Sports briefs
In the NHL
The Dallas Stars fired second-year coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday for what the team called unprofessional conduct.
General manager Jim Nill said Montgomery had acted inconsistently with “core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars and the National Hockey League.” He did not elaborate.
Nill said he became aware Sunday of an act by Montgomery and the decision to fire him came after an internal investigation that included discussions with the team’s general counsel. Nill said only that it was not because of a criminal act, had no connection to players, past or present, and didn’t involve another employee of the team.
Rick Bowness, who came on an assistant coach with Montgomery, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Novell won’t coach in Cotton Bowl
Former Memphis coach Mike Norvell says he won’t coach the Tigers in the Cotton Bowl now that he’s taken the Florida State job.
Norvell said Tuesday in a letter to Memphis fans that the transition to a new job made him unable to coach the Cotton Bowl. The 15th-ranked Tigers (12-1) face No. 13 Penn State (10-2) on Dec. 28 in Arlington, Texas.
Norvell was introduced as Florida State’s coach Sunday, one day after he led Memphis to a 29-24 victory over No. 23 Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference championship game. Ryan Silverfield, a co-offensive coordinator on Norvell’s Memphis staff, has been named the Tigers’ interim head coach.
ODU hires PSU assistant
Old Dominion has hired Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne as its head coach.
Rahne has been offensive coordinator at Penn State the last two seasons and on coach James Franklin’s staffs with the Nittany Lions and Vanderbilt since 2011. The 39-year-old former Cornell quarterback has never been a head coach.
ODU is replacing the only head coach its football program has ever had in Bobby Wilder, who resigned after 11 seasons with a 77-56 record. Wilder led the program through its transition from FCS to FBS. The Monarchs went 1-11 this season.