Doak Walker Critically Hurt While Skiing

Doak Walker, a Heisman Trophy winner and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was critically injured Friday morning in a skiing accident at Steamboat Ski Resort in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Walker, 71, fell while skiing on Lower Rainbow, a groomed intermediate trail on the upper mountain. The Steamboat ski patrol responded to the accident and administered CPR and other life-support measures.

Walker was taken to a local hospital, then airlifted to Columbia Swedish Medical Center in Denver. He was in critical condition with head and possible back injuries, according to hospital spokeswoman Sara Spaulding.

Walker was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. A Southern Methodist All-American halfback, Walker won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. He played six seasons with the Detroit Lions--1950-55--leading them to two NFL titles.

Baseball

His knees weakened by nine operations and his dream of a World Series ring realized, longtime Philadelphia Phillie catcher Darren Daulton retired.

“I don’t have as much control over my game as I once did,” the three-time all-star said. “If I can’t play at the level I used to, then it’s time to move on.”

After spending 17 years in the Phillie organization, Daulton was traded to Florida on July 21 and was an integral part of the Marlins’ World Series championship team.

Outfielder Patrick Lennon, who hit .293 in 56 games with the Oakland Athletics last season, signed a minor league contract with the Angels.

Olympics

The IOC’s top medical official has warned NHL players about taking cold tablets containing banned stimulants, saying an entire team could be thrown out of the Olympics for a single positive test.

“We have rules and rules have to be applied,” Prince Alexandre de Merode, chairman of the IOC medical commission, said. “Even if professional players are coming, they have to accept the rules of the Olympic Games.”

Michael Dionne, a member of the U.S. bobsled team, was barred from the Winter Olympics after testing positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine.

Three skiers left off the U.S. Olympic freestyle team won their appeal to be added to the squad when an arbitrator in Denver ruled the selection procedure wasn’t fair or clear.

Stacey Blumer, seven-time U.S. aerials champion and defending overall World Cup champion, and moguls skiers Jim Moran and Evan Dybvig, were ordered restored to the team after a two-day arbitration hearing.

Olympic-bound U.S. freestyle skier Jonny Moseley wowed the judges with a spectacular “helicopter” move on his second run to edge Dybvig in World Cup moguls competition at Breckenridge, Colo. Jenny Eidolf of Sweden won the women’s event, beating out teammate Sara Kjellin.

Former world champion snowboarder Ross Powers and Todd Richards continued their duel down to the final ride of an Olympic qualifier at Mammoth Mountain. Although Powers won, both earned an Olympic berth in the halfpipe.

Sumo wrestling, body building, speedboat racing and motorcycle racing gained provisional recognition from the IOC, the first step toward acceptance as Olympic sports.

Golf

Dave Stockton shot a seven-under-par 64 to take a three-stroke lead over David Graham and Lee Trevino in the first round of the Senior Tour’s Royal Caribbean Classic at Key Biscayne, Fla.

Bob Murphy and Bob Duval are four shots back at 68. Defending champion Gibby Gilbert shot a six-over 77.

Names in the News

Ron Ponciano, 38, was named head football coach at Cal State Northridge. Ponciano was defensive coordinator at Northridge in 1995-96 and at San Jose State last season.

UCLA named Todd Saldana coach of its women’s soccer team. Saldana coached the Loyola Marymount men’s team last season, guiding it to a 6-9-1 record. He was an assistant coach at UCLA from 1989-94.

Ralph Perez, former assistant coach of the U.S. national soccer team, has been hired as an assistant coach by the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The female assistant golf pro at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kan., is suing the Buffalo Bills’ Thurman Thomas, accusing the running back of making a sexual comment when the woman asked for Thomas’ autograph. She is asking for more than $75,000 in damages.

Miscellany

The NCAA has approved Pennsylvania’s decision to forfeit five football victories last season after discovering one of its star athletes played while he was a part-time student. The forfeits put the Quakers’ record at 1-9.

FINA, world swimming’s governing body, said that the substances seized by police at a motel used by the Chinese team during the recent World Championships at Perth, Australia, were legal remedies. FINA said of the 27 vials, “No illegal substances were present in the items tested.”