Bret Bielema heads to Arkansas

Bret Bielema is taking his brand of power football to Arkansas, leaving Wisconsin after seven seasons.

Arkansas released a statement Tuesday saying Bielema had agreed to a deal to take over a program reeling after the firing of former coach Bobby Petrino. A person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information hasn’t been released publicly, says the deal is for six years and $3.2 million annually.

The Razorbacks were 4-8 this season, and the school announced after the season that interim coach John L. Smith would not return.

Bielema was 68-24 with the Badgers, including a 17-14 win over Arkansas in the 2007 Capital One Bowl.

Wisconsin will play Stanford in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. This is the third consecutive season that the Badgers will play in Pasadena.

Auburn has turned to Gus Malzahn to restore a program that made an unprecedented fall two years after winning a national title with Cam Newton operating his high-powered offense to perfection.

Malzahn was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator during their 2010 national championship run before heading to Arkansas State for his first college head coaching position. He led the Red Wolves to a 9-3 record, a Sun Belt Conference title and a berth in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Tulsa Athletic Director Ross Parmley was fired Tuesday, a week after he was named in a federal investigation of a man accused of running a gambling operation in Oklahoma City.

ETC.

McIlroy is player of the year

Rory McIlroy was voted PGA Tour player of the year after winning four times, including his second major championship.

McIlroy won the Honda Classic and two FedEx Cup playoff events against some of the strongest fields, and captured his second major when he won the PGA Championship by eight shots.

He also won the PGA Tour money title and the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average.

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Free-agent outfielder Shane Victorino and the Red Sox agreed to a $39-million, three-year contract. Victorino finished last season with the Dodgers after being acquired in a July trade from Philadelphia.

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Second baseman Marco Scutaro is staying in San Francisco after agreeing to a $20-million, three-year contract with the Giants late Tuesday.

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Chicago Cubs Manager Dale Sveum said he was accidentally shot in the right ear and back by former teammate Robin Yount during a recent quail hunt in Arizona.

Sveum brushed off the mishap at the baseball winter meetings. He said the pellets drew blood but added he was OK and didn’t need stitches.

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The IOC suspended India’s national Olympic committee because of government interference in its election process, a major embarrassment for the world’s second-most-populous nation.

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Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr collapsed during a speech in Madison, Wis., on Tuesday. Conference organizers said later that he appeared to be OK.

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The Green Bay Packers’ former quarterback and coach finished speaking at the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority conference, then collapsed onstage.