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SPORTS BRIEFS

Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - 12:07 AM

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AUTO RACING

NASCAR technical director found dead

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Steve Peterson, NASCAR's technical director who spent 13 years helping make the circuit safer for drivers, was found dead in his home in Concord, N.C., yesterday. He was 58.

The cause of death was not disclosed, but NASCAR said it appeared to be of natural causes.

Mr. Peterson joined NASCAR in 1995 and spearheaded several safety initiatives, including installation of the SAFER Barriers and the implementation of safety features in the Car of Tomorrow. He also helped the circuit get approval for head and neck restraints and improved seat belts.

Mr. Peterson won the 2006 Society of Automotive Engineers Motorsports Achievement Award.

OLYMPICS

Track coach Graham banned for life

Track coach Trevor Graham received a lifetime ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for his role in helping his athletes obtain performance-enhancing drugs.

Graham has been banned from participating in any event sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee, the IAAF, USA Track and Field or any other group that participates in the World Anti-Doping Agency program.

He was convicted in May of one count of lying to federal investigators about his relationship to an admitted steroids dealer. He's still awaiting sentencing and has asked a judge to toss out his conviction.

Ndongo scores 4 points; Cameroon falls

Virginia Commonwealth University forward Franck Ndongo had four points and five rebounds as Cameroon failed to qualify for the Olympics by losing 81-72 to Puerto Rico in Athens, Greece. Ndongo is a rising junior at VCU. Cameroon is 0-2 in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournament and will not advance out of its group to the quarterfinals. In other Olympics news:

Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stefan Koubek and Karin Knapp have withdrawn from the Olympic tennis tournament because of injuries. The 23-year-old Tsonga, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final, is still undergoing physical therapy. Koubek, 31, has a back injury. Knapp hasn't played since losing to Maria Sharapova in the third round of the French Open.

In Budapest, Hungary, Gyorgy Kolonics, a canoeing gold medalist at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, died Tuesday after collapsing in his canoe while training for the Beijing Games. He was 36. The Hungarian Olympic Committee cited heart failure as the probable cause of death.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Mangino gets extension from Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas gave coach Mark Mangino a raise and extended his contract two years, amending his deal to up his compensation to $2.3 million per year.

The contract now runs through 2012.

Mangino, entering his seventh year at Kansas, was The Associated Press coach of the year last season. The Jayhawks went 12-1, including a 24-21 victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, Kansas' first BCS bowl victory.

HOCKEY

Red Wings' Drake retires

DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings forward Dallas Drake announced his retirement a month after raising the Stanley Cup for the first time in his 16-year career.

Drake, 39, was a sixth-round pick in the 1989 entry draft. He began his career in Detroit in 1992 after playing four seasons at Northern Michigan University.

Drake has 177 goals, 300 assists and 885 penalty minutes in 1,009 regular-season games. He has 14 goals, 19 assists and 79 penalty minutes in 90 playoff games. In other NHL news:

A Michigan bank is suing NHL veteran Sergei Fedorov, saying payments have stopped on more than $2 million in loans. Citizens State Bank filed a lawsuit Monday against Fedorov, a former star with the Detroit Red Wings who now plays for the Washington Capitals.

ELSEWHERE

The Orlando Magic signed veteran free agent point guard Anthony Johnson. Johnson will back up starter Jameer Nelson as he enters his 12th NBA season. He played in 69 games last season for the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings.

The Golden State Warriors signed first-round pick Anthony Randolph to a contract. Based on the league's rookie scale, Randolph will make about $1.4 million his first season and about $1.5 million in his second as the 14th overall pick. Randolph averaged 15.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.26 blocked shots in his one college season at LSU.

Top-seeded Andreas Seppi withdrew from the Austrian Open tennis tournament with a groin injury shortly before the start of his opening match against Nicolas Devilder.

In Greensboro, N.C., a judge has sentenced the son of North Carolina State basketball coach Sidney Lowe to 15 months in a low-security prison farm on adozen charges, including robbery and kidnapping.

Lawyer Locke Clifford said Superior Court Judge Henry Frye Jr. sentenced Sidney Lowe II to a total of 11 years in prison but suspended the sentence to 15 months. The judge also ordered that Lowe serve five years of probation. AROUND THE STATE

Jenna Gambino, an assistant coach at Columbia University last season, has been named to a similar position with the Longwood women's basketball team.

Richmond Kickers Sascha Gorres and Mike Burke were named to USL Second Division team of the week. -- From Staff and Wire Reports