Peete Joins Cowboys as Aikman’s Backup

Rodney Peete, a part-time starter for the Detroit Lions the last four years, signed a one-year contract Tuesday with the Dallas Cowboys, filling a vacancy created when backup quarterback Bernie Kosar signed with the Miami Dolphins. Peete had worked out for Ram coaches Monday at Anaheim.

Terms were not disclosed, but his salary was expected to be less than the $1.2 million he received last year.

Peete, who will back up Troy Aikman, was drafted in the sixth round in 1989 after playing at USC. He was a college rival of Aikman, who played for UCLA, but said last week, “I know my place with the Cowboys. It would be as insurance for Troy.”

Peete started 47 games for the Lions. He completed 489 of 873 passes for 6,494 yards.

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The Atlanta Falcons signed New York Jet free agent wide receiver Terance Mathis to a two-year contract worth about $1 million, his agent said.

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Two weeks after joining the Fox network as an NFL analyst, Jimmy Johnson, who coached the Dallas Cowboys to the last two Super Bowl titles, was added to HBO’s long-running series “Inside The NFL.” Terms were not disclosed.

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Starting safety Danny Copeland of the Washington Redskins retired after indicating to teammates that he didn’t want to aggravate a pinched nerve and neck sprain that sidelined him for two games last season and three in 1992.

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The Chicago Bears released seven-year veteran offensive lineman John Wojciechowski, who started 14 games last season. Wojciechowski played right tackle and right guard in 1993, and played every offensive line position except center during seven seasons with the Bears.

Pro Basketball

The Washington Bullets will hire Philadelphia 76er General Manager Jim Lynam as their head coach today, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Lynam, who met with Washington Bullet General Manager John Nash on Saturday to discuss the position, made his decision Tuesday night during a talk with Philadelphia owner Harold Katz, the paper said.

Lynam was head coach with the San Diego and Los Angeles Clippers from 1983-85 and had a record of 52-91. The decision to coach the Bullets reunites Lynam with Nash, who was the general manager of the 76ers before accepting the same job with the Bullets.

Hockey

Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings was chosen as NHL player of the year by the Sporting News in a vote by players. Fedorov had 56 goals and 64 assists.

Jason Arnott of the Edmonton Oilers was voted rookie of the year after scoring 33 goals, and adding 35 assists.

Jacques Lemaire of the New Jersey Devils was voted coach of the year and Bobby Clarke of the Florida Panthers executive of the year.

Goaltender Patrick Roy of the Montreal Canadiens had surgery to remove the troublesome appendix that caused him to sit out Game 3 in the team’s opening-round NHL playoff loss to the Boston Bruins.

Tennis

Sixth-seeded Amanda Coetzer of South Africa and No. 12 Linda Ferrando were upset in the Italian Open at Rome.

Coetzer lost to Radka Zrubakova of Slovakia, 6-0, 7-5, and Ferrando squandered three match points and fell to Patricia Tarabini of Argentina, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).

No. 11 Leila Meskhi of Georgia withdrew because of a muscle strain in her right hand.

Martina Navratilova, 37, needed only 55 minutes for a 6-2, 6-1 victory over 16-year-old qualifier Ludmila Richterova of the Czech Republic.

Soccer

Bayern Munich routed FC Nuremberg, 5-0, in a replay of a controversial game and took a one-point lead over FC Kaiserslautern in the German Bundesliga with one game left. Bayern Munich had defeated Nuremberg, 2-1, two weeks ago, but the governing body of German soccer ordered the replay after videotapes showed the ball didn’t cross the goal line on what had been counted as the first goal of the game.

Colombia beat Peru, 1-0, on Harold Lozano’s goal in the 57th minute and El Salvador got three first-half goals by Raul Diaz to beat Honduras, 3-1, in the Miami Cup soccer tournament. Colombia and El Salvador will play for the championship Thursday night.

Because of injuries and suspensions, Arsenal of England will be without several key players when it faces defending champion Parma of Italy tonight in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup at Copenhagen, Denmark.

Miscellany

Women’s water polo has been added as an intercollegiate sport at USC, with competition starting in the spring of 1995. Jovan Vavic, an assistant with the men’s team for the last two seasons, will coach the women.

David Wolter, whose teams were 90-107 during his seven seasons at Valparaiso in Indiana, was hired as women’s basketball coach at Concordia University in Irvine.

An internal investigation is under way at Wichita State into possible violations of NCAA rules involving basketball player John Smith, who reportedly was given use of a car while on the team.

The USA baseball team, which withdrew from a qualifying tournament after its bus was attacked last summer in Nicaragua, will return to that nation for the World Championships, team executives said.

Irish jockey Declan Murphy’s skull was fractured when he was kicked by a horse after a spill during a race in Liverpool, England. Murphy, 27, remained in critical condition after surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.