Once again, the lure of college football is bringing Bill Curry back to Atlanta.
Almost 50 years after he began his college playing career at Georgia Tech, Curry will be introduced today as the first coach of Georgia State's new football program.
The 65-year-old Curry will join former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves as patriarchs of the program. Reeves has served as a consultant and helped raise $1.2 million in pledged funds for the program.
Curry played at Tech 1960-64 and coached the Yellow Jackets 1980-86. He coached Alabama to the 1989 SEC championship before leaving to coach at Kentucky.
Curry, who effectively retired from coaching after going 26-52 at Kentucky, has worked the last 10 years as a color analyst for ESPN.
Discrimination Lawsuit Settled: A lawsuit brought by four former New Mexico State players alleging they endured religious discrimination because they are Muslim was settled for $165,000, court records show.
The federal lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Mu'Ammar Ali, Jacob Wallace and brothers Anthony and Vincent Thompson.
The settlement was paid by the state's risk management division. Both parties had agreed to keep the settlement amount confidential for six months.
Defendants in the lawsuit were NMSU coach Hal Mumme, university vice president and provost William Flores and the school's regents.
The lawsuit contended that Mumme instituted a "religious brotherhood"
within the team, singled out Muslim athletes and had players recite the Lord's Prayer after each practice and before each game.
The university's athletic department has implemented a moment-of-silence policy instead of prayer to avoid separation of church and state issues.
Tennessee State Signee Killed: Tau Sudlow, who planned to join Tennessee State in the fall, was shot and killed in Santa Maria, Calif.
Tyrel Charles Jordan, 20, has pleaded not guilty to a charge that alleges he shot Sudlow in an alley behind a building where a house party was taking place. Sudlow, 20, was expected to compete for a starting position on the offensive line.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound native of Brooklyn, N.Y., was set to transfer after spending the last two years playing for Hancock College in Santa Maria.
In other college football news:
-- Former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen was recuperating, a day after having triple heart bypass surgery.
-- Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has suspended two players for the 2008 season for violating team rules. Junior running back Koby Lewis was listed as backup on the spring roster, and sophomore Steven Harris was the No. 3 free safety.
-- Missouri wide receiver Danario Alexander will be sidelined at least until the start of the Big 12 season after undergoing surgery to repair a retorn ligament.
-- Kansas senior defensive tackle Todd Haselhorst and junior cornerback Anthony Webb will not return to the team. Webb was dismissed for violating team policy.
