Sports in Brief | Neuheisel returning to UCLA as head coach

Rick Neuheisel

, who spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the Baltimore Ravens, was hired yesterday as UCLA's 16th coach.

The 46-year-old Neuheisel, a former UCLA quarterback, succeeds

Karl Dorrell

, who was fired Dec. 3 after five seasons and a 35-27 record, including 6-6 this year. Neuheisel's five-year contract is for $1.25 million annually, plus incentives.

Others interviewed for the job were Temple coach

Al

Golden

, Oregon coach

Mike Bellotti

, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator

Norm Chow

, and Eagles assistant

John Harbaugh

.

Illinois coach

Ron Zook

won the Liberty Mutual coach of the year award for leading one of the best turnarounds in college football.

The Illini went 9-3 and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl a year after going 2-10.

New Mexico State basketball player

Herb Pope

, 18, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and other counts after he was found unresponsive behind the wheel of a car stopped on the road in Moon, Pa., with its engine running and doors locked Friday at 2:27 a.m., authorities said.

The former Aliquippa High star had been ineligible at New Mexico State but was cleared to play last week.

In March, the 6-foot-9 forward was shot four times in Aliquippa. A Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty to attempted homicide.

Detroit is expected to fire offensive coordinator

Mike Martz

after today's season finale against Green Bay, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site.

The newspaper, citing multiple sources, said the Lions will replace the veteran coach with receivers coach

Kippy Brown.

Buffalo starting safety

Donte Whitner

will miss the Bills' game against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field because of the flu.

Carolina quarterback

Vinny Testaverde

will retire after today's game at Tampa Bay.

Testaverde, 44, was signed by Carolina on Oct. 10 after injuries to

Jake Delhomme

and

David Carr

. He made his first start four days later and became the oldest quarterback to win a game as the Panthers beat Arizona.

Bode Miller

won the Stelvio downhill in Bormio, Italy, for his first World Cup victory since breaking away from the U.S. ski team in a dispute over team rules.

Miller covered the 2.03-mile course in 2 minutes, 0.57 seconds. The win was the 26th of his career, putting him within one win of matching

Phil Mahre's

U.S.-record.

Sweden ended Canada's winning streak in the World Junior Hockey Championship at 20, beating the three-time defending champions, 4-3, in Ardubice, Czech Republic, on

Tobias

Forsberg's

goal with seven seconds remaining.

In Liberec,

Tyler Ruegsegger

, Flyers draft pick

James vanRiemsdyk

and

Mike Carman

scored to help the United States improve to 3-0 in Group B with a 3-2 win over Russia.

Chiara Costazza

of Italy won the slalom race in Lienz, Austria.

Lindsey Vonn

of the United States finished 25th and lost her lead in the overall standings to

Nicole Hosp

of Austria.

Steve Cunningham

(21-1) of Philadelphia won in his first defense of his International Boxing Federation cruiserweight championship with a 12th-round TKO of previously unbeaten

Marco Huck

(19-1) in Bielefeld, Germany.

Elsewhere:

Robert Hawkins

of Philadelphia outpointed

Dominick Guinn

of Houston in their 10-round heavyweight bout Friday night in Richmond, British Columbia.

James Vincent Castiglia

, 89, who played football for the Eagles and the Washington Redskins and baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1940s, died Wednesday of endocrine and kidney disease in Rockville, Md.

Andrew O'Malley

, 16, of Downingtown was named to Disney's Soccer Showcase all-star team, which will train at Chelsea FC near London in August.

BMW Oracle Racing said it will seek to compete head-to-head with America's Cup holder Alinghi of Switzerland in 90-foot multihulls in October.

BMW Oracle Racing, backed by San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club, said it will ask a New York Court to order the Deed of Gift challenge because it hasn't been able to negotiate a conventional regatta with Alinghi, the two-time Cup winner.