TAMPA, Fla. - Jim Leavitt thinks the job he has at South Florida is as appealing as any in college football and said Tuesday that he's not interested in leaving the Bulls to coach elsewhere.
"I love this place. I've always said from the beginning when I got here that I hope I can retire from here and sit up in the stands and watch the Bulls win championships," Leavitt said. "I don't even think about all of that. I have the best job in the country. ... If I have the best job in the country, why would I be interested in anything else?"
South Florida (8-4) finished its regular season with a 24-19 upset of then-No. 7 West Virginia and this weekend is expected to receive the second bowl berth in the program's 10-year history.
Leavitt, the only the coach the Bulls have had, turned down an offer to coach at Alabama four years ago and also rejected an overture from Kansas State when the Wildcats were looking for a replacement for Bill Snyder after the 2005 season.
College football
No. 8 Oklahoma will be without star tailback Adrian Peterson when it faces No. 19 Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game Saturday. Peterson, the 2004 Heisman runner-up, has missed six weeks after breaking his collarbone Oct. 14 on a touchdown run against Iowa State.
• Tulane fired head football coach Chris Scelfo yesterday after eight years and only two winning seasons, a school spokesman said. Tulane went 4-8 this season and Scelfo's overall record was 37-57 with only one postseason bowl appearance, a 36-28 victory over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl in 2002 following a 7-5 season.
Pro basketball
The Charlotte Bobcats added depth to their backcourt yesterday by signing veteran swingman Derek Anderson. The move was made to help lessen the load for point guards Raymond Felton and Brevin Knight. Anderson has experience playing point guard, shooting guard and small forward.
High schools
A Catholic high school girls' basketball coach whose team won a state championship earlier this year resigned after being arrested in a prostitution sting over the weekend, school officials said. Andrew J. Bria, 56, was one of 17 people arrested in an undercover police detail in York, police said. He was charged with patronizing a prostitute Saturday after he allegedly agreed to pay for sex. Bria was the head coach of the team at York Catholic High School since 2000.
Hockey
The Phoenix Coyotes traded minor-league forward Tyson Nash and a fourth-round pick in the 2007 draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs for backup goalie Mikael Tellqvist yesterday. The 31-year-old Nash, known as an enforcer throughout his career, has spent this year with San Antonio in the AHL. The 27-year-old Tellqvist went 16-16-2 in parts of three seasons with Toronto, posting a 3.01 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.
• Atlanta Thrashers defenseman Andy Sutton is out indefinitely because of an ankle injury suffered in practice.
• Marian Gaborik skated with his Minnesota Wild teammates Monday for the first time since a groin injury and did so again in a short practice yesterday.
• Sabres rookie forward Jiri Novotny will miss up to 10 days after injuring his upper body during a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers.
Volleyball
Penn State volleyball player Megan Hodge has been named both the Big Ten player and freshman of the year. The accolades mark the first time in the conference's 23-year history that a freshman has claimed the Big Ten's top honor.
Off the field
Venus Williams insists she never committed to play against men in a 2001 "Battle of the Sexes" event, and such a splashy exhibition did not interest her. Williams spent a second day on the witness stand in a breach-of-contract lawsuit brought by promoters Carol Clarke and Keith Rhodes. Also testifying yesterday was her sister, Serena.
• Duquesne University announced that Bob Berda has been named associate athletic director of external relations. Derda brings more than 20 years of sports sales and marketing experience to Duquesne, including 18 years working with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
