NCAA Endzone

Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was in fair condition Tuesday with an undisclosed problem, though his family said his hospitalization was not caused by alcohol or “illicit drugs.”

Lucky’s health has been shrouded in mystery since he was taken to BryanLGH Medical Center West on Sunday night. The Lincoln Journal Star reported that Lucky was unconscious when rescue workers arrived at the apartment he shares with teammate Jordan Picou.

Lucky’s family issued a statement through the NU athletic department that did not address why emergency personnel were called to his off-campus apartment.

“Marlon’s condition continues to improve. He has been removed from the intensive care unit, and his condition has been upgraded to fair,” the family said. “We would like to make it clear that Marlon’s medical emergency did not come about as a result of the use of alcohol or any illicit drugs.”

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., was slowed by a back injury and shared playing time with three other I-backs as a sophomore in 2006. He started six games and was the team’s second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

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Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema was rewarded for his highly successful first season with a new five-year, $7.5 million contract.

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved an amended contract that will increase Bielema’s salary from $750,000 to $1.3 million this year.

Bielema, who guided the Badgers to a 12-1 record after taking over from Barry Alvarez, will be guaranteed a $100,000 salary increase every year under the deal. The contract will run through Jan. 31, 2012.

Bielema, at 37 the second-youngest head coach in NCAA Division I-A, led the Badgers to the most victories in school history, a tie for second place in the Big Ten and a 17-14 victory over Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl. The Badgers finished at No. 7 in The Associated Press poll.

The raise will bring Bielema’s salary up from near the bottom of Big Ten coaches to the middle, said Walter Dickey, chair of the Athletic Board.

The deal guarantees Bielema a base salary of $400,000, plus $900,000 from department program revenue. That amount will increase by $100,000 every year.

The amendment replaces a five-year, $4 million contract that ran through 2011. That deal guaranteed him $750,000 in salary every year, which would have increased by $25,000 per year. Bielema also earned $50,000 for the bowl game and $10,000 for being named Big Ten coach of the year under the contract’s bonus provision.

Alvarez, who remains the university’s athletics director, said Bielema “had a terrific first season, one that made us the envy of many universities nationally.”

“He did it through hard work, by setting high standards on the field and in the classroom and by refusing to compromise on his values,” Alvarez said in a statement.

Alvarez tapped Bielema as his successor when he announced his retirement as coach in 2005. Bielema spent two years as defensive coordinator under Alvarez and worked as an assistant at Kansas State and Iowa before coming to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin, Nebraska, Marlon Lucky, Bret Bielema