COLUMBUS, Ohio — Bill Willis, a Hall of Fame guard with the Cleveland Browns who also was Ohio State’s first black football All-American, died Tuesday evening, a university spokesman said. He was 86.

Willis had been battling a short illness and was hospitalized, said school spokesman Steve Snapp, who was notified of the death by one of Willis’ sons. No other details were released.

Willis, an All-American in 1943 and 1944, had his No. 99 jersey retired at halftime of the Wisconsin-Ohio State game on Nov. 3 at Ohio Stadium.

He had a distinguished career with the Browns (1946-53), helping to break the color barrier in professional football. Willis was inducted into both the college and pro football Halls of Fame.

Williams out for season

MIAMI — Ricky Williams’ latest comeback lasted one game.

The Miami Dolphins running back will miss the rest of the season with a torn chest muscle, according to his agent, Leigh Steinberg.

Williams was hurt Monday at Pittsburgh, when he played in his first game in nearly two years. He returned following a 1 1/2-year suspension for his latest violation of the NFL drug policy.

Plea agreement a possibility     for Vick

SUSSEX, Va. — Michael Vick’s lead attorney left open the possibility of a plea agreement after the suspended NFL star was scheduled for an April 2 jury trial on state dogfighting charges.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge in August and voluntarily reported to jail last week, even though he will not be formally sentenced until Dec. 10.

Vick was not in a Sussex courtroom when Surry County Circuit Judge Samuel Campbell set Vick’s trial date during a five-minute consultation with defense attorneys Lawrence Woodward and Martin and prosecutor Gerald Poindexter.

Vick, who’s being held at a Warsaw, Va., jail, faces up to five years in prison for his federal conviction.

BASEBALL

Rockies hurler fails drug test

NEW YORK — Former Colorado Rockies pitcher Dan Serafini was suspended for 50 games Tuesday, the second player to fail a drug test this season under Major League Baseball’s testing program.

Serafini tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance, the commissioner’s office said.

The 33-year-old left-hander played in three games and allowed two earned runs in a third of an inning with the Rockies last season. Currently a free agent, Serafini has played for Minnesota, the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Cincinnati.

Serafini blamed the positive result on substances prescribed by a doctor in Japan, where he was limited to a total of 16 games in 2006 and 2007 because of what he described as “significant injuries.”

“While trying to accelerate the healing process of these injuries, I took substances that were prescribed for me by a doctor in Japan,” Serafini said in a statement. “What I did not know at the time was that these substances would cause me to test positive once I returned to the U.S.”

“I have not taken these or any banned substances since returning to the U.S. and signing with the Colorado Rockies organization in July.”

Serafini’s suspension is the 34th of the season for both the minor and major leagues. He is the second major leaguer this season to be suspended for performance-enhancing drugs. Pitcher Juan Salas of Tampa Bay was suspended 50 games on May 7.

HORSE RACING

Hall of Fame jockey dies

FREER, Texas — Bill Hartack, a Hall of Fame jockey and five-time Kentucky Derby winner, has died while on a hunting vacation. He was 74.

Hartack died Monday night from natural causes due to heart disease, said Dr. Corinne Stern, the chief medical examiner in south Texas’ Webb County.

Hartack and fellow Hall of Fame rider Eddie Arcaro are the only jockeys to win the Kentucky Derby five times. Known for his burning desire to win every single race, Hartack won his first Derby with Iron Liege in 1957. He then won with Venetian Way in 1960, Decidedly in 1962, Northern Dancer in 1964 and Majestic Prince in 1969.

In winning the ’57 Derby, Hartack was the beneficiary of perhaps the greatest goof in racing history — when Bill Shoemaker misjudged the finish line aboard Gallant Man and Iron Liege won by a nose.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Mississippi feels like a Nutt

JACKSON, Miss. — One day, Houston Nutt was leaving Arkansas. The next, he was heading to Mississippi.

Ole Miss will introduce Nutt as its new coach today, ending a whirlwind hiring that began when he resigned at Arkansas on Monday and agreed to become the Rebels’ coach about four hours later.

Mississippi was without a coach for less than three days. Ed Orgeron was fired on Saturday after three losing seasons.

UConn to play in Meineke Bowl

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Connecticut accepted a bid to play in the Meineke Bowl on Dec. 29 against an Atlantic Coast Conference team.

The Huskies (9-3, 5-2 Big East) were selected over Cincinnati as the Big East’s representative for the game, which will be played at Bank of America Stadium.

The ACC team is not expected to be known until after Saturday’s conference championship game. Wake Forest and Maryland are the leading contenders.

The Huskies are coming off their best season since moving up to the highest level of college football six years ago.

Also, South Florida of the Big East agreed to play in the Brut Sun Bowl against a Pac-10 team. The Bulls (9-3, 4-3 Big East) reached as high as No. 2 in the polls before losing three straight league games. They will play the third- or fourth-place team from the Pac-10 in the Dec. 31 game.

COLLEGES

Gatorade inventor dies

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dr. J. Robert Cade, who invented the sports drink Gatorade and launched a multibillion-dollar industry that the beverage continues to dominate, died of kidney failure. He was 80.

His death was announced by the University of Florida, where he and other researchers created Gatorade in 1965 to help the school’s football players replace carbohydrates and electrolytes lost through sweat while playing in swamp-like heat.

SAILING

Argument could lead to yacht showdown

A San Francisco yacht club won its court case against America’s Cup champion Alinghi, giving its sailing crew the right to race the Swiss in a head-to-head series for the oldest trophy in international sports next July if the sides can’t agree to a traditional regatta.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Herman J. Cahn ruled that the Golden Gate Yacht Club, which backs BMW Oracle Racing, is the Challenger of Record, meaning it can help negotiate the rules for the next regatta.

Cahn ruled that a Spanish yacht club that had been named the Challenger of Record was ineligible for the role because it doesn’t hold an annual regatta.