Fast Break

Cycling

Spaniard awarded Tour de France jersey

Oscar Pereiro finally got his hands on the winner’s yellow jersey from the 2006 Tour de France on Monday.

The Spaniard moved up from second to first after the disqualification of Floyd Landis for a doping violation.

The International Cycling Union formally declared Pereiro the winner on Sept. 21, one day after a U.S. arbitration panel voted 2-1 to remove the title from Landis for using synthetic testosterone during the Tour.

It’s the first time in the 105-year history of the race that a winner has been stripped of the title. Pereiro finished 57 seconds behind Landis in the final standings.

College football

Eastern’s Witherspoon shares Big Sky honor

Eastern Washington defensive tackle Lance Witherspoon and Montana defensive end Kroy Biermann shared the Big Sky Conference defensive player of the week honor.

Witherspoon, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior from Federal Way, Wash., had a career-high 10 tackles in the Eagles’ 35-13 win over Montana State. He also recorded four tackles for loss, including one sack, and was credited with four solo tackles and six assisted stops.

Northern Arizona quarterback Lance Kriesien was selected as the offensive player of the week and Weber State punter Mike Snoy won the special teams award.

College athletics

Nebraska A.D. fired after football debacle

Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson was fired Monday, two days after the school’s once-mighty football team was rocked with its worst home loss in nearly a half-century.

Pederson, along with coach Bill Callahan, has been heavily criticized after a series of one-sided defeats this season. The most recent was a 45-14 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Over the past two weeks, the Huskers (4-3) have lost by a combined margin of 86-20, dropping a 41-6 decision at Missouri two weeks ago.

“We are, of course, disappointed about the progress in our football program,” Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman said in a news release.