Vandy makes history, then fires coach
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, whose team fielded the first woman to play in a Power Five conference football game on Saturday, was fired Sunday after losing the first eight games of his seventh season. Offensive coordinator Todd Fitch will serve as the interim coach.
On Saturday, women’s soccer goalkeeper Sarah Fuller made history when she kicked off for Vanderbilt against Missouri.
“While this was a difficult decision, I know this change is necessary,” athletic director Candice Lee said in a statement. “We wish Derek and his entire family the best.”
Mason was hired in 2014 as Vanderbilt’s 28th coach, replacing James Franklin, who left for Penn State. Mason came to Vanderbilt after being associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Stanford. He became the first Vanderbilt coach since the 1920s to beat in-state rival Tennessee three straight seasons.
But with the Southeastern Conference playing only league games this season, Vanderbilt is 0-8 and on the verge of the first winless season in school history after a 41-0 loss to Missouri.
ALABAMA NO. 1 AGAIN
Alabama is the unanimous No. 1 again in The Associated Press college football poll as the top eight teams in the rankings held steady for the fourth week in a row.
The Crimson Tide got 62 first-place votes for the second consecutive week and is followed by No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Clemson.
Southeastern Conference teams Texas A&M and Florida are fifth and sixth, respectively. Unbeaten Cincinnati is seventh and undefeated BYU is eighth.
MARADONA’S DEATH PROBED
Argentine police searched the home and office of one of Diego Maradona’s doctors on Sunday, taking away medical records as part of investigations into the death of the 60-year-old soccer star that caused a wave of grief across the country.
Neurologist Leopoldo Luque told reporters after the searches that he had given investigators all of the records of his treatment of Maradona, as well as computers, hard drives and cellphones.
RICHMOND STUNS KENTUCKY
Blake Francis and Nathan Cayo powered Richmond to the program’s first road victory over a top-10 team, rallying in the second half to beat No. 10 Kentucky, 7664, Sunday. The Spiders (2-0) had been 0-25 against top 10 teams and trailed 3630 just after halftime. Francis and Cayo each finished with 18 points, many coming during a series of small scoring runs that pushed Richmond ahead.