Football
IRVIN RETURNS: Michael Irvin returned to the Dallas Cowboys, providing the Super Bowl champions with some of the spark they've been missing while he was suspended for violating the NFL's drug policy.
Irvin pleaded no-contest to felony cocaine possession charges in July, ending a trial that exposed several other scandals, including a murder-for-hire plot that was funded by a policeman and targeted Irvin.
JOHNSON HAS SURGERY: The New York Jets will have to try breaking their losing streak without their flamboyant rookie, Keyshawn Johnson.
Johnson, the receiver from Southern Cal who was the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, underwent arthroscopic surgery for torn right knee cartilage. Johnson, hurt Wednesday in practice, will be sidelined three to four weeks.
$1 MILLION FOR RYPIEN: Mark Rypien, the 1992 Super Bowl MVP with Washington, signed a one-year contract with Philadelphia that, with incentives, could be worth $1 million.
Eagles coach Ray Rhodes has said Ty Detmer will be the starter now that Rodney Peete has been put on the injured reserve list after a season-ending knee injury. Rypien spent last season with St. Louis.
NATIONAL INVITE: The East "Goats," a team of 11-year-old Mitey Mites in Ute Conference football with a 48-1-1 record and two state championships in the last 21/2 years, has been invited to play in the National Youth Football Championships to be held in Las Vegas Nov. 27-30.
There they will face competition from 15 teams in their age group for the national title. There will be 60 teams total at the tournament, ranging in age from 8-16. The Utah state championships are the first week of November.
The East Goats are 5-0 in league play this season with another eight wins in practice games. The players live in the East High School district that now ranges all the way to Redwood Road and 17th South.
The team has 23 players and is coached by Keith Romney.
Golf
UTAH SECTION PGA: It was no surprise when Kim Thompson emerged as the winner of the Utah Section PGA Championship Thursday at Wingpointe Golf Course. Thompson had won the match play tournament five times since 1986 and has been the Section player of the year six times in the past decade.
The American Fork pro edged Jimmy Blair, one of the hottest players in Utah this year, 3 and 2 in the morning semifinal round, then came back to defeat Glen Spencer 1 up in the afternoon, by birdieing the final four holes. Spencer, an assistant at Rose Park, had defeated St. George's Brett Sampson in the morning 2 and 1.
East Bay pro Kean Ridd captured the senior division with a 5 and 4 victory over Bob Flagler.
Tennis
SINGAPORE OPEN: Michael Chang beat Venezuelan Javier Frana with ease today to move into the semifinals of the Singapore Open along with fellow American Jonathan Stark and Britain's Greg Rusedski.
Top-seeded Chang outclassed Frana 6-4, 6-1 and will play Rusedski in the semis. Rusedski beat Russian Andrei Olhovskiy 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.
LEIPZIG OPEN: German star Steffi Graf beat Austrian Judith Wiesner 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Leipzig Open. Graf will face 1995 winner Anke Huber of Germany, who edged Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in a rematch of last year's final.
MARBELLA OPEN: In Marbella, Spain, fourth-seeded Albert Corretja of Spain beat Johan van Herck of Belgium 6-3, 6-2 in the Marbella Open to advance to a quarterfinal match with Marcelo Filippini of Uruguay. Filippini edged Franco Squillari of Argentina 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).
LYON GRAND PRIX: In Lyon, France, France's Lionel Roux beat Chris Woodruff 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals of the Lyon Grand Prix.
Auto racing
UAW-GW QUALITY 500: Robby Gordon's bid to put a Dale Earnhardt-owned car into the UAW-GM Quality 500 was stopped by a concrete wall in Concord, N.C.
Gordon had the 13th-fastest speed in Wednesday night's first round of time trials, but lost control of the car during practice and slammed into a retaining wall. The Chevrolet was too badly damaged to repair.
A backup car was obtained, but after four laps - his last available practice time before Sunday's race - Gordon said he was not comfortable in the car. Gordon is leaving Indy-car racing for the NASCAR circuit.
Prep sports
JOHNSEN SIGNS WITH UTES: Murray High basketball standout Britton Johnsen, a 6-foot-9 pivotman who averaged 16 points and 9.1 rebounds for last year's 4A state champions, verbally committed to the University of Utah Thursday.
The first team all-stater, a senior, will be reunited with older brother Jeff, Utah's only two-time Mr. Basketball, who is preparing for his freshman season with the Utes.
The Johnsen brothers led the Spartans to a 22-2 record last season - culmniating with the program's first state title in 50 years. Britton scored a team-high 22 points in Murray's 72-71 triple overtime victory over East in the championship game.
"I like playing with (Jeff)," Britton told the Deseret News during Murray's state championship run. "It makes me a better player."
The duo helped Murray reach the 4A title game in consecutive years.
"When we are on the same team," Jeff said at the time. "It's all about winning."
Britton chose Utah over scholarship offers from Brigham Young, Connecticut, Florida and Syracuse.
BRUINS IN 'BAMA: Mountain View's boys and girls cross country programs are in Birmingham, Ala., to compete in Saturday's Race for America at the prestigious Vulcan Classic. The Bruins, who are ranked second in the nation (both boys and girls), hold the country's top power rating.