Fast Break
College football
Bradford wins Heisman Trophy
Sam Bradford, Oklahoma’s amazingly accurate and quick-thinking quarterback, won the Heisman on Saturday night after guiding the highest-scoring team in major college football history to the national championship game.
A year after Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman, Bradford became the second and kept the Florida quarterback from joining Archie Griffin as the only two-time winners.
Bradford, who leads the nation in touchdown passes with 48, received 1,726 points. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was second with 1,604 and Tebow – who received the most first-place votes – was third with 1,575 points.
NHL
He was set to fill tall order
A 6-foot-7 Web site producer for the Washington Capitals dressed as the team’s backup goalie for Friday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators because of an injury to Jose Theodore.
Brett Leonhardt, a Division III goalie in college, signed an amateur tryout contract before the game. If he had actually played, he would have tied Ben Bishop of the St. Louis Blues as the tallest goalie ever to see action in an NHL game.
Theodore suffered a hip flexor injury during the Capitals’ morning skate, and Simeon Varlamov was recalled from Hershey, the team’s AHL affiliate, to back up starter Brent Johnson.
But Hershey happened to be on the road in San Antonio, and Varlamov didn’t arrive in time for the 7 p.m. faceoff.
So the Capitals received special dispensation from the league to dress three goaltenders. Leonhardt had a spot on the bench until Varlamov arrived midway through the first period.
By the end of the second period, Leonhardt was back in a dress shirt and tie and in his usual spot in the press box, preparing for his regular job of holding the camera during postgame interviews following the Capitals’ 5-1 victory.
NBA
Philadelphia fires head coach
Maurice Cheeks was fired Saturday as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, who are slumping at 9-14 a year after making the playoffs. Assistant general manager Tony DiLeo was appointed coach for rest of the season.
The dismissal came hours before the 76ers were to play at home, with DiLeo making his coaching debut against Washington.
Cheeks was one of more the popular players in 76ers history and was starting his fourth season as coach.
Cheeks became the fifth NBA coach fired this season following P.J. Carlesimo (Oklahoma City), Eddie Jordan (Washington), Sam Mitchell (Toronto) and Randy Wittman (Minnesota) out the door.