■ Football
Payton is coach of the year
Sean Payton might have had the toughest coaching job in US pro football this season, making his selection on Saturday as the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year that much more impressive. Payton, in his first year as a head coach, didn't just lead the New Orleans Saints to a 10-6 record, the NFC South division championship and a first-round playoff bye -- he also helped revitalize a battered city's spirit. With New Orleans ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the Saints became nomads that season, winding up 3-13 under Jim Haslett.
■ Football
Bearcats beat W Michigan
Kevin Lovell's 33-yard, fourth-quarter field goal lifted Cincinnati over Western Michigan 27-24 in US college football's inaugural International Bowl in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday. Lovell's kick with 8:49 left came after a 7-yard touchdown run by Western Michigan's Brandon West tied it. The Cincinnati Bearcats led 24-0 early in the second quarter and held off the Broncos to win the first bowl game held outside the US since 1937. The Broncos had a chance to force overtime with 1:21 remaining, but Nate Meyers' 51-yard field-goal attempt was wide.
■ Boxing
Simms regains WBA title
Travis Simms of the US seized the World Boxing Association super welterweight title in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, stopping compatriot Jose Antonio Rivera in the ninth round. Simms remained unbeaten, dominating a lopsided fight that was halted by referee Frank Santore at two minutes into the ninth after Rivera was knocked down for the second time. Simms, who improved to 25-0 with 19 wins inside the distance, had been credited with a knockdown in the second round when Rivera fell into the ropes under a Simms barrage. Simms regained the earlier title he won on Dec. 13, 2003 with a fifth-round knockout of Mexico's Alejandro Garcia.
■ Basketball
Brown returns to 76ers
Larry Brown, who served six years as coach and vice-president of the Philadelphia 76ers, is returning to the front office of the NBA club. Brown's return comes just weeks after the Sixers dispatched Allen Iverson to Denver in one of the biggest trades of this season. Iverson and Brown clashed on numerous occasions before Brown left the team in May 2003. Brown will be responsible for assisting general manager Billy King and the 76ers front office and basketball operations staff in personnel decisions as well as other special projects. Brown, 66, posted a 255-205 record with the Sixers and guided them to the playoffs five times, including the 2001 NBA Finals.
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