Linebackers Coach

Clay Matthews' hair is so neat and well kept that he could appear in a shampoo commercial at the mature age of 54. The problem is shampoo companies want his son, Clay III , a former Agoura High linebacker who leads the NFL in sacks with 9 1/2 for the Green Bay Packers and has grown his blond hair so long that it rests on his shoulders. There are Packers fans wearing T-shirts that read, "Fear the hair. " And there's another Matthews son, Casey , angling for his own shampoo contract with long hair playing linebacker for Oregon.

Ronnie Jones turned down an opportunity to stay with the Rams as an assistant coach, choosing instead Tuesday to become linebackers coach with the Raiders. Jones, who came along with since-fired defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher last spring to refashion the Rams' defense as linebackers coach, was told by new Rams Coach Chuck Knox last week that he would be retained on staff in some capacity if he found no other job.

Oakland Raider defensive coordinator John Fox has resigned, Coach Mike White announced. Fox, 41, resigned for personal reasons which he did not want disclosed, White said. Linebackers coach Fred Whittingham will assume Fox's job on an interim basis.

Rick Gamboa, a linebackers coach at Cal State Northridge from 1986-91, has been hired as head coach at East Los Angeles College. East L.A. discontinued football after the 1992 season but will reinstate the program in 1998. Gamboa, 41, worked the past six years at Northridge in the student outreach and recruitment services department. He is leaving Friday for his new job. "I missed coaching," Gamboa said. "I missed working with players. Just the whole environment of athletics."

USC linebackers coach Ken Norton, who was wooed by UCLA to return to his alma mater, said Tuesday he would remain with the Trojans. Norton, 41, said he spoke with new Bruins Coach Rick Neuheisel and defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker about joining the UCLA staff as an assistant head coach. Chuck Bullough is UCLA's linebackers coach. "I'm flattered. They'll always be a team in my heart," said Norton, an All-American linebacker for the Bruins in 1987 who played 13 seasons in the NFL.

The so-called "greatest coaching job in college football," the one Lou Holtz inexplicably relinquished last week--and the one Northwestern Coach Gary Barnett inexplicably expressed no interest in--was formally accepted Sunday by a man with no head coaching experience. In an announcement devoid of suspense, Bob Davie was officially named the 26th coach at Notre Dame at a morning news conference in South Bend, Ind.

Free-agent linebacker Joe Kelly agreed to a one-year $500,000 contract with the Rams on Wednesday, his agent, Steve Feldman, said. Kelly, cut by the Raiders three weeks ago despite being the starting middle linebacker, chose the Rams' offer over one from the Washington Redskins. "The decision came down to Joe's relationship with (Ram linebacker coach) Dick Selcer," Feldman said. "Dick was the linebackers coach at Cincinnati when Joe was drafted there."

Houston Oilers Coach Jerry Glanville has invited Astros Manager Art Howe to stand on the sideline during next week's game against Cincinnati in an effort to confuse the Bengals. "We're going to have Art dress exactly like (linebackers' Coach) Floyd Reese--they look identical--and have them both stand there and flash defensive signals," Glanville said. "The Bengals may be the greatest team in the league at stealing hand signals. But they won't know which one's Floyd and which one's not," he said.