Bledsoe chooses retirement over backup
BEND, Ore., April 12 (UPI) -- Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe has decided to end his 14-season NFL career rather than remain a backup.
Bledsoe, 35, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, lost his starter's job to Tony Romo last season. In announcing his retirement at his Bend, Ore., home, he said he had no interest in continuing his career as a second-stringer.
He said he was moving on "with a smile on my face, in good health and ready to spend autumns at my kids' games instead of my on," ESPN.com reported.
Bledsoe, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1993 by New England, finished his career fifth in pass attempts (6,717) and completions (3,839), seventh in passing yards (44,611), and 13th in touchdown passes (251).
The former Washington State star spent his first nine seasons with the Patriots, the next three with the Buffalo Bills and his last two with Dallas.
Dan Reeves hired by Georgia State
ATLANTA, April 12 (UPI) -- Former NFL coach Dan Reeves has been hired by Georgia State University, which is looking into starting a football program.
Reeves participated in nine Super Bowls as either a player or a coach. After a playing career as a running back for the Dallas Cowboys, Reeves was the head coach for Denver, the New York Giants and Atlanta. He was in the NFL for 23 years.
It is that experience that Georgia State is looking to tap as it considers starting a football program to compete in the former NCAA Division I-AA, now called the University Championship Division. Reeves would be a consultant to the athletic department.
"Obviously, we are not saying that we are starting a football team but we are aggressively looking for the answers to see if the financial support will meet the emotional support in order to do that," Georgia State Director of Athletics Mary McElroy said at a news conference.
Georgia State would be the eighth member of the Colonial Athletic Association to compete in football.
Jacquelin, Huang tied for Volvo Open lead
SHANGHAI, April 12 (UPI) -- Raphael Jacquelin and Ming-Jie Huang overcame windy conditions Thursday and shot three-under-par 68 to share the first-round lead at the Volvo China Open.
Jacquelin had five birdies and two bogeys on his round at the Shanghai Silport Golf Club while Huang bounced back after bogeys on his first three holes. They are one stroke ahead of Gary Rusnak. A group of 11 golfers finished the first round at one-under 70.
"I said to my caddie as we set out, anything under par will be good so just try and par every hole," said Jacquelin in reference to the course conditions. "Par would have been a good score and three-under is even better. It is going to be tough to score under par so you just have to try and save pars on every hole."
Huang, three over after three holes, birdied four consecutive holes midway through his round and grabbed the lead with a birdie on No. 18.
Jacquelin was as low as four-under on the day but bogeys on 14 and 17 dropped him back. He also birdied 18 to share the lead.
Ferrero among seeds beaten in Valencia
VALENCIA, Spain, April 12 (UPI) -- Second-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero was ousted in straight sets Thursday during second-round play at the Valencia Open in Spain.
Ferrero, who won this event in 2003, was dumped by Alberto Martin 6-4, 6-2 in a tournament that has seen many seeds fall in early rounds. Fifth-seeded Gilles Simon, last year's Valencia runner-up, was also upset Thursday, losing to Marcel Granollers-Pujol 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Other matches Thursday saw Navarro Pastor getting by Augustin Gensse 7-6 (13-11), 6-4; Evgeny Korolev beating Sergio Roitman 1-6, 7-5, 6-0; Potito Starace topping Pablo Andujar 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; and Santiago Ventura winning 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4 over Alejandro Falla.
The only seeded players left are No. 3 Nicolas Almagro, the event's defending champion, and No. 7 Filippo Volandri. But only one will advance to the semifinals because Almagro and Volandri are paired off in Friday's quarterfinals.
The other quarters will pit Navarro Pastor against Korolev, Starace versus Granollers-Pujol and Ventura against Martin.
