Sports digest 10/10/01

Royals release Quirk, reassign White

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bench coach Jamie Quirk was released and first base coach Frank White was reassigned Tuesday in a shake-up of Kansas City's coaching staff.

Quirk, who played for the Royals in the 1970s and '80s, had been a coach for the past eight seasons.

White, a five-time All-Star second baseman, spent his entire 18-year playing career with the Royals and in 1985 became the first second baseman since Jackie Robinson to bat cleanup in the World Series. A Kansas City native, he has always been one of the city's most popular athletes.

The Royals said White would become a special assistant to general manager Allard Baird. His new duties will include scouting and evaluating players, and working on the business side of the baseball operations staff.

Jarrett wants NASCAR to mandate restraints

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Jarrett called on NASCAR to require the use of head-and-neck restraints, saying Tuesday there is enough known about the benefits of the devices to warrant the order.

"At this stage, everybody needs to be wearing something," Jarrett said. "NASCAR should not be letting anyone get in a car without it."

Jarrett, the 1999 Winston Cup champion, said his stance on the devices has changed over the season. Although he started the year wearing a HANS device, he said he thought the use of such restraints should be a drivers' choice.

After studying the benefits of the devices -- which many believe could have prevented the skull fractures that killed four of five drivers over the past 17 months -- Jarrett said he changed his mind.

"We've looked at these things, we've learned what it does and we know it can save lives," he said. "It's time to stop playing around and get them on everybody."

Chowan names Saban as interim coach

MURFREESBORO, N.C. -- Former NFL coach Lou Saban will return to the college ranks once again as he was chosen as the interim head coach at Chowan on Tuesday.

The 80-year-old Saban replaces Steve Lee, who resigned as coach Monday but will maintain his duties as athletics director until May 2002.

Lee had a 13-20 record at Chowan, which plays on the Division III level.

Saban had been hired by the school to consult with the football coaches and help with the fund-raising campaign for the new football stadium.

Saban, the father of LSU coach Nick Saban, has held coaching positions with eight colleges and universities, six professional teams, three high schools and one semipro team.

Chowan (1-4) plays at Christopher Newport on Saturday.

Northwestern: Workout reports violated rules

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern University President Henry Bienen said Tuesday he supports his athletic department's actions in the summer workout death of football player Rashidi Wheeler.

But Bienen said the school's review of the death shows that the results of the drills conducted during the team's summer workouts were reported to the football coaching staff, which he called a secondary violation of NCAA guidelines.

"We already have reported these apparent violations to the NCAA and we have self-imposed penalties," including dropping six of its allotted football practices, Northwestern's president said in a statement. "We are hopeful that the NCAA will accept these penalties."

NCAA spokeswoman Jane Jankowski said she did not know of Northwestern's case but it was very common for a school to report secondary violations, with self-imposed or corrective action. She said the NCAA reviews each case and either accepts the penalties or makes other recommendations to the school.

Wheeler, a 22-year-old senior safety, died Aug. 3 during a workout in Evanston. Bronchial asthma was listed as the cause of death.

-- From wire reports