Basketball
CAPEL HIRED AT OU: Jeff Capel was hired as Oklahoma's basketball coach Tuesday, resigning at Virginia Commonwealth to replace Kelvin Sampson and take over a program under NCAA investigation. VCU confirmed Capel's move in a statement from president Eugene Trani and athletic director Richard Sander.
The New Orleans Bowl lost its leadoff spot in the college football calendar. The game, which matches the Sun Belt Conference champion against a Conference USA opponent, has begun the bowl season since its inception in 2001. It will move to a weekend night and be played on Friday, Dec. 22. The GMAC Bowl on Dec. 20 in Mobile, Ala., now becomes the season's first bowl.
Auto racing
CHIEF SUSPENDED: Chad Norris, crew chief for Matt Kenseth's Busch Series car, was fined $10,000 and suspended for three races on Tuesday because Kenseth's car failed its postrace inspection at Texas Motor Speedway. Kenseth, who finished fifth in Saturday's race, was penalized 25 Busch Series points and Jack Roush was docked 25 car owner points.
CSU NAMES AD: Southern Illinois Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk was named to the same job at Colorado State on Tuesday. Kowalczyk replaces Mark Driscoll, who resigned last month after 2 1/2 years to return to the banking business. Kowalczyk had been athletic director at Southern Illinois since April 2000.
Olympics
USOC AIDE RESIGNS: U.S. Olympic Committee chief operating officer Wallace Gregson resigned Tuesday to pursue other professional interests. The 60-year-old Gregson had only been on the job seven months as a key assistant at the USOC to chief executive officer Jim Scherr. Before coming to the USOC, Gregson was a commanding general for the Marines in the Pacific and Middle East. Spokesman Darryl Seibel said the USOC board had not yet determined the process for replacing Gregson, who was in charge of finance, human resources and Olympic Training Center operations during his brief time at the USOC.
Golf
TOURNEY RETURNS: The PGA Tour event in Hartford was brought back to life Tuesday with a new title sponsor and a spot on the FedEx Cup portion of the schedule starting in 2007. The Hartford tournament, which began in 1952, was not included in the main segment of the PGA Tour's new schedule and was either going to be cast into the secondary "Fall Series" of events or transformed into a Champions Tour event. It got a reprieve, however, when 84 Lumber decided not to continue sponsorship of its tour event in western Pennsylvania. That allowed Hartford and its new title sponsor — St. Paul Travelers — to fill the summer vacancy. The St. Paul Travelers Championship will be played June 21-24 next year on the TPC at River Highlands, one week after the U.S. Open.