Citadel Coach Suspended for Season

Charlie Taaffe, football coach at the Citadel, was suspended for the season Monday after his second drunken-driving arrest in three years.

Walt Nadzak, Citadel’s athletic director, said Taaffe will teach in the physical education department while defensive coordinator Don Powers runs the team.

Taaffe was arrested July 27 and charged with driving under the influence after allegedly running a red light in Mount Pleasant, S.C. He was acquitted of a DUI charge in 1993.

Hockey

Mario Lemieux, still undecided about returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins, has ruled out playing for Canada in the World Cup.

Lemieux, 30, returned last season after sitting out the 1994-95 season to recover from chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s disease and to rest his back. If he stays away, he will forego a contract worth nearly $11 million.

Pro Basketball

The New York Knicks will announce the signings of their three first-round draft picks, John Wallace of Syracuse, Walter McCarty of Kentucky and Dontae’ Jones of Mississippi State, in a news conference at Madison Square Garden.

The Detroit Pistons signed free-agent forward Rick Mahorn, a member of their “Bad Boys” squad that won an NBA championship in 1988-89.

Alton Lister, 37, re-signed with the Boston Celtics.

As expected, free-agent Dennis Rodman signed a one-year contract to remain with the Chicago Bulls.

Auto Racing

David Green, the Busch Grand National Series leader, will be the designated relief driver for injured Dale Earnhardt in the Bud at the Glen race this weekend at Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Earnhardt broke his left collar bone and sternum in a crash July 28 at Talladega, Ala. He has to at least start every race to be credited with championship points in the NASCAR Winston Cup series. He is second in the standings, 61 points behind Terry Labonte.

Shelly Anderson won the top fuel title in the rain-delayed Northwest Nationals at Kent, Wash., beating Mike Dunn in the quickest race in National Hot Rod Assn. history.

Anderson covered a quarter-mile in Seattle in 4.663 seconds at 308 mph for her second victory of the season. Dunn finished in 4.710 at 308.85.

John Force won the funny car final and Mike Edwards was the pro stock winner.

Names in the News

Former champion Julio Cesar Chavez will fight Joey Gamache at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Oct. 12 as the main undercard bout to the Oscar De La Hoya-Miguel Angel Gonzales fight.

Kevin Luttrell, a Memphis football signee from Brentwood Academy, died after a boating accident at Nashville, Tenn. He was 18.

University of Virginia basketball player Harold Deane was convicted of trespassing and resisting arrest for his role in an April 13 incident outside a nightclub in Charlottesville. He received two 30-day suspended jail terms.

Nick Curl was named vice president of the L.A. Marathon.

Miscellany

The Clippers announced an agreement for 20 of their games to be broadcast by Channel 9, including five home games.