Montana’s Read Selected Big Sky Coach Of The Year

Don Read, who led Montana to the Division I-AA football championship, has been selected as the Big Sky Conference coach of the year.

The vote for Read, whose 13-2 Grizzlies also won their second conference title in three years, was unanimous, Big Sky officials said Thursday.

Montana won seven straight games on its way to the national title - including its four wins in the playoffs - by an average score of 46-5. It was the fifth time Read has led Montana to the I-AA playoffs.

Read has been named the Big Sky coach of the year three times.

Alex Hollowell, a cornerback from Glendale (Ariz.) Community College, has signed a letter of intent to play football at Washington. Hollowell, 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, will enroll in January.

Texas Tech defensive back Corey Turner and receiver Ronnie Burns were charged with felony assault and suspended from the Copper Bowl-bound team. Turner, a freshman, and Burns, a sophomore, were charged with two counts each of assault on a policeman, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

California linebacker Duane Clemons said he will forgo his senior year and enter the NFL draft.

The 6-foot-6, 255-pound Clemons ranked second in the nation with 26 tackles for loss this season. He led Cal with 10-1/2 sacks, nine pass deflections, and seven blocked kicks. He was a second-team selection on the Associated Press All-America team.