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In brief
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 8, 2003
Conference USA released its 2003 football schedule Friday, and South Florida's inaugural C-USA campaign will feature a Friday night home game Oct.10 against defending league champion and Liberty Bowl winner TCU, which will be televised by ESPN or ESPN2.
USF's other league games are Sept.27 at Army, Oct.4 vs. Louisville, Oct.25 at Southern Miss, Nov1 vs. Cincinnati, Nov.8 at East Carolina, Nov.22 vs. UAB and Nov.29 at Memphis.
The Bulls do not play C-USA teams Houston and Tulane. They play Memphis a third straight season, Southern Miss a third time in four seasons and at East Carolina a second straight season.
USF beat all three in 2002 plus Houston en route to a 4-0 record against league teams while going 9-2 overall. C-USA is working on the TV schedule, so additional games may be broadcast nationally. The TCU game is USF's first on an ESPN network.
Baylor exercised its buyout option on a Sept.20 game at Raymond James Stadium. Athletic director Lee Roy Selmon said he will try to add two Division I-A home games to give the Bulls a full 12-game schedule and six home games.
JUDO: Tyrone Jermain Hogan, 20, who was pummeled by a Florida International team when members caught him trying to steal their van, was sentenced in Los Angeles to 11 years in prison for kidnapping, robbery and carjacking. FIU was in Los Angeles to teach a self-defense class.
SOCCER: USF senior midfielder Tia Opliger was named to the Soccer Buzz All-Southeast Region third team. ... Brandon's Jacqueline Hinton and St. Pete Beach's Katie McCain were two of eight to sign letters of intent with Central Florida's women.
DIVING: Report explains little: The International Association of Free Divers in Miami said in a report the death of "no limits" diver Audrey Mestre during a world-record attempt was an accident with no single cause. While it mentions mechanical problems and bad weather as causes of the fatal dive, the report doesn't address questions about the number of safety divers in the water with Mestre or discuss implementing safety procedures used by other free-diving organizations.
Mestre, 28, died Oct.12 in the Dominican Republic attempting to break the depth record set by her husband, Francisco Ferreras. In "no limits" diving, divers take a deep breath, plummet hundreds of feet using a weighted sled, then rocket to the surface when air tanks are inflated.
HORSES: TBD to host state's best: The inaugural Florida Cup Day, a six-race stakes card featuring an estimated $500,000 in purses and designed to showcase in-state products, will be held April6 at Tampa Bay Downs. Three races will be for 3-year-olds, three for older horses at several distances on turf and dirt.
TBD, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association and Tampa Bay Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association will contribute $150,000 each to help fund an event that follows the success of the Florida vs. California Sunshine Millions series.
OLYMPICS: IOC vice president Thomas Bach said a Brazil bid to host the 2012 Games, the first held in South America, would receive strong consideration. Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo will be the candidate city.
PREPS: Fort Worth Dunbar (Texas) coach Robert Hughes won his 1,274th game, matching the record for most wins (retired Morgan Wootten, DeMatha in Hyattsville, Md.) by a high school basketball coach. Hughes can surpass Wootten on Tuesday night with a win against Fort Worth Polytechnic.
TRACK AND FIELD: Gail Devers set an American indoor record in the 60-meter hurdles at the Millrose Games in New York, finishing in 7.78 seconds. She topped Jackie Joyner-Kersee's 1989 mark of 7.81. Stacy Dragila reset her American record in the pole vault, 15 feet, 53/4 inches. She cleared 15-51/2 last week in Boston.