Colleges

Raymond James to stay Bulls' home through '11

By Times staff, wires
Published June 28, 2007

TAMPA - USF and the Tampa Sports Authority have agreed on a five-year renewal that will keep the Bulls at Raymond James Stadium through the 2011 season.

The extension, which includes a five-year option through 2016, also gives USF the right to back out of its contract with two years' notice if the Bulls are able to secure enough funding to move into an oncampus stadium.

The per-game cost to USF starts at $105, 000 this fall and increases by $10, 000 each year. Last year's rate was $86, 000, but the new lease gives USF unprecedented use of 3, 000 preferred parking spaces designated for Bulls donors. USF hasn't designated a cost for parking yet (TSA will continue to charge $10 for its spots), but those lots could create a net savings for USF from last year's total cost.

The agreement covers use of the football stadium's lower level, but should USF open the upper deck, the Bulls will pay TSA the direct costs of staffing the additional sections.

'NOLES GET QB: E.J. Manuel, the nation's top-rated all-purpose quarterback, announced at a news conference at his Virginia Beach (Va.) high school that he would sign with Florida State, rivals.com reported, strengthening what is shaping up as a high-powered recruiting class. He also considered Penn State, Alabama, Southern Cal, LSU and Miami.

VIRGINIA: Running back Keith Payne was suspended from the team for failure to meet academic responsibilities. The redshirt freshman was expected to compete for the starting job.

Basketball

SPARTANS SIGN PLAYMAKER: Edison State (Ohio) Community College point guard Mounir Benzegala signed a national letter of intent with Tampa.

COACH DIES: Pam Smith, Wittenberg (Ohio) University's most successful women's coach, died Tuesday after a long bout with cancer. She was 47.

LSU: The school has paid former women's coach Pokey Chatman the $160, 000 owed her under a contract settlement after her resignation. Chatman resigned March 7, shortly before the NCAA Tournament, after assistant coach Carla Berry raised allegations of improper conduct with a former player or players.

Elsewhere

RULES: A proposal that would have expanded the NCAA's drug-testing policy to include street drugs was rejected by an NCAA committee. The NCAA also will reconsider a rule that bans coaches from sending text messages to recruits at its Aug. 9 board of directors meeting. The ban is scheduled to take effect Aug. 1.

BASEBALL: Jim Wells, 52, will return as Alabama's coach, saying his decision six days earlier to retire "just didn't feel right."

TRACK: Shalonda Solomon and Natasha Hastings, both three-time NCAA champions at South Carolina, said they will forfeit their senior seasons for professional opportunities.

Times staff writers Greg Auman and Brian Landman contributed to this report.

[Last modified June 28, 2007, 14:45:39]