Fulmer Rewarded by Tennessee

Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer on Saturday was given a one-year contract extension through the 2001 season and a pay raise from $470,000 to $505,000.

Fulmer is completing his fifth year as the Volunteers’ coach and has a 42-9 record, including 9-2 this season.

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Penn State Coach Joe Paterno turned 70 Saturday while in Scottsdale, Ariz., preparing his team for the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Paterno, who began coaching Penn State in 1966, has had quite a bit of success after milestone birthdays.

After Paterno turned 50, Penn State defeated Arizona State, 42-30, in the 1977 Fiesta Bowl; at 60, Paterno and the Nittany Lions beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, 14-10, to cap a 12-0 season.

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Kurtiss Riggs threw for 431 yards and five touchdowns as Sioux Falls beat Western Washington, 47-25, in Savannah, Tenn., to win the NAIA Division II championship.

The Cougars (14-0), who played 11 games on the road this year, capped their best season with their first appearance in the NAIA title game, three years after going 2-8.

Western Washington (11-2) also was in its first championship game.

Riggs was 25 for 32 and finished the season with an NAIA-record 55 touchdown passes with only three interceptions.