Sports in Brief: Grambling State fires coach Doug Williams

Grambling State fired head football coach Doug Williams on Wednesday after the Tigers lost the first two games of the season.

The university announced that it bought out the remainder of the former NFL quarterback's contract. Running backs coach George Ragsdale is taking over as interim head coach.

Grambling had a 1-10 record in 2012 (0-9 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) under Williams, 58. Grambling lost its opener to Alabama State, 23-9, and was dominated by Louisiana-Monroe, 48-10, last weekend.

A former Grambling QB, Williams led the Washington Redskins to a win over the John Elway-quarterbacked Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII in January 1988. He became Grambling's head coach in 1998.

Williams' son, D.J., is a quarterback on the team.

Sports Illustrated reported that more than a dozen Oklahoma State football players admitted to academic misconduct over the last decade.

The magazine said the players described receiving exam answers in advance, passing classes for little or no work, and using tutors who completed work for them.

The article was the second of five planned by Sports Illustrated looking at alleged misconduct in the Oklahoma State football program dating to 2001 under coaches Les Miles and Mike Gundy.

Oklahoma State said it has notified the NCAA about the allegations and launched its own investigation.

A post on the University of Alabama athletics Facebook page drew ire from fans for asking them to change their profile pictures to an image of late coach Bear Bryant's houndstooth hat.

The request was to celebrate what would have been Bryant's 100th birthday on Wednesday. Most of the hundreds of comments criticized the timing because it also marked the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

NBA The Miami Heat have re-signed Michael Beasley, who spent the first two years of his up-and-down career with the team and became a free agent when the Phoenix Suns bought him out earlier this month.

WNBA Elena Delle Donne made a 10-foot jump shot as time expired to give the Chicago Sky a 70-68 victory over the visiting Phoenix Mercury.

Delle Donne's shot capped a Sky rally from a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit for their second consecutive victory.

LOCAL The College of New Jersey (2-0) women's tennis team earned its 150th straight win, defeating Richard Stockton, 8-1.

The Temple men's soccer team defeated Rider, 1-0, for its best start since 1986. The 4-0 Owls got the game's only goal by sophomore Jared Martinelli while goalie Dan Scheck continued to hold opponents scoreless in 2013.