Delaware State selects wrestling coach

Delaware State has hired Earl E. Walker Jr. as head wrestling coach. Walker replaces Darren Archangelo, who resigned.

Walker currently owns and directs Basics Plus Wrestling Camps and serves as executive director and sports psychology consultant with Self Realization Consulting, Inc. in Massachusetts. He has completed three terms as an assistant coach at Boston U., the most recent spanning 2000 to 2004. Walker also was an assistant at UC Davis. From 1992 to 2004, he worked as assistant director and site manager for the Carl Adams World Class Wrestling School.

A wrestling all-American in the 158-pound class at Boston U., Walker was named as the school's top male athlete in 1993-94. He earned a bachelor's degree in clinical exercise physiology in 1995, a master's degree in human movement in 1998 and a doctorate in counseling psychology in 2003 at Boston U.

TRANSACTIONS

Chief executive officers

James M. Harder was named as president at Bluffton, effective at the beginning of the next academic year. Harder has been vice president for institutional planning and special assistant to the president of the school ... Linfield selected Thomas Hellie as president, effective April 3. Hellie has been president and executive director of the James S. Kemper Foundation in Chicago ... Southern Illinois announced Glenn W. Poshard as president, effective January 1. Poshard formerly was vice chancellor of administration at the school.

Directors of athletics

Dan Kuntz was appointed as director of athletics at Cal Lutheran ... Ball State hired Tom "TC" Collins as director of athletics to replace Bubba Cunningham. Collins has been a senior associate athletics director at Arizona State for the past five years ... Wartburg announced Rick Willis as athletics director to succeed Gary Grace, who became vice president for administration at the school. Willis, who relinquished responsibilites as head football coach after nine years, has been filling the post on an interim basis since last January.

Assistant director of athletics

Ernie McClatchie was chosen as an assistant director of athletics at Ithaca. McClatchie succeeds Deb Steward.

Coaches

Men's basketball ­ Oregon State awarded head coach Jay John a five-year contract extension through the 2009-10 season. John is in his fourth year with the school.

Men's basketball assistant ­ Charles A. Brown was added as an assistant coach at New Jersey City.

Women's basketball ­ Pacific (California) head coach Craig Jackson resigned. Jackson has been in charge of the program since the 2002-03 season. The school elevated assistant coach Karen Weitz to interim head coach.

Women's basketball assistant ­ American tabbed Bob Clark as interim assistant coach to replace Lisa Lyons. Clark has spent the past six seasons at Georgetown.

Football ­ Georgia Southern released head coach Mike Sewak, who took over the program at the end of the 2001 season ... Paul Hamilton resigned as head coach at Elon ... Rice head coach Ken Hatfield resigned after 12 seasons ... South Florida's Jim Leavitt agreed to a contract extension through 2012. Leavitt has been head coach at the school for 10 years ... Tom Craft was released after four seasons as head coach at San Diego State ... Al Golden was named as head coach at Temple to replace Bobby Wallace. Golden has been defensive coordinator at Virginia for the past five seasons.

Football assistants ­ Madre Hill was released as running backs coach and Tyrone Nix was promoted to assistant head coach at South Carolina. Nix was co-defensive coordinator ... Mississippi released offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone ... Carl Torbush was released as defensive coordinator at Texas A&M ... North Carolina's Gary Tranquill announced plans to retire after five seasons as quarterbacks coach. Tranquill formerly was head coach at Navy from 1982 to 1986 and also formerly was an assistant at Wittenberg, Virginia, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Ohio State, Bowling Green and Ball State ... David Cutcliffe was added as offensive coordinator at Tennessee. Cutcliffe replaces Randy Sanders, who resigned.

Men's and women's ice hockey ­ Minnesota awarded head men's coach Don Lucia with a three-year contract extension through the 2011-12 season. Lucia has compiled a 169-80-25 record and collected two NCAA national championships in six seasons at the school.

Men's and women's lacrosse ­ Delaware promoted Greg Carroll to associate head men's coach. Carroll has been top assistant coach with the school for six seasons.

Softball ­ Deb Pallozzi, head coach at Ithaca, accepted additional responsibilities as senior woman administrator. Pallozzi has been in charge of the program since 1989 ... Bentley hired Michele DeGregorio as head coach to succeed Dawn MacMillan. DeGregorio has spent the past 12 seasons as head coach at Merrimack.

Staff

Athletic trainer ­ Delaware State hired John C. Finley as director of sports medicine. Finley has been head athletic trainer at Goldey-Beacom since 2004.

Sports information ­ Franklin & Marshall tabbed Daniel Eggertsson as a sports information intern. Eggertsson is a 2005 graduate of the school, where he was a two-sport standout in football and men's golf.

National office

Christine Simatacolos was selected as associate director of membership services and Charnele Kennedy and Susan Ratliff were named as assistant directors of membership services at the NCAA national office. Simatacolos served as an assistant athletics director at Louisville. Kennedy most recently has been an assistant compliance coordinator at Indiana and Ratliff worked as an academic counselor at Tennessee.

Notables

Matt Leinart of Southern California was named as the 2005 recipient Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. The award is presented annually to the top senior quarterback in the nation. Leinart has thrown for 10,095 yards and 95 touchdowns and led the Trojans to back-to-back national championships during his career ... The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Rudy Niswanger, an offensive lineman at LSU, as the 2005 recipient of the Draddy Trophy, which recognizes individual achievement in academics, athletics and community service. The honor comes with a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship. Niswanger, a team captain this year, was a member of the Tigers' 2003 national championship team and participated on the Southeastern Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He also volunteered at campus shelters for survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ... Marcedes Lewis, a football student-athlete at UCLA, was named as winner of the John Mackey Award as the top college football tight end in the nation. The senior set school and career records this season with 58 receptions, 741 yards and 10 touchdowns ... Elvis Dumervil, senior defensive end at Louisville, was named recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as college football's top defensive player. Dumervil tallied 20 sacks and forced 10 fumbles this season and helped Louisville earn an invitation to the Gator Bowl.

DEATHS

Former Stonehill President Richard H. Sullivan died November 11. Sullivan was 93.

Former New Mexico football student-athlete Woodrow Jones Jr. died recently. Jones was a lineman for the Lobos from 1966 to 1968.

Mark Simpson, head golf coach at Colorado, died of lung cancer December 5. He was 55. Simpson, a 2005 inductee into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame, was in his 29th season in charge of the program.

--Compiled by Leilana McKindra