolph North.

McDaniel led the field in the first two tournament rounds last weekend at Dell Urich with a 5-under 139, and leads Ironwood Ridge High sophomore Alex McMahonby two strokes. Phil Summersett trails by four.

Play will resume Saturday at Randolph North with the five other flights. Finals will be Sunday.

McDaniel has won eight straight area amateur tournaments he has entered, winning three times each the Tucson City and Pima County amateurs and the 2006 and 2007 Oro Valley amateurs. He was not entered in the Oro Valley tournament event in 2008.

Citizen Staff Report

Cinco de Mayo Sunday

The 26th annual Cinco de Mayo 10K road race, Tucson’s oldest, will be held Sunday. The race will commence at 7 a.m., with a two-mile fun run set at 7:05.

The race course begins at Cholla High School and goes through rolling hills along Starr Pass Road.

Doug Friman of Tucson won his second Cinco de Mayo title last season (32 minutes, 36 seconds) as did Paula Morrison (36:57) in the women’s division.

Citizen Staff Report

NUMBER OF THE DAY

33.5

Career scoring average by Michael Jordan in the NBA playoffs, the best in league history. Other leaders:

Allen Iverson 29.7

Jerry West 29.1

Tracy McGrady 28.5

LeBron James 27.9

Elgin Baylor 27.0

George Gervin 27.0

Hakeem Olajuwon 25.9

QUOTABLE

'It's special to be part of this, and I know that it's a series people will be talking about for a long time.'

JOAKIM NOAH,

Bulls center, on the Boston-Chicago series in the NBA playoffs

———

ON THIS DATE

1920: Joe Oeschger of the Boston Braves and Leon Cadore of the Brooklyn Dodgers each pitch 26 innings in a 1-1 tie, the longest game in major league history.

1943: Count Fleet, ridden by Johnny Longden, wins the Kentucky Derby by three lengths over Blue Swords.

2002: With a save against the Chicago Cubs, San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman sets the major league record for the most saves with one team, 321. He breaks Dennis Eckersley’s record of 320 with Oakland.

The Associated Press

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Doing what’s best for himself

Re: Zane Johnson leaving UA basketball team

• Zane’s an excellent shooter and it’s too bad he didn’t shoot more. I suspect he knows he’s not going to get much playing time because of the new recruits, so he’s doing what’s in his best interest. Good luck. EASEO

• Well how nice of Zane. Thank you oh so much for demonstrating the leadership skills you would have doled out to the team next year. ARIZONA91

Re: UA lands quarterback recruit Matt Brown

The new offense is attracting the top QBs. We have never had that luxury. 3829

I saw this kid at Nike and the Rivals combine in Dallas. He was MVP at both combines. Lightning quick with his feet, 4.5 speed and strong/accurate passer. DOLLAR BILL

National college group selects hard-hitting safety

Former University of Arizona star Chuck Cecil, shown here returning an interception 106 yards for a touchdown against Arizona State in 1986, was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame on Thursday.

Ricky Hunley has some very fine company. Hunley, the former Arizona All-American linebacker, was, until Thursday morning, the only UA player in the College Football Hall of the Fame.

Then the selection committee called the number of ol’ No. 6, free safety Chuck Cecil, heat-seeking missile, Wildcat legend, honor student and author of the signature play in school history – the 106-yard interception return in an upset of Rose Bowl-bound Arizona State in 1986.

“Oh, man, that feels great,” Hunley said upon learning Thursday afternoon that Cecil is part of an 18-member class to be inducted this year.

“You don’t feel like a lone soldier anymore. When I go to all these events, I see that USC has that many guys, and Ohio State has that many guys . . . but now Arizona is rolling. I’m excited to be in the company of Chuck Cecil.

“And he’s so young . He’ll have a lot of years to enjoy this.”

The rest of us have had more than 20 years to enjoy the memories of Cecil.

From walk-on to college football rock star in Tucson to successful NFL playing career to being the new defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.

“I would say Chuck had the most dynamic personality of anybody I’ve coached,” said Duane Akina, who coached the secondary during Cecil’s senior season.

“He probably affected his teammates more than any player I’ve had. That is true leadership. I have never coached another like him who could carry the classroom to the field and who was so damn tough.

“I haven’t had anything close, and I have coached some good ones over the past 25 years.”

Cecil, from 1984-87, led by being one of the most feared hitters in the Pac-10 . . . ever. He didn’t stop there. Who can forget the Sports Illustrated cover of Cecil from October 1993, with the headline: “Too Vicious for the NFL?”

Out of San Diego’s Helix High School, he tried to get a football scholarship to Stanford, but the coaches there ultimately thought he was too small. By the time Stanford made its decision, Arizona, which had previously offered a scholarship, had run out of free rides.

“Back in the day, I was more of a geeky student kind of guy, I guess,” said Cecil, 44.

“My whole thing was to get an education and play a little football. No thoughts, dreams, aspirations of playing in the NFL. It never really struck me until my senior year when they talked about other guys.

“I was like, ‘I’m better than he is.’ ”

Especially as a senior in 1987, in Dick Tomey’s first season as coach.

The previous season, Akina was working with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, and he scouted running back David Adams in Arizona’s Aloha Bowl game against North Carolina.

“Chuck had some great hits. I remember sitting in the stands going, ‘God, I wonder who that kid is?’ ” Akina said.

“When I got to Arizona, everyone was talking him up. And then when I saw him, I was like, ‘That’s him? This scrawny 180-pound kid?’ I thought I was going to see Ronnie Lott.”

Akina ended up seeing something he hasn’t seen since. Akina, an assistant coach at Texas, has coached three winners of the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back, but says he’s never seen a senior season as dominating as Cecil’s.

Cecil made 136 tackles, broke up 12 passes and intercepted nine – part of his UA career record of 21.

He picked off four passes against Stanford that season. Tomey told reporters Thursday that Cecil should have had six. Akina said Cecil should have had seven. Arizona assistant coach Jeff Hammerschmidt, who was on two UA teams with Cecil, said he should have had eight.

“After getting four, it’s hard to feel you really missed out,” Cecil said.

“But after the game, watching film, I was very disappointed because I really, truly should have had no less than six easily. Two were blatant drops. I could have had upwards of eight if I had done what I was supposed to do and made a reasonable play.

“And, possibly, if I had done something special, nine.”

Turns out, he’s friends with one of the Stanford quarterbacks that day – Greg Ennis, who threw the final interception. Ennis called Thursday to congratulate Cecil.

Cecil sent back a text: “Couldn’t have done it without your fourth pick.”

The next week, Washington coach Don James was so afraid of what Cecil might do from his center field spot that the Huskies, according to Akina, never once attempted a pass inside the numbers on the field.

That’s respect.

Hammerschmidt, also from Helix High, remembers Cecil as a great influence – “like family,” he said.

Hammerschmidt recalls his recruiting visit to Tucson. Cecil met him at the airport with a coach and drove him around town.

“We go through the drive-through at McDonalds and the girl at the window saw Chuck and dropped the bag of food and was all excited,” Hammerschmidt said.

“I thought, ‘This is great. This is a college football town.’ ”

Better yet, it’s a college football town whose player representation in the College Football Hall of Fame just doubled.

“It’s not just a huge day for Chuck,” Hunley said. “It’s a huge day for the university.”

CECIL BY THE NUMBERS

4

Interceptions at Stanford in1987

21

Career interceptions, best in UA history

106

Yards of interception return for a TD against ASU in 1986

392

Tackles at UA, seventh all-time

Fans mob UA's Chuck Cecil after the Wildcats defeat Arizona State in 1986, thanks in part to Cecil's 106-yard TD interception return.

Hunley

———

2009 HALL OF FAME CLASS

Player, pos., school Years

Pervis Atkins, HB, N.M. St. 1958-60

Tim Brown, WR, Notre Dame 1984-87

Chuck Cecil, DB, Arizona 1984-87

Ed Dyas, FB, Auburn 1958-60

Major Harris, QB, W. Va. 1987-89

Gordon Hudson, TE, BYU 1980-83

William Lewis, C, Harvard 1892-93

Woodrow Lowe, LB, Alabama 1972-75

Ken Margerum, WR, Stanford 1977-80

Steve McMichael, DT, Texas 1976-79

Chris Spielman, LB, Ohio St 1984-87

Larry Station, LB, Iowa 1982-85

Pat Swiling, DE, Ga. Tech 1982-85

Gino Torretta, QB, Miami 1989-92

Curt Warner, RB, Penn St. 1979-82

Grant Wistrom, DE, Nebraska 1994-97

> Coaches: Dick MacPherson, Syracuse (1981-90); John Robinson, USC (1976-82, 1993-97), UNLV (1999-2004)

UA president defends football coach’s pay raise

University of Arizona football coach Mike Stoops will earn $1 million for the 2009 season and get a $100,000 raise each of the following four years, under a new contract extension approved by the Arizona Board of Regents.

The decision was not unanimous. Regents voted 6 to 1 Thursday to approve Stoops’ pay increase, with Dennis DeConcini voting against it.

“I find it hard to believe we’re going to approve this when we’re facing the (economic) problems we’re facing now,” DeConcini said.

The money will be paid by the UA athletic department, which operates independently from the rest of the university.

UA President Robert N. Shelton said bumping Stoop’s salary from $685,000 to $1 million would put him near the middle salary range for Pac-10 programs.

“He’s taken a program that was not reflective of the quality of this institution and he’s turned it around,” Shelton said, asking for the increase.

Stoops, 47, led UA to an 8-5 record last season and a victory over BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl – the Wildcats’ first postseason appearance, a win, in 10 years. Stoops, 25-34 in five seasons, made $685,288 a year in his old contract.

His base salary in 2009 will be $500,000 and he will make $500,000 for peripheral and related duties. His extension is until 2013, when he will make $1.4 million a year if he stays that long.

UA also is scheduled to pay new basketball coach Sean Miller $2 million a year as part of a five-year deal worth $11 million.

After the meeting, DeConcini said the contention that coach’s salaries are funded from ticket sales was a specious argument.

“These are public funds that come under the regents’ approval and we have an obligation to review and consider them well,” he said. “When we’re in the middle of a financial crisis and we don’t have to do it because he has 18 months left on his contract, well, it just looks bad to the public like, ‘They don’t care, it’s just another million dollars.’ ”

Under his new contract, Stoops would stand to make up to an additional $655,000 a year if he reaches these incentives:

• Athletic: Participation in a preseason game, $50,000; Pac-10 champion, $125,000; non-BCS bowl game, $75,000; BCS bowl other than national title game, $100,000; BCS national title game, $150,000

• BCS national rankings: 1-10, $50,000; 11-15, $40,000; 16-25; $30,000.

• Win-loss record for 12-game season (excludes preseason or bowls): 7-5, $40,000; 8-4, $50,000; 9-3, $60,000; 10-2, $70,000; 11-1, $80,000; 12-0, $90,000.

• Average home paid attendance: 48,001-50,000, $45,000; 50,000-plus, $60,0000

• Total season tickets sold: 35,000-40,000, $60,000; 40,000-45,000, $70,000; 45,001-plus, $80,000

• Coach of the year honors: Pac-10, $30,000; national, $50,000

If UA fires Stoops for cause, it is liable for salary due at the date of termination. If UA fires Stoops without cause, it must pay him one-half of the remaining value of the guaranteed compensation. If Stoops leaves before 2013, he must pay UA $250,000 in liquidated damages at Shelton’s discretion.

———

HOW THEY COMPARE

Estimated annual salaries of Pac-10 football coaches, not including incentives, according to published reports:

Coach, school Yearly salary

Pete Carroll, USC $4 million

Jeff Tedford, Cal $1.85 million

Steve Sarkisian, Wash. $1.75 million

Chip Kelly, Oregon $1.4 million

Rick Neuheisel, UCLA $1.25 million

Dennis Erickson, ASU $1.1 million

Mike Riley, Oregon St. $1.1 million

Mike Stoops, UA $1 million

Jim Harbaugh, Stanford $1 million

Paul Wulff, Washington St. $600,000

WASHINGTON – Tackling an issue sure to rouse sports fans, lawmakers pressed college football officials Friday to switch the Bowl Championship Series to a playoff, with one Texas Republican calling the current system as unworkable as communism and joking it should be labeled “BS,” not “BCS.”

John Swofford, the coordinator of the BCS, rejected the idea of switching to a playoff, telling a House panel that it would threaten the existence of celebrated bowl games. Sponsorships and TV revenue that now go to bowl games would instead be spent on playoff games, “meaning that it will be very difficult for any bowl, including the current BCS bowls, which are among the oldest and most established in the game’s history, to survive,” Swofford said.

Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who has introduced legislation that would prevent the NCAA from calling a game a national championship unless it’s the outcome of a playoff, bluntly warned Swofford: “If we don’t see some action in the next two months, on a voluntary switch to a playoff system, then you will see this bill move.”

After the hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee commerce, trade and consumer protection subcommittee, Swofford told reporters: “Any time Congress speaks, you take it seriously.”

Yet it is unclear whether lawmakers will try to legislate how college football picks its No. 1 before the first kickoff of the fall season. Congress is grappling with a crowded agenda of budgets, health care overhaul and climate change, and though President Barack Obama favors a playoff, he hasn’t made it a legislative priority.

College football’s multimillion-dollar television contract also could be an obstacle.

The BCS’s new four-year deal with ESPN, worth $125 million per year, begins with the 2011 bowl games. That deal was negotiated using the current BCS format. While ESPN has said it would not stand in the way if the BCS wanted to change, the new deal allows the BCS to put off making major changes until the 2014 season.

Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law expert at George Washington University, said the legislation could result in a court challenge.

“This is a rare effort by Congress to prevent people from using what is a common description of sporting events,” he said in a telephone interview. The legislation, he said, “may run afoul of the contractual agreements between parties, wiping out benefits that have already been paid for by companies.”

Barton, the top Republican on the committee, said at the hearing that efforts to tinker with the BCS were bound to fail.

“It’s like communism,” he said. “You can’t fix it.”

He quipped that the BCS should drop the “C” from its name because it doesn’t represent a true championship.

“Call it the ‘BS’ system,” he said to laughter.

The current system features a championship game between the two top teams in the BCS standings, based on two polls and six computer rankings.

Under the BCS, some conferences get automatic bids to participate while others do not. Conferences that get an automatic bid — the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC — get about $18 million each, far more than the non-conference schools. Swofford is also commissioner of the ACC.

“How is this fair?” asked the subcommittee chairman, Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois, who has co-sponsored Barton’s bill. “How can we justify this system … are the big guys getting together and shutting out the little guys?”

“I think it is fair, because it represents the marketplace,” Swofford responded.

Craig Thompson, commissioner of the Mountain West Commission, which does not get an automatic bid, called the money distribution system “grossly inequitable.”

The MWC has proposed a playoff and hired a Washington firm to lobby Congress for changes to the BCS. The proposal calls for scrapping the BCS standings and creating a 12-member committee to pick which teams receive at-large bids, and to select and seed the eight teams chosen for the playoff. The BCS has previously discussed, and dismissed, the idea of using a selection committee.

The four current BCS games — the Sugar, Orange, Rose and Fiesta bowls — would host the four first-round playoff games under the proposal.

Valero Alamo Bowl chief executive Derrick Fox, representing the 34 members of the Football Bowl Association, said that a playoff “is rife with dangers for a system that has served collegiate athletics pretty well for 100 years.”

But Gene Bleymaier, athletic director at Boise State University, noted that his school’s football team went undefeated several times, yet never got a chance to play for the national championship under the BCS.

Asked by Rush whether Congress should intervene, Bleymaier responded, “The only way this is going to change is with help from the outside.”

In the Senate, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch has put the BCS on the agenda for the Judiciary’s antitrust subcommittee this year, and Utah’s attorney general, Mark Shurtleff, is investigating whether the BCS violates federal antitrust laws.

Fans were furious that Utah was bypassed for the national championship despite going undefeated in the regular season. The title game pitted No. 1 Florida (12-1) against No. 2 Oklahoma (12-1); Florida won 24-14 and claimed the title.

Brown

Matt Brown was born in Tucson, and he is returning as a quarterback.

The Allen (Texas) High School standout moved away from Tucson when he was 3. He will return after giving the University of Arizona an oral commitment Wednesday.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I came down for a visit there,” Brown said of his trip last month. “I was kind of interested with being born there and having my family go there.

“Another big plus was having an offense there that is identical, I mean absolutely identical, so I won’t miss a heartbeat. I absolutely love it down there.”

Brown has heard about the UA most of his life; his parents are alums.

The 6-foot, 170-pound dual-threat signal caller threw for nearly 2,000 yards and passed for 28 touchdowns, while rushing for nearly 1,200 yards and 13 scores, his junior season.

He rushed for almost 1,000 yards and threw 25 touchdowns as a sophomore.

“He has a great arm and has been timed at 4.54 (seconds) in the 40 (-yard dash),” Allen coach Tom Westerberg said. “He’s such an accurate passer, too. When things start to break down is when he will take off and (it) is when he is the most dangerous. I wouldn’t want to face him.”

Brown hoped to lead Allen to a state title a year ago but suffered a broken collarbone in the playoffs.

He feels good and ready to run, and throw.

“If you drop eight down to stop the pass, I will beat you with my legs,” Brown said. “I’m good at passing, but I always want to work on something, and that is what I want to work on. I’m fast.

“You are either fast or you are not. I want to continue to work on my passing skills so they are as good as they can be.”

Brown, 20-2 as a starter, was the Texas Sports Writers Association’s Class 5A offensive player of the year.

“I’ve always been a good leader,” he said. “I am a really competitive person. At first I was so nervous that I was almost feeling like I was going to throw up before a game.

“I expect perfection from everything I do, no matter if the team I am playing is 0-10 and has never won a game in the program’s history. I am going to be nervous because I want to be good so bad.”

“I am starting not to get as nervous, but I still want to be perfect.”

Pima Community College running backs coach Philo Sanchez.

NOTE: This article first appeared on the Grammer School Sports Blog.

The Pima Community College football coaching staff is stacked with Tucson ties that all bring something valuable to the table in the program’s effort to transform from laughingstock to winners.

Former Canyon del Oro High School coach Pat Nugent has surrounded himself with a staff of ex-head coaches that will undoubtedly make the Aztecs competitive. But as key to the transformation as any just might be the youngest of his assistants coaches, one of the few who has never been a head coach.

Former Sunnyside and Northern Arizona University star running back Philo Sanchez, the son of highly successful Sunnyside coach Richard Sanchez, has taken on the duties of instructing the Pima running backs, at least until he hears back from some law schools he has applied to in California.

“If I don’t happen to get in (to law school) this year,” Sanchez said, “then being a part of this is going to be a great opportunity. Coach Nugent has brought together a lot good coaches here and it’s something that I think is going to work for this team.”

Sanchez, a teacher at Sunnyside who has helped coach his dad’s team the past several seasons, graduated in 2002 from Sunnyside after rushing for 3,984 yards in his junior and senior seasons and went on to have a successful career at NAU.

But his role as a potential liaison between Pima and the pipeline of talent the Sunnyside program puts out each year will be vital. The Blue Devils consistently place a handful of players on junior college football rosters each year. There is no reason those contributors won’t have every reason to stay in Tucson now.

Sanchez was also the 2002 Tucson Citizen Student Athlete of the Year. Academics always have been a strong point for Sanchez. And if he doesn’t get into law school this summer, he likely will soon, so his tenure at Pima may be short-lived.

Still, as long as he’s there now, it won’t hurt the rebuilding project going on for the Aztecs.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Grid squad primed to end its 1-39 mark since ’04

Pima football quarterback Daniel Nicholas works on passing as head coach Pat Nugent watches during team practice at Tucson High on Monday. Nugent coached Nicholas, the 2007 Tucson Citizen Player of the Year, at Canyon del Oro High School.

AuBura Taylor has been through this before.

The summer before his senior season, Taylor transferred to Santa Rita High School, where the football program was coming off an 0-10 season.

With new life injected in the program after the hiring of a new coach with a winning tradition (Jeff Scurran), Taylor helped carry the Eagles to an 11-2 season in 2007 and an appearance in the Class 4A Division II semifinals.

A year removed from high school, the former star running back who helped with one monumental turnaround season wants to be part of an even bigger one at Pima Community College.

“I see some similarities,” Taylor said Monday night as the team practiced at Tucson High. “The big thing is getting people to forget about what has happened here. We weren’t a part of that. This is a new start and the coaches, especially (head coach Pat) Nugent, are doing a good job getting this thing turned around.”

Nugent, who went 41-9 in the past four years at Canyon del Oro High, took over a Pima football program that hasn’t beaten a college team in that span. The program’s 1-39 record since the 2004 season includes one win against a noncollegiate, semipro team from Prescott.

“They haven’t won a game here in four years, but that’s in the past,” Nugent said. “Our job is to find a way to change the attitude, the culture around here. It’s going to be a long road, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we could get this thing turned around.”

He’s started by filling his roster and lining his coaching staff with names that read like a Who’s Who of southern Arizona high school football. He hired former NFL player and University of Arizona/Desert Swarm defensive star Brandon Sanders to coach the secondary.

“Turning this thing around isn’t going to be about talent; we have some talent,” said Sanders, who played three seasons for the New York Giants. “It’s about changing the attitude.

“When I first started (at UA under then-coach Dick Tomey), we went 4-7 that first year. But then the Desert Swarm started and guys like me and Tedy (Bruschi), we took coach Tomey’s lead and started to do what we could to change the mindset. That’s what we need here.”

Pima already has more football talent than at any point in recent years.

Among the players at spring practice is 2007 Tucson Citizen Player of the Year Dan Nicholas, who was the starting quarterback under Nugent when CDO went to the 4A-I state championship game in 2007. The program has averaged 50 players per practice, which includes current high school seniors who plan to play in the fall.

“I knew right away when he was hired I would come here,” said Nicholas, who signed with Glendale Community College after high school but never enrolled and took the 2008 season off. “After taking the year off, I had an offer from Adams State (College in Colorado), but the familiarity with coach (Nugent), and knowing he’s the type of guy who will make me a better player, I knew this was what was best for me.”

The Aztecs start their 2009 season with a home game Sept. 5 against Eastern Arizona.

Pima assistant coach and former UA football player Brandon Sanders (right) instructs during a Pima football practice Monday.

———

TOUGH HILL TO CLIMB

New Pima CC football coach Pat Nugent takes over an Aztecs team that hasn’t beaten a college team since 2004.

Season opener

Sept. 5 vs. Eastern Arizona College

(home games played at Tucson High)

———

PIMA CC COACHES

Pat Nugent – head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks

Jeff Green – offensive line

Glenn Howell - strength and conditioning

Jim Paul - receivers

Pat Ryden - defensive coordinator, linebackers

Philo Sanchez - running backs

Brandon Sanders - secondary

Mark Texeira – secondary

Shawn Wasson - defensive line, special teams

Jeff Watson - equipment manager

Matt Willard - offensive line

Safety picked up by Browns; LB goes to Redskins

Ness

Safety Nate Ness has a knack for making things happen at every level at which he plays.

The former Arizona Wildcats defensive back is out to prove he can get the job done for Cleveland, signing a free-agent deal with the Browns on Monday.

“I had a lot of teams talking to me, but I really liked Cleveland,” Ness said. “After looking at the depth chart, I feel I have a good chance to come in and compete right away.

“I want a chance to show them what I can do.”

Ness was among several Wildcats looking for free-agent deals.

Linebacker Ronnie Palmer also found a home Monday, signing with Washington.

Palmer, Arizona’s leading tackler in 2008 with 85, including 11 for losses to go with 2 1/2 sacks, will start his career with the Redskins.

Jacksonville took two ex-Wildcats in the draft; offensive lineman Eben Britton went in the second round and receiver Mike Thomas in the fourth.

Ness had Tennessee, Green Bay, Seattle, Chicago and New Orleans among teams talking to him.

The Browns and new defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson had talked to Ness the past couple of weeks.

“(Henderson) said they would love to have me, but even if they didn’t draft me they wanted me as a free agent,” Ness said. “He said the Browns have a good opportunity for me to play.”

Ness, who picked off 18 passes at El Camino (Calif.) College and seven at Arizona, heads to Cleveland for a rookie minicamp this weekend.

“I am going to go there with a chip on my shoulder about not being drafted,” Ness said. “I am disappointed, but I am going to try not to dwell on it.”

Palmer