Armstrong says 2005 Tour is his last
AUGUSTA, Ga., April 18 (UPI) -- Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong announced his retirement Monday, saying this year's race in France will be his last.
"The Tour de France will be my last race," he told reporters in a pre-race news conference in Augusta, where he is defending his Tour of Georgia title Tuesday.
Armstrong, the only man to have won cycling's most-prestigious title six consecutive times, turns 34 this year. A cancer survivor, his stunning performance on the Tour led to allegations of drug use, which he has denied and which tests have shown to be unfounded.
Armstrong defends his Tour of Georgia title Tuesday. The six-day, 648-mile event starts in Augusta, Ga. It will be his last race in the United States.
This year's Tour de France will run July 2-24.
NFL's Sam Mills dies at 45
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 18 (UPI) -- Carolina Panthers linebackers coach and former NFL star Sam Mills died Monday of Cancer, the team reported.
Mills was 45. He was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in August 2003.
"Sam's passing is an enormous loss," Coach John Fox said. "He worked with our staff throughout his illness and was an inspiration to everyone. As a coach, he made the players better. As a friend, he made us all better.
Mills, a linebacker in his playing days, was selected for the Pro Bowl five times in a 12-year NFL career with New Orleans and Carolina.
His career statistics include 1,319 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 11 interceptions and four touchdowns.
"Words are inadequate to express what Sam meant to the Panthers organization," said Jerry Richardson, the team's owner. "We were privileged to have him as a member of our family, and we are devastated over this loss."
Ndereba, Negussie win Boston Marathon
BOSTON, April 18 (UPI) -- Kenya's Catherine Ndereba won her fourth Boston Marathon Monday and Hailu Negussie of Ethiopia took the men's title.
Ndereba, the defending champion, finished in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 13 seconds, ahead of runner-up Elfenesh Alemu of Ehiopia. Ndereba is the first woman to win the race four times.
Negussie's time was 2:11.24. Second among the men was Wilson Onsare of Kenya.
Kenyan men had won 13 of the previous 14 Boston races.
More than 20,000 runners participated in the marathon -- the world's oldest -- which has been run since 1897.
Florida Atlantic hires Matt Doherty
BOCA RATON, Fla., April 18 (UPI) -- Former North Carolina Coach Matt Doherty was named men's basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University Monday.
Doherty succeeds Sydney Green, who was fired March 15 after a 10-17 record this season.
Doherty coached North Carolina for three seasons, resigning in 2003. He also coached Notre Dame for a year.
In Doherty's first season at North Carolina, the Tar Heels were 26-7 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The next season, 2001-02, North Carolina fell to 8-20, its worst record ever, but the Tar Heels came back the next season with a 19-16 reord and two wins in the 2003 NIT.
Earlier in his career, Doherty was an assistant to Roy Williams at Kansas for seven years. Williams this season coached North Carolina to the national title with some players who had been recruited by Doherty.
Doherty, who played alongside Michael Jordan and James Worthy at North Carolina in the early 1980s, has a record of 75-58 as a head coach.
Florida Atlantic plays in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
