Tennessee assistant to coach Duke football
DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Duke University picked Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe Saturday as its next head football coach.
Cutcliffe, 53, had a 44-29 record as head coach at Mississippi from 1999-2004, coaching the Rebels to four bowl victories against one loss. He was previously the offensive coordinator at Tennessee for 17 years and returned to the Volunteers in 2006.
Duke needed a replacement for Ted Roof, who was fired following the 2007 season.
Roof -- who took over seven games into the 2003 season and had one year remaining on his contract -- was 6-45 in four-plus seasons at the school and lost 25 straight Atlantic Coast Conference games. The Blue Devils finished 2007 at 1-11 and 0-8 in ACC play.
Cutcliffe will continue to serve on the Tennessee staff through the Volunteers' Outback Bowl game against Wisconsin Jan. 1.
Cutcliffe was SEC Coach of the Year in 2003 after leading the Rebels to a 10-3 record, including a 31-28 victory over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.
Pettitte admits using growth hormone
NEW YORK, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte admitted Saturday he briefly used human growth hormone.
In a statement released by his agent, the 35-year-old left-hander said he only used HGH for two days in 2002 while trying to recover from an elbow injury.
"In 2002 I was injured. I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow. I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible. For this reason, and only this reason, for two days I tried human growth hormone.
"Though it was not against baseball rules, I was not comfortable with what I was doing, so I stopped," Pettitte said. "This is it -- two days out of my life; two days out of my entire career, when I was injured and on the disabled list. If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize. I accept responsibility for those two days."
Woods leads by 6 at Target Challenge
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods turned in a 5-under 67 Saturday and built a six-shot lead through 54 holes of the Target World Challenge in California.
Woods, defending champion and three-time winner of the event, is at 1-under 198, one stroke off Padraig Harrington's 2002 54-hole record.
Jim Furyk had the margin down to three, but double-bogeyed the 15th hole and wound up at 69-204.
Masters champion Zach Johnson also had a 69 and is third at 11-under 205. Henrik Stenson had a 7-under 65 in Saturday's third round and is at 206.
Woods set a tournament and course record Friday with a 10-under 62.
Joe Namath earns his college degree
TUSCALOOSA, Ala., Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Former Alabama quarterback Joe Namath received his degree Saturday after leaving the SEC school in 1965 to join the NFL.
Namath, 64, graduated with a bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies from the school's external studies program.
"This is an Alabama family," Namath told the Birmingham News. "I feel more part of it today than I ever have. It just took me a lot longer. This was a team effort, and I'm just lucky to be able to join up. Don't let anyone tell you it's too late."
Namath, who was 17 credits shy of his degree when he left Alabama and later led the New York Jets to a Super Bowl title, had promised his mother he would return at some point to get his degree. He did it after a dare by his daughter, Jessica, in 2002, when she was an Alabama student.
Namath, one of about 900 graduates, did not divulge his future plans.
