Sports in Brief: NFL great Earl Morrall dead at 79

Earl Morrall

, 79, an NFL quarterback for 21 years who started nine games during the Miami Dolphins' perfect season in 1972, died Friday of complications arising from Parkinson's disease at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

When Bob Griese broke his ankle in 1972, Morrall came off the bench and started the final nine games of the regular season. That remains the only unbeaten season in NFL history.

Morrall also played for the Baltimore Colts, coming off the bench to replace an injured John Unitas and help the Colts to Super Bowl III, where they lost to Joe Namath and the New York Jets. He was also the backup to Griese on the Dolphins team that won Super Bowl VII.

The Carolina Panthers exercised the fifth-year club option on Cam Newton. Newton will make $14.67 million in 2015, guaranteed only in the event of injury. Newton agreed to a four-year contract worth a guaranteed $22 million in 2011.

COLLEGES Kentucky twin freshman guards Andrew and Aaron Harrison will return for a second season to a stocked Wildcats squad coming off an NCAA championship appearance.

Northwestern football players voted on whether they want to be represented by the College Athletes Players Association, but it could be some time before the results are known. The ballots were sealed inside a box that will be kept by the National Labor Relations Board until it makes a final decision on whether the players are employees of the university.

Jason Polykoff, an assistant basketball coach at Penn for the last two seasons, has been named head coach at Division III Earlham College in Richmond, Ind. Before joining the Quakers, the Havertown native compiled a 113-28 record in five seasons at Friends' Central.

TENNIS No. 1 Rafael Nadal lost to No. 20 Nicolas Almagro, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, at the Barcelona Open, snapping his 41-match winning streak in the event.

Two-time defending champion Maria Sharapova needed eight match points to put away top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4, 6-3, for a place in the Porsche Grand Prix semifinals in Stuttgart, Germany. - Staff and wire reports