Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had surgery on his right shoulder yesterday and was expected to be ready for spring practice in April.

The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner had surgery at Shands Florida Surgical Center to remove a bone spur and hopefully reduce chronic inflammation.

Tebow, a lefthander, announced Sunday that he will return for his senior season.

He injured his non-throwing shoulder against Kentucky in October 2007 and re-aggravated it earlier this season. He had painkilling injections before each of the final six games last season. It was unclear whether he received shots this season.

Tebow threw 32 touchdown passes in 2007, ran for 23 more scores and became the first sophomore to win the Heisman. He did less this season, but accomplished more by leading the Gators to their second national title in 3 years.

Tebow completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,746 yards with 30 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He also led the team in rushing for the second straight year, gaining 673 yards and scoring 12 times.

He earned the offensive MVP award in the Bowl Championship Series title game against Oklahoma.

In other college football news:

* Utah defensive end Paul Kruger, a sophomore, and defensive back Sean Smith, a junior, are entering the NFL draft. Both were first-team all-Mountain West picks in 2008. They are in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., training for the draft.

Soccer

* Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA World Player of the Year award to complete a sweep of soccer's top individual honors for 2008. The Portugal winger led Manchester United to the Premier League and Champions League titles in May. He scored 42 goals in all competitions last season and became the first English Premier League player to win the honor in the award's 18-year history. Brazil's Marta won the women's award for the third year in a row.

Philly File

* Temple director of athletics Bill Bradshaw has been named an executive mentor for the NCAA Fellows Leadership Development Program. One of 12 mentors nationwide, Bradshaw will guide and nurture an NCAA Fellow over the next 18 months. He will meet his NCAA Fellow during this week's NCAA Convention in Washington.

Sport Stops

* Former Horse of the Year Azeri is still the property of Michael Paulson after a bid of $4.4 million fell short of the owner's reserve price. The 11-year-old mare in foal to another Horse of the Year, Ghostzapper, was expected to be the highlight of the first day of Keeneland's horses-of-all-ages sale. Instead, her failure to meet the reserve price underscored the impact the national economic crisis is having on the thoroughbred business.

* Rene Herms, a six-time German champion runner who reached the 800-meter semifinals of the 2004 Olympics, has died. He was 26. Herms was found dead Saturday morning in his apartment in the eastern town of Lohmen. Police said there were no indications of foul play or suicide.

* The U.S. Olympic Committee has hired former NFL executive Lisa Baird as its chief marketing officer.

* The ATP has hired former Nike executive Adam Helfant as the new executive chairman and president of the men's professional tennis circuit. *