Sports briefs

NFL

Dawkins retires after 16 seasons

Brian Dawkins said his head told him to retire, not his neck. The safety called Broncos coach John Fox Monday morning to tell him that after plenty of prayer and reflection, he'd decided that 16 seasons in the NFL were enough.

Known by his alter ego, "Wolverine," and for his passionate play for 13 years in Philadelphia and three in Denver, Dawkins, 38, was one of the greatest to ever play safety, and nobody played the position in the NFL longer than he did.

Dawkins said he felt he had another year left in him after recovering from a serious neck injury that sidelined him for the stretch run and playoffs. "It's probably going to sound crazy,'' he said, "but the fact that I could play another year gave me a lot of peace to say this is it."

Dawkins was named to the All-Decade team of the 2000s, and his 42 forced fumbles are a record by a defensive back.

Packers let go tackle Clifton

The Packers released left tackle Chad Clifton, who anchored their pass protection since 2000, starting 160 games.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Virginia Tech fires Greenberg

Virginia Tech fired coach Seth Greenberg, 56, a Plainview native who played basketball for Plainview JFK. He went 170-123 in nine seasons with the Hokies. They were 16-17 this season and missed postseason play for the first time in six years. His contract had four years left.

HORSE RACING

Velazquez elected to Hall of Fame

John Velazquez can add Hall of Famer to a resume that includes a Kentucky Derby win and two years as the nation's top rider. Velazquez, 40, 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper and trainers Roger Attfield and Robert Wheeler were elected to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs.

Velazquez has won 4,803 races, including 733 stakes. Ghostzapper won nine of 11 starts and earned more than $3.4 million.

Horse of Year Havre de Grace retired

Havre de Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year, has been retired after injuring an ankle in a workout at Churchill Downs. Owner Rick Porter said on his Fox Hill Farm website that the injury was detected Sunday. Porter said that after she was examined, "we didn't get a positive prognosis for continuing her racing career."

Havre de Grace was 5-for-7 last year and beat males in the Woodward at Saratoga. The 5-year-old mare won nine of 17 starts and earned $2,586,175.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Arkansas: Smith replaces Petrino

Eager to move on from the Bobby Petrino scandal, Arkansas named popular former assistant John L. Smith as head coach. He left the Razorbacks after last season to become coach at Weber State. The school said Smith signed a 10-year, $850,000 deal with incentives. -- AP