U-Va. Declines to Add Extra Year to Groh's Deal, Which Runs Through 2011

Al Groh has had two losing seasons in his past three years as Virginia's coach. (By Steve Helber -- Associated Press)

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Monday, December 1, 2008; Page E04

Virginia declined to extend Coach Al Groh's contract into 2012, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage announced in a statement yesterday. Groh remains under contract through the next three seasons, although the contract could have rolled over an additional year.

Virginia's season ended Saturday following a 17-14 loss to rival Virginia Tech that dropped the Cavaliers to 5-7. It was their second losing season in three years. Littlepage did not exercise the option in Groh's contract after the 5-7 season in 2006, but Groh took his name off the hot seat in 2007 by finishing 9-4, winning the ACC coach of the year and receiving a contract extension.

Groh's job security was under scrutiny after a 1-3 start this season, but Virginia rebounded by winning four games in October. However, the Cavaliers ended the season with four consecutive losses and will again miss a bowl game.

Littlepage said last night he was planning to meet with Groh in the next 48 hours to conduct a year-end review of the football program.

Also yesterday, Cavaliers left tackle Eugene Monroe was announced as the winner of the 2008 Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the top blocker in the ACC. . . .

Of the 65 coaches leading programs affiliated with the Bowl Championship Series, Miami's Randy Shannon is about to be the only black man in the group.

After Sylvester Croom resigned Saturday from Mississippi State, along with the recent firings of Kansas State's Ron Prince and Washington's Tyrone Willingham -- who'll coach his final game with the Huskies on Saturday -- Shannon is one of three black coaches left in major college football, and the only one at a BCS school.

"It's sad that we keep talking about the same things," Shannon told the Associated Press yesterday. "Maybe Sylvester was tired. I know a year or two ago he had surgery on his hip or back. But after a while, you say to yourself, how much longer can we keep going just talking about this? We can't keep talking about the same issues every year."

· WINTER SPORTS: Nobunari Oda of Japan capped a successful return to competitive figure skating with a victory at the NHK Trophy in Tokyo. Oda, who was in first place after Friday's short program, overcame several mistakes in his free skate to finish with 236.18 points, ahead of American Johnny Weir with 224.42. Yannick Ponsero of France was third at 217.24. . . .

Sarka Zahrobska got her first World Cup victory, taking the slalom in Aspen, Colo., in a combined time of 1 minute 39.32 seconds to beat Austrian Nicole Hosp. . . .

Hermann Maier of Austria won a Super-G in Lake Louise, Alberta, for his 54th career World Cup win. Maier, who last won a World Cup race in January 2006, won in 1:29.84.