National Collegiate Athletic Association
Encyclopedia
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs
of many college
s and universities
in the United States
. It is headquartered in Indianapolis
, Indiana
.
In August 1973, the current three-division setup of Division I, Division II, and Division III was adopted by the NCAA membership in a special convention. Under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarship
s to athletes for playing a sport. Division III schools may not offer any athletic scholarships. Generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in II and III. Division I football
was further divided into I-A and I-AA in 1978. Subsequently the term "Division I-AAA" was briefly added to delineate Division I schools which do not field a football program at all, but that term is no longer officially used by the NCAA. In 2006, Divisions I-A and I-AA were respectively renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
to "encourage reforms" to college football practices in the early 20th century, which had resulted in repeated injuries and deaths and "prompted many college and universities to discontinue the sport."
Following those White House meetings, Chancellor Henry MacCracken
of New York University
organized a meeting of 13 colleges and universities to initiate changes; at a follow-on meeting, 62 institutions became charter members of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). The IAAUS was officially established on March 31, 1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910.
Until the 1980s, the association did not offer women's athletics. Instead an organization named the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
(AIAW) governed women's collegiate sports in the United States. By 1982, however, all divisions of the NCAA offered national championship events for women's athletics and most members of the AIAW joined the NCAA.
In 2009, Simon Fraser University
in Burnaby, Canada
became the NCAA's first non-US member institution.
Sports sanctioned by the NCAA include the following: basketball
, baseball
(men), softball
(women), football
(men), cross country
, field hockey
(women), bowling
(women), golf
, fencing (coeducational), lacrosse
, soccer, gymnastics
, rowing
(women only), volleyball
, ice hockey
, water polo
, rifle
(coeducational), tennis
, skiing
(coeducational), track and field
, swimming
and diving
, and wrestling
(men).
was appointed executive director. In 1998, the title was changed to President.
The NCAA has never sanctioned an official championship in the highest level of football, now known as Division I FBS. Instead, several outside bodies award their own titles; see below.
As of 2010, UCLA
, Stanford
and University of Southern California USC
have the most NCAA championships; UCLA holds the most, winning a combined 107 team championships in men's and women's sports, with Stanford second, with 101, University of Southern California third with 93, Abilene Christian with 55, Oklahoma State with 50, followed by Texas with 48.
During the 2008-09 school year, the Pac-10 conference captured 11 NCAA titles, outperforming any other conference. It was followed by the ACC and Big Ten with five championships, and by the Big 12 and SEC conferences with four each.
The NCAA currently awards 87 national championships yearly; 44 women's, 40 men's, and coed championships for fencing, rifle, and skiing. For every NCAA sanctioned sport other than Division I FBS football, the NCAA awards trophies with gold, silver, and bronze plating for the first, second, and third place teams respectively. In the case of the NCAA basketball tournaments, both semifinalists who did not make the championship game receive bronze plated trophies for third place (prior to 1982 the teams played a "consolation" game to determine third place). Similar trophies are awarded to both semifinalists in the NCAA football tournaments (which are conducted in Division I FCS and both lower divisions), which have never had a third-place game. Winning teams maintain permanent possession of these trophies unless it is later found that they were won via serious rules violations.
Starting with the 2001 season, and again in 2008, the trophies were changed. Starting in the 2007 basketball season, teams that make the Final Four in the Division I tournament receive bronze plated "regional championship" trophies upon winning their Regional Championship. The teams that make the National Championship game receive an additional trophy that is gold plated for the winner and silver plated for the runner-up. Starting in the mid-1990s, the National Champions in men's and women's basketball receive a very elaborate trophy sponsored by Siemens
with a black marble base and crystal "neck" with a removable crystal basketball following the presentation of the standard NCAA Championship trophy.
" went to teams that placed first in any of a number of season-ending media polls, most notable the AP Poll
of writers and the Coaches Poll
. Currently, the Bowl Championship Series
—an association of the conferences and independent schools that compete in Division I FBS and four bowl game
s—has arranged to place the top two teams (based on a formula blending human polls and computer rankings) into a national title game
. The winner of the BCS title game must be ranked first in the final Coaches' Poll and receives the AFCA Coaches' Trophy (presently sponsored by Dr Pepper); since the NCAA awards no national championship for Division I FBS football, this trophy does not say NCAA as other NCAA college sports national championship trophies do. The AP and other organizations are still free to name as national champions other teams than the one that won the BCS championship, although all conferences (and by extension their teams) are contractually agreed to the BCS formula and champion the USA Today Coaches' poll is required to vote the winner of the “BCS National Championship Game” the #1 team in the nation in the final poll. All conferences have sanctioned this practice and championship (with various changes to the present form seen today) for the several contractual periods since 1998.
The NCAA presents a number of different individual awards, including:
In previous years, the NCAA has presented the following awards at its NCAA Honors event: Astronaut Salute, Business Leader Salute, Congressional Medal of Honor Salute, Governor Salute, Olympians Salute, Performing Arts Salute, Presidents Cabinet Salute, Prominent National Media Salute, Special Recognition Awards, U.S. House of Representatives Salute, U.S. Senate Salute.
, CBS College Sports Network, ESPN
, ESPN Plus
, and Turner Sports
for coverage of its 88 championships. According to the official NCAA website, ESPN and its associated networks have rights to 21 championships, CBS to 67, and Turner Sports to one. The following are the most prominent championships and rightsholders:
Westwood One
has exclusive radio rights to the men's and women's basketball Final Fours to the men's College World Series
(baseball). DirecTV
has an exclusive package expanding CBS' coverage of the men's basketball tournament.
Video games based on popular NCAA sports such as football and basketball are licensed by Electronic Arts
.
, president of the University of Pennsylvania
(Penn), defied the monopoly and signed a $200,000 contract with ABC
. Eventually, Penn was forced to back down when the NCAA threatened to expel the Quakers from the association.
By the 1980s, televised college football
had become a much larger source of income for the NCAA. If the television contracts the NCAA had with ABC
, CBS
, and ESPN
had remained in effect for the 1984 season, they would have generated US$
73.6 million for the Association and its members. In September 1981, the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma
and the University of Georgia
Athletic Association filed suit against the NCAA in district court in Oklahoma
. The plaintiffs stated that the NCAA's football television plan constituted price fixing, output restraints, boycott, and monopolizing, all of which were illegal under the Sherman Act. The NCAA argued that its pro-competitive and non-commercial justifications for the plan—-protection of live gate, maintenance of competitive balance among NCAA member institutions and creation of a more attractive "product" to compete with other forms of entertainment—-combined to make the plan reasonable.
In September 1982, the district court found in favor of the plaintiffs, ruling that the plan violated antitrust laws. It enjoined the Association from enforcing the contract. The NCAA appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court, but lost in 1984 in the 7-2 ruling NCAA v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Oklahoma
.
The 16 academic credits are four courses in English, two courses in math, two classes in social science, two in natural or physical science, and one additional course in English, math, natural or physical science, or another academic course such as foreign language.
To meet the requirements for grade point average and SAT scores students the lowest possible GPA a student may be eligible with is a 1.700 with an SAT score of 1400. The lowest SAT score a student may be eligible with is 700 with a GPA of 2.500.
As of 2011, a high school student may sign a letter of intent
to enter and play football for a college only after the first Wednesday in February. In August 2011, the NCAA announced plans to raise academic requirements for postseason competition, including its two most prominent competitions, football's Bowl Championship Series
and the Men's Division I Basketball Championship
; the new requirement, which are based on an "academic progress rate" that measures retention and graduation rates, and is calculated on a four-year, rolling basis. The changes raise the rate from 900 to 930, which represents a 50% graduation rate.
Allegations of rules violations are referred to the NCAA's investigative staff. A preliminary investigation is initiated to determine if an official inquiry is warranted and to categorize any resultant violations as secondary or major. If several violations are found, the NCAA may determine that the school as a whole has exhibited a "lack of institutional control." The institution involved is notified promptly and may appear in its own behalf before the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
Findings of the Committee on Infractions and the resultant sanctions in major cases are reported to the institution. Sanctions will generally include having the institution placed on "probation" for a period of time, in addition to other penalties. The institution may appeal the findings or sanctions to an appeals committee. After considering written reports and oral presentations by representatives of the Committee on Infractions and the institution, the committee acts on the appeal. Action may include accepting the infractions committee's findings and penalty, altering either, or making its own findings and imposing an appropriate penalty. The current longest running period of sanctions belongs to the University of Alabama (at Tuscaloosa). Sanctions at Alabama cover all major sports and will expire in June 2012 (extending the record for 17 years upon being penalized in 1995). The football team has been the most severely penalized program in the FBS (formerly Division I) over the past 25 years.
In cases of particularly egregious misconduct, the NCAA has the power to ban a school from participating in a particular sport, a penalty known as the "Death Penalty". Since 1985, any school that commits major violations during the probationary period can be banned from the sport involved for up to two years. However, when the NCAA opts not to issue a death penalty for a repeat violation, it must explain why it didn't do so. This penalty has only been imposed three times in its modern form, most notably when Southern Methodist University
's football team had its 1987 season canceled due to massive rules violations
dating back more than a decade. SMU opted not to field a team in 1988 as well due to the aftershocks from the sanctions, and the program has never recovered; it has only two winning seasons and one bowl appearance since then. The devastating effect the death penalty had on SMU has reportedly made the NCAA skittish about issuing another one. Since the SMU case, there are only three instances where the NCAA has seriously considered imposing it against a Division I school; it imposed it against Division II Morehouse College
's men's soccer team in 2003 and Division III MacMurray College
's men's tennis team in 2005.
Additionally, in particularly egregious cases of rules violations, coaches, athletic directors and athletic support staff can be barred from working for any NCAA member school without permission from the NCAA. This procedure is known as a "show-cause penalty" (not to be confused with an order to show cause
in the legal sense). Theoretically, a school can hire someone with a "show cause" on their record during the time the show cause order is in effect only with permission from the NCAA Infractions Committee. The school assumes the risks and stigma of hiring such a person. It may then end up being sanctioned by the NCAA and the Infractions Committee for their choice, possibly losing athletic scholarships, revenue from schools who would not want to compete with that other school, and the ability for their games to be televised, along with restrictions on recruitment and practicing times. As a result, a show-cause order usually has the effect of blackballing individuals from being hired for the duration of the order.
Currently, Dave Bliss
, former basketball coach at Baylor University
, has the longest show cause order. As a result of his involvement in serious rules violations
, Bliss is effectively banned from coaching at the major college level until the 2015-16 season.
, based in Sandy, Utah, a joint venture between two subsidiaries of the NCAA, Arbiter LLC and eOfficials LLC. The NCAA has said their objective is for the venture to help improve the fairness, quality and consistency of officiating across amateur athletics.
Athletic sports
Athletics is a term encompassing the human competitive sports and games requiring physical skill, and the systems of training that prepare athletes for competition performance. Athletic sports or contests, are competitions which are primarily based on human, physical competition, demanding the...
of many college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is headquartered in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
In August 1973, the current three-division setup of Division I, Division II, and Division III was adopted by the NCAA membership in a special convention. Under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s to athletes for playing a sport. Division III schools may not offer any athletic scholarships. Generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in II and III. Division I football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
was further divided into I-A and I-AA in 1978. Subsequently the term "Division I-AAA" was briefly added to delineate Division I schools which do not field a football program at all, but that term is no longer officially used by the NCAA. In 2006, Divisions I-A and I-AA were respectively renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
History
The NCAA dates its formation to two White House conferences convened by President Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
to "encourage reforms" to college football practices in the early 20th century, which had resulted in repeated injuries and deaths and "prompted many college and universities to discontinue the sport."
Following those White House meetings, Chancellor Henry MacCracken
Henry MacCracken
Henry Mitchell MacCracken was an American educator , born in Oxford, Ohio. MacCracken graduated from Miami University in 1857. After a brief teaching career, he entered the Presbyterian ministry in 1863...
of New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
organized a meeting of 13 colleges and universities to initiate changes; at a follow-on meeting, 62 institutions became charter members of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). The IAAUS was officially established on March 31, 1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910.
Until the 1980s, the association did not offer women's athletics. Instead an organization named the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. It evolved out of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women . The association was one of the biggest...
(AIAW) governed women's collegiate sports in the United States. By 1982, however, all divisions of the NCAA offered national championship events for women's athletics and most members of the AIAW joined the NCAA.
In 2009, Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
in Burnaby, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
became the NCAA's first non-US member institution.
Structure
The NCAA's legislative structure is broken down into cabinets and committees, consisting of various representatives of its member schools. These may be broken down further into sub-committees. Legislation is then passed on to the Management Council, which oversees all the cabinets and committees, and also includes representatives from the schools, such as athletic directors and faculty advisors. Management Council legislation goes on to the Board of Directors, which consists of school presidents, for final approval. The NCAA staff provides support, acting as guides, liaison, research and public and media relations.Sports sanctioned by the NCAA include the following: basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
(men), softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
(women), football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
(men), cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
(women), bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
(women), golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, fencing (coeducational), lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, soccer, gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
, rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
(women only), volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
, rifle
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
(coeducational), tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
(coeducational), track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, and wrestling
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
(men).
Presidents of NCAA
The NCAA had no full-time administrator until 1951, when Walter ByersWalter Byers
Walter Byers was the first executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He served from 1951 to 1988. He also helped start the United States Basketball Writers Association in 1956...
was appointed executive director. In 1998, the title was changed to President.
- Walter ByersWalter ByersWalter Byers was the first executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He served from 1951 to 1988. He also helped start the United States Basketball Writers Association in 1956...
1951–1988 - Dick SchultzDick SchultzDick Schultz , a native of Kellogg, Iowa, is the former head baseball and basketball coach at the University of Iowa and served as the executive director of the NCAA and USOC.-Biography:...
1988–1993 - Cedric DempseyCedric DempseyCedric Dempsey is a sports administrator who became the third executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association from 1994 to 2003...
1994–2002 - Myles BrandMyles BrandMyles Neil Brand, Ph. D. was the 14th president of the University of Oregon, president of the United States' National Collegiate Athletic Association , and 16th president of Indiana University.-Personal life:...
2003–2009 - Jim IschJim IschJim Isch is the chief operating officer of NCAA. He was appointed to the role on August 13, 2010, having served as the interim executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association following the death of Myles Brand on September 16, 2009....
(interim) 2009–2010 - Mark A. EmmertMark EmmertMark A. Emmert, Ph.D., was named president of the NCAA on April 27, 2010. He is the fifth CEO of the NCAA; he assumed his duties on 1 November 2010. Emmert was previously the 30th president of the University of Washington, his alma mater, taking office in June 2004, becoming the first alumnus in...
2010–present
Division history
| Years | Division |
|---|---|
| 1906–1955 | None |
| 1956–1972 | NCAA University Division (Major College), College Division (Small College) |
| 1973–present | NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III |
| 1978–2006 | NCAA Division I-A, NCAA Division I-AA (Division I football only), Division II, Division III |
| 2006–present | NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Division I Football Championship Subdivision (Division I football only), Division II, Division III |
Championships
All sports
The NCAA awards championships in in the following sports:
|
|
|
The NCAA has never sanctioned an official championship in the highest level of football, now known as Division I FBS. Instead, several outside bodies award their own titles; see below.
As of 2010, UCLA
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
, Stanford
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
and University of Southern California USC
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
have the most NCAA championships; UCLA holds the most, winning a combined 107 team championships in men's and women's sports, with Stanford second, with 101, University of Southern California third with 93, Abilene Christian with 55, Oklahoma State with 50, followed by Texas with 48.
During the 2008-09 school year, the Pac-10 conference captured 11 NCAA titles, outperforming any other conference. It was followed by the ACC and Big Ten with five championships, and by the Big 12 and SEC conferences with four each.
The NCAA currently awards 87 national championships yearly; 44 women's, 40 men's, and coed championships for fencing, rifle, and skiing. For every NCAA sanctioned sport other than Division I FBS football, the NCAA awards trophies with gold, silver, and bronze plating for the first, second, and third place teams respectively. In the case of the NCAA basketball tournaments, both semifinalists who did not make the championship game receive bronze plated trophies for third place (prior to 1982 the teams played a "consolation" game to determine third place). Similar trophies are awarded to both semifinalists in the NCAA football tournaments (which are conducted in Division I FCS and both lower divisions), which have never had a third-place game. Winning teams maintain permanent possession of these trophies unless it is later found that they were won via serious rules violations.
Starting with the 2001 season, and again in 2008, the trophies were changed. Starting in the 2007 basketball season, teams that make the Final Four in the Division I tournament receive bronze plated "regional championship" trophies upon winning their Regional Championship. The teams that make the National Championship game receive an additional trophy that is gold plated for the winner and silver plated for the runner-up. Starting in the mid-1990s, the National Champions in men's and women's basketball receive a very elaborate trophy sponsored by Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
with a black marble base and crystal "neck" with a removable crystal basketball following the presentation of the standard NCAA Championship trophy.
Football Bowl Subdivision
The NCAA does not hold a championship tournament for Division I FBS football. In the past, the "national championshipMythical National Championship
A mythical national championship is a colloquial term used to question the validity of national championship recognition that is not explicitly competitive...
" went to teams that placed first in any of a number of season-ending media polls, most notable the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
of writers and the Coaches Poll
Coaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
. Currently, the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
—an association of the conferences and independent schools that compete in Division I FBS and four bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s—has arranged to place the top two teams (based on a formula blending human polls and computer rankings) into a national title game
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
. The winner of the BCS title game must be ranked first in the final Coaches' Poll and receives the AFCA Coaches' Trophy (presently sponsored by Dr Pepper); since the NCAA awards no national championship for Division I FBS football, this trophy does not say NCAA as other NCAA college sports national championship trophies do. The AP and other organizations are still free to name as national champions other teams than the one that won the BCS championship, although all conferences (and by extension their teams) are contractually agreed to the BCS formula and champion the USA Today Coaches' poll is required to vote the winner of the “BCS National Championship Game” the #1 team in the nation in the final poll. All conferences have sanctioned this practice and championship (with various changes to the present form seen today) for the several contractual periods since 1998.
Hall of Champions
Awards
- See also: Academic All-AmericaAcademic All-AmericaAcademic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program...
, Best Female College Athlete ESPY AwardBest Female College Athlete ESPY AwardThe Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award has been presented annually since 2002 to the female sportsperson, irrespective of university represented or sport contested, adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year of those contesting collegiate sport in the United States through the National...
, Best Male College Athlete ESPY AwardBest Male College Athlete ESPY AwardThe Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award has been presented annually since 2002 to the male sportsperson, irrespective of university represented or sport contested, adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year of those contesting collegiate sport in the United States through the National...
, Lowe's Senior CLASS AwardLowe's Senior CLASS AwardThe Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is an annual college athletic award in the NCAA Division I. Qualified competitors must be seniors who have remained within their NCAA Division I college for a four-year commitment and achieved excellence in one of nine sports.....
, Honda Sports AwardHonda Sports AwardThe Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States of America, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Award are automatically in the running for the Honda-Broderick Cup award, as...
, College baseball awards, and Sports Illustrated 2009 all-decade honors (college basketball & football) - See footnote
The NCAA presents a number of different individual awards, including:
- NCAA Award of ValorNCAA Award of ValorThe NCAA Award of Valor is presented by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to recognize "courageous action or noteworthy bravery" by persons involved with intercollegiate athletics....
(not given every year); selection is based on heroic action occurring in the academic year. - NCAA Gerald R. Ford AwardNCAA Gerald R. Ford AwardThe NCAA Gerald R. Ford Award was named in recognition of Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States. Presented by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the award honors an individual who has provided significant leadership in the role of advocate for intercollegiate athletics and...
, honoring an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics. - NCAA Inspiration AwardNCAA Inspiration AwardThe NCAA Inspiration Award is awarded to one of the following who is associated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association: a current or former varsity letter-winner, a coach, or an administrator...
(not given every year); selection is based on inspirational action. - NCAA Sportsmanship AwardNCAA Sportsmanship AwardThe NCAA Sportsmanship Award is given each year to one man and one woman in National Collegiate Athletics Association sports who have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility...
, honoring student-athletesStudent athleteA student athlete is a term used to describe a participant in an organized competitive sport sponsored by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled, a term primarily used in the United States. It is used to describe the direct balance of a full-time student and a full-time athlete...
who have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship. - NCAA Theodore Roosevelt AwardTheodore Roosevelt Award (NCAA)The Theodore Roosevelt Award is the highest honor the National Collegiate Athletic Association may confer on an individual. The award is awarded annually to a graduate from an NCAA member institution who earned a varsity letter in college for participation in intercollegiate athletics, and who...
, the highest honor that the NCAA confers on an individual. - NCAA Woman of the Year AwardNCAA Woman of the Year AwardThe NCAA Woman of the Year Award was created to honor a senior female student-athlete who has distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Each year, ten finalists are selected from a larger pool of...
, honoring a senior student-athlete who has distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in academics, athletics, service and leadership. - Elite 88 AwardElite 88 AwardThe Elite 89 Award or more formally The Elite 89 Academic Recognition Award Program and formerly the Elite 88 Award is an award by the National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizing the student athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average who has reached the competition at the...
, honoring the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA who has reached the competition at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 88 men's and women's championships (in Divisions I, II, and III). - Silver Anniversary AwardsSilver Anniversary Awards (NCAA)The Silver Anniversary Awards are given each year by the American National Collegiate Athletic Association to recognize six distinguished former student-athletes on their 25th anniversary as college graduates. The Silver Anniversary Awards were first given in 1973, when five distinguished former...
, honoring six distinguished former student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of their college graduation. - The Flying Wedge AwardThe Flying Wedge AwardThe Flying Wedge Award is one of the NCAA’s highest honors. It is awarded to an individual who exemplifies outstanding leadership and service to the NCAA. The flying wedge was used in the early days of American football and became a symbol of the origin of the NCAA in 1906...
, one of the NCAA’s highest honors exemplifying outstanding leadership and service to the NCAA. - Today's Top VIII AwardToday's Top VIII AwardThe Today's Top VIII Award is given each year by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to honor eight outstanding senior student-athletes of the preceding calendar year. From 1973 through 1985, this award was known as the Today's Top V Award or the Top Five Award and was given to honor five...
, honoring eight outstanding senior student-athletes. - Walter Byers ScholarshipWalter Byers ScholarshipThe Walter Byers Scholar program is a scholarship program that recognizes the top male and female scholar-athlete in NCAA sports and that is awarded annually by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . It is considered to be the NCAA's highest academic award...
, honoring the top male and female scholar-athletes.
In previous years, the NCAA has presented the following awards at its NCAA Honors event: Astronaut Salute, Business Leader Salute, Congressional Medal of Honor Salute, Governor Salute, Olympians Salute, Performing Arts Salute, Presidents Cabinet Salute, Prominent National Media Salute, Special Recognition Awards, U.S. House of Representatives Salute, U.S. Senate Salute.
Conferences
- See also: List of NCAA conferences and List of non-NCAA conferences
Division I conferences
- Note: Conferences with automatic entry to the Bowl Championship SeriesBowl Championship SeriesThe Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
are denoted with an asterisk (*). - Note: Conferences within the Football Bowl Subdivision but not the BCS are denoted with a pound sign (#).
- America East ConferenceAmerica East ConferenceThe America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...
- Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast ConferenceThe Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
(ACC)* - Atlantic Sun ConferenceAtlantic Sun ConferenceThe Atlantic Sun Conference is a college athletic conference operating in the Southeastern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I; it does not sponsor football. The conference was established in 1978 as the Trans America Athletic Conference...
- Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10)
- Big East ConferenceBig East ConferenceThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
* - Big Sky ConferenceBig Sky ConferenceThe Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
- Big South ConferenceBig South ConferenceThe Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision...
- Big Ten ConferenceBig Ten ConferenceThe Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
(Big Ten) * - Big 12 ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
(Big 12) * - Big West ConferenceBig West ConferenceThe Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
- Colonial Athletic AssociationColonial Athletic AssociationThe Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
(CAA) - Conference USAConference USAConference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
(C-USA) # - Great West Conference
- Horizon LeagueHorizon LeagueThe Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....
- NCAA IndependentsNCAA Division I independent schools (basketball)NCAA Division I independent basketball schools are four-year institutions that do not belong to a basketball conference or a primary conference for all sports teams.-Schools:...
- Ivy LeagueIvy LeagueThe Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
- Metro Atlantic Athletic ConferenceMetro Atlantic Athletic ConferenceThe Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. MAAC teams compete in the NCAA's Division I. Most of the members are Catholic or formerly Catholic institutions; the only exception is the private but secular Rider...
(MAAC)
- Mid-American ConferenceMid-American ConferenceThe Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
(MAC) # - Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceMid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceThe Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference of historically black colleges and universities in the Southeastern United States...
(MEAC) - Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley ConferenceThe Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
(MVC or The Valley) - Mountain Pacific Sports FederationMountain Pacific Sports FederationThe Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is a college athletic conference whose member teams are located in the western United States. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I level.-History:...
(MPSF) - Mountain West ConferenceMountain West ConferenceThe Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
(MWC) # - Northeast ConferenceNortheast ConferenceThe Northeast Conference is a college athletic conference whose schools are members of the NCAA. The NCAA designates the Northeast Conference to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for Division I Men's Football and to Division I Sports for all other sports.Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro...
(NEC) - Ohio Valley ConferenceOhio Valley ConferenceThe Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
(OVC) - Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12)*
- Patriot LeaguePatriot LeagueThe Patriot League is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I) for a number of sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision...
- Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC)* - Southern ConferenceSouthern ConferenceThe Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
(SoCon) - Southland ConferenceSouthland ConferenceThe Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
- Southwestern Athletic ConferenceSouthwestern Athletic ConferenceThe Southwestern Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States...
(SWAC) - The Summit League (The Summit) (formerly the Mid-Continent Conference)
- Sun Belt ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceThe Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
(SBC) # - West Coast ConferenceWest Coast ConferenceThe West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
(WCC) - Western Athletic ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceThe Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
(WAC) #
Division I FCS football-only conferences
- Missouri Valley Football Conference
- Pioneer Football LeaguePioneer Football LeagueThe Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates in the East, Midwest, and California of the United States. It has member schools that range from New York, North Carolina, and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's...
Division I hockey-only conferences
- Atlantic HockeyAtlantic HockeyThe Atlantic Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey–only conference. Unlike several other college athletic conferences, Atlantic Hockey has no women's...
- Central Collegiate Hockey AssociationCentral Collegiate Hockey AssociationThe Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...
(CCHA) - College Hockey AmericaCollege Hockey AmericaCollege Hockey America is a women's college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is currently made up of four women's teams in New York and Pennsylvania....
- ECAC Hockey
- Hockey EastHockey EastHockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....
- Western Collegiate Hockey AssociationWestern Collegiate Hockey AssociationThe Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
(WCHA)
Media
The NCAA has current media rights contracts with CBS SportsCBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
, CBS College Sports Network, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, ESPN Plus
ESPN Plus
ESPN Plus, the popular name of ESPN Regional Television, is an American television program syndicator. ERT is based along with sister network ESPNU in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, and Turner Sports
Turner Sports
Turner Sports is the division of Turner Broadcasting System responsible for sports broadcasts on Turner channels including TBS, TNT, and TruTV, and for operating the interactive properties , , , and...
for coverage of its 88 championships. According to the official NCAA website, ESPN and its associated networks have rights to 21 championships, CBS to 67, and Turner Sports to one. The following are the most prominent championships and rightsholders:
- CBS: Men's basketball (NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, with Turner Sports, and NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament), track and field, ice hockey (women's division I)
- ESPN: Women's basketball (all divisions), baseball, softball, ice hockey (men's division I), football (all divisions including Div. I FCS), soccer (division I for both sexes)
- Turner Sports: NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament with CBS
Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
has exclusive radio rights to the men's and women's basketball Final Fours to the men's College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
(baseball). DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
has an exclusive package expanding CBS' coverage of the men's basketball tournament.
Video games based on popular NCAA sports such as football and basketball are licensed by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
.
Football television controversy
In the late 1940s there were only two colleges in the country with a national TV contract, a considerable source of revenue. In 1951, the NCAA voted to prohibit any live TV broadcast of college football games during the season. No sooner had the NCAA voted to ban television than public outcry forced it to retreat. Instead, the NCAA voted to restrict the number of televised games for each team to stop the slide in gate attendance. Harold StassenHarold Stassen
Harold Edward Stassen was the 25th Governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943. After service in World War II, from 1948 to 1953 he was president of the University of Pennsylvania...
, president of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(Penn), defied the monopoly and signed a $200,000 contract with ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Eventually, Penn was forced to back down when the NCAA threatened to expel the Quakers from the association.
By the 1980s, televised college football
College football on television
College football on television includes the broadcasting of college football games, as well as pre- and post-game reports, analysis, and human-interest stories. Within the United States, the college version of American football annually garners high television ratings.College football games have...
had become a much larger source of income for the NCAA. If the television contracts the NCAA had with ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
had remained in effect for the 1984 season, they would have generated US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
73.6 million for the Association and its members. In September 1981, the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
and the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
Athletic Association filed suit against the NCAA in district court in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. The plaintiffs stated that the NCAA's football television plan constituted price fixing, output restraints, boycott, and monopolizing, all of which were illegal under the Sherman Act. The NCAA argued that its pro-competitive and non-commercial justifications for the plan—-protection of live gate, maintenance of competitive balance among NCAA member institutions and creation of a more attractive "product" to compete with other forms of entertainment—-combined to make the plan reasonable.
In September 1982, the district court found in favor of the plaintiffs, ruling that the plan violated antitrust laws. It enjoined the Association from enforcing the contract. The NCAA appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court, but lost in 1984 in the 7-2 ruling NCAA v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Oklahoma
NCAA v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Oklahoma
NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, 468 U.S. 85 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the National Collegiate Athletic Association television plan violated the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts...
.
Eligibility
To participate in college athletics in the freshmen year the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) states that students must meet three requirements; graduate from high school, complete the minimum required academic courses, and have qualifying grade-point average (GPA) and SAT or ACT scores.The 16 academic credits are four courses in English, two courses in math, two classes in social science, two in natural or physical science, and one additional course in English, math, natural or physical science, or another academic course such as foreign language.
To meet the requirements for grade point average and SAT scores students the lowest possible GPA a student may be eligible with is a 1.700 with an SAT score of 1400. The lowest SAT score a student may be eligible with is 700 with a GPA of 2.500.
As of 2011, a high school student may sign a letter of intent
National Letter of Intent
The National Letter of Intent is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating NCAA colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association provides...
to enter and play football for a college only after the first Wednesday in February. In August 2011, the NCAA announced plans to raise academic requirements for postseason competition, including its two most prominent competitions, football's Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
and the Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
; the new requirement, which are based on an "academic progress rate" that measures retention and graduation rates, and is calculated on a four-year, rolling basis. The changes raise the rate from 900 to 930, which represents a 50% graduation rate.
Rules violations
Member schools pledge to follow the rules promulgated by the NCAA. Creation of a mechanism to enforce the NCAA's legislation occurred in 1952 after careful consideration by the membership.Allegations of rules violations are referred to the NCAA's investigative staff. A preliminary investigation is initiated to determine if an official inquiry is warranted and to categorize any resultant violations as secondary or major. If several violations are found, the NCAA may determine that the school as a whole has exhibited a "lack of institutional control." The institution involved is notified promptly and may appear in its own behalf before the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
Findings of the Committee on Infractions and the resultant sanctions in major cases are reported to the institution. Sanctions will generally include having the institution placed on "probation" for a period of time, in addition to other penalties. The institution may appeal the findings or sanctions to an appeals committee. After considering written reports and oral presentations by representatives of the Committee on Infractions and the institution, the committee acts on the appeal. Action may include accepting the infractions committee's findings and penalty, altering either, or making its own findings and imposing an appropriate penalty. The current longest running period of sanctions belongs to the University of Alabama (at Tuscaloosa). Sanctions at Alabama cover all major sports and will expire in June 2012 (extending the record for 17 years upon being penalized in 1995). The football team has been the most severely penalized program in the FBS (formerly Division I) over the past 25 years.
In cases of particularly egregious misconduct, the NCAA has the power to ban a school from participating in a particular sport, a penalty known as the "Death Penalty". Since 1985, any school that commits major violations during the probationary period can be banned from the sport involved for up to two years. However, when the NCAA opts not to issue a death penalty for a repeat violation, it must explain why it didn't do so. This penalty has only been imposed three times in its modern form, most notably when Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
's football team had its 1987 season canceled due to massive rules violations
Southern Methodist University football scandal
The Southern Methodist University football scandal was an incident in which the football program at Southern Methodist University was investigated and punished for massive violations of NCAA rules and regulations. The most serious violation was the maintenance of a slush fund used for "under the...
dating back more than a decade. SMU opted not to field a team in 1988 as well due to the aftershocks from the sanctions, and the program has never recovered; it has only two winning seasons and one bowl appearance since then. The devastating effect the death penalty had on SMU has reportedly made the NCAA skittish about issuing another one. Since the SMU case, there are only three instances where the NCAA has seriously considered imposing it against a Division I school; it imposed it against Division II Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
's men's soccer team in 2003 and Division III MacMurray College
MacMurray College
MacMurray College is a career-directed liberal arts college located in Jacksonville, Illinois. Its enrollment in fall 2011 was 548. It is from Springfield and from Chicago....
's men's tennis team in 2005.
Additionally, in particularly egregious cases of rules violations, coaches, athletic directors and athletic support staff can be barred from working for any NCAA member school without permission from the NCAA. This procedure is known as a "show-cause penalty" (not to be confused with an order to show cause
Order to show cause
An order to show cause, in most Anglo-Saxon law systems, is a type of court order that requires one or more of the parties to a case to justify, explain, or prove something to the court. Courts commonly use orders to show cause when the judge needs more information before deciding whether or not to...
in the legal sense). Theoretically, a school can hire someone with a "show cause" on their record during the time the show cause order is in effect only with permission from the NCAA Infractions Committee. The school assumes the risks and stigma of hiring such a person. It may then end up being sanctioned by the NCAA and the Infractions Committee for their choice, possibly losing athletic scholarships, revenue from schools who would not want to compete with that other school, and the ability for their games to be televised, along with restrictions on recruitment and practicing times. As a result, a show-cause order usually has the effect of blackballing individuals from being hired for the duration of the order.
Currently, Dave Bliss
Dave Bliss
Dave Bliss is a former American college basketball coach. He coached at University of Oklahoma, Southern Methodist University, University of New Mexico and Baylor University...
, former basketball coach at Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, has the longest show cause order. As a result of his involvement in serious rules violations
Baylor University basketball scandal
The Baylor University basketball scandal was an incident in which the Baylor University men's basketball program was investigated and punished for numerous NCAA violations. The scandal broke out after the 2003 murder of men's basketball player Patrick Dennehy...
, Bliss is effectively banned from coaching at the major college level until the 2015-16 season.
Division I-FBS institutions on probation
The following Division I Football Bowl Subdivision institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports:| Institution | Sport(s) | Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| Florida International University FIU Golden Panthers The FIU Panthers are the athletic teams of Florida International University , a public university located in Miami, Florida. The Panthers compete in NCAA Division I athletics, and are currently members of the Sun Belt Conference... |
Baseball, Football FIU Golden Panthers football The FIU Golden Panthers football team represent Florida International University in Miami, Florida in the sport of college football. The FIU Panthers are a mid-major NCAA FBS college football team in the Sun Belt Conference led by Mario Cristobal and play at the on-campus FIU Stadium.-History:On... , Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Soccer, Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Softball, Women's Swimming, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball |
5 May 2012 |
| Florida State University Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a... |
Baseball, Men's Basketball, Football, Men's Golf, Men's Swimming, Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Swimming, Women's Softball | 4 March 2013 |
| University of Alabama University of Alabama The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States.... |
Football Alabama Crimson Tide football |TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team... , Softball Alabama Crimson Tide softball The Alabama Crimson Tide softball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. It is currently led by head coach Patrick Murphy and assistant coaches Alyson Habetz and Stephanie VanBrakle... , Baseball, Women's Gymnastics Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics The Alabama Crimson Tide Gymnastics team represents the University of Alabama and is a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Tide compete in Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Crimson Tide have won 5 NCAA Women's Gymnastics national championships, 7 SEC championships, and an... , Men's Basketball Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball program has a history of being among the best of the Southeastern Conference . It trails only Kentucky in basketball wins, SEC tournament titles, and SEC regular season titles in the 12-member conference. The team is coached by head coach Anthony Grant,... , Women's Basketball Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball The Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball program represents the University of Alabama in the sport of women's basketball. The team competes in the Southeastern Conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association. They are coached by Wendell Hudson, the first African-American student-athlete... , Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Men's Swimming, Women's Swimming, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis, Men's Indoor & Outdoor, Women's Indoor & Outdoor Track |
11 June 2012 |
| University of Central Florida UCF Knights The UCF Knights are the athletics teams of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. All of UCF's varsity sports teams are known as the Knights, with the women's teams sometimes referred to as the "Lady Knights." The Knights, which includes the university's 16 varsity sports teams,... |
Football | 10 February 2012 |
| University of Memphis Memphis Tigers The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports... |
Men's Basketball, Women's Golf | 19 August 2012 |
| University of Southern California USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy... |
Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Tennis | 2014 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck, Engineers, Blacksmiths, and Golden Tornado. There are 8 men's and 7 women's teams that... |
Football Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck, Engineers, Blacksmiths, and Golden Tornado. There are 8 men's and 7 women's teams that... , Men's Basketball |
13 July 2015 |
| Boise State University Boise State Broncos The Boise State Broncos are the official athletic program of Boise State University. The Broncos compete in a wide variety of sports. Perhaps the most well-known of these sports is the football program. The program attained a 13-0 season in 2006 capped by a memorable overtime win in the 2007 Fiesta... |
Football Boise State Broncos football This page discusses the Boise State football program. For more Boise State athletics, see Boise State Broncos.The Boise State Broncos football program represents Boise State University in college football and compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I as a member of the Mountain West... , Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Men's Tennis, Women's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Women's Tennis |
12 September 2014 |
Division I-FCS institutions on probation
The following Division I-FCS institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports:| Institution | Sport(s) | Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama State University Alabama State University Alabama State University, founded 1867, is a historically black university located in Montgomery, Alabama. ASU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.- History :... |
Football | 9 December 2011 |
| College of the Holy Cross Holy Cross Crusaders The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams representing the College of the Holy Cross. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Patriot League. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Atlantic Hockey Association and women's golf in the Big South Conference... |
Men's Soccer | 15 October 2011 |
| Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University is an American public, coeducational university located in Cheney, Washington.Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: Arts and Letters; Business and Public Administration; Science, Health and Engineering; and Social & Behavioral... |
Football 2009 Eastern Washington Eagles football team The 2009 Eastern Washington Eagles football team represented Eastern Washington University in the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football season. They played their home games at Woodward Field in Cheney, Washington... |
10 February 2012 |
| Georgetown University Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the... |
Baseball | 1 September 2012 |
| Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern Eagles The Georgia Southern Eagles are the athletic teams of Georgia Southern University. The Eagles compete in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision and are members of the NCAA Division I Southern Conference... |
Men's Basketball | 19 January 2012 |
| Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University is a historically black university located in Prairie View, Texas and is a member of the Texas A&M University System. PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees in 50 academic majors, 37 master’s degrees and four doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools... |
Women's Basketball | 7 January 2012 |
| Texas Southern University Texas Southern University Texas Southern University is a historically black university located in Houston, Texas, United States.... |
Women's Softball, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis | 15 July 2012 |
Division I non-football institutions on probation
The following Division I non-football institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports:| Institution | Sport(s) | Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi is a state university located in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, on Ward Island in Oso Bay. The university is part of the Texas A&M University System... |
Men's Tennis, Women's Volleyball | 24 March 2013 |
| University of South Alabama South Alabama Jaguars The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are... |
Men's Tennis | 11 May 2012 |
Division II institutions on probation
The following Division II institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports:| Institution | Sport(s) | Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young University–Hawaii | Women's Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis | 25 August 2012 |
| Lane College Lane College -Namesake:SS Lane Victory, a World War II Victory Ship, and one of the few such ships surviving, was named for Lane College. It is now docked in San Pedro, California . It is now open as a museum.-External links:*... |
Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball | 26 February 2012 |
| Miles College Miles College Miles College is a historically black college founded in 1898. It is located in Fairfield, Alabama, which is six miles west of Birmingham, Alabama. It is a private liberal arts institution of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church... |
Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Volleyball, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Baseball, Football, Women's Softball, Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Women's Indoor Track, Mixed Outdoor Track | 3 November 2013 |
| Salem International University Salem International University Salem International University is an American private university located in Salem, West Virginia, in the United States... |
Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Baseball, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer | 20 November 2011 |
| University of West Georgia University of West Georgia The University of West Georgia is a comprehensive doctoral-granting university in Carrollton, Georgia, approximately 45 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia. The University is built on 645 acres including a recent land gift of 246 acres from the city of Carrollton in 2003... |
Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Football, Women's Volleyball, Baseball, Women's Softball, Women's Soccer | 20 January 2014 |
| University of the District of Columbia University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund... |
All Sports | 27 October 2013 |
Division III institutions on probation
The following Division III institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports:| Institution | Sport(s) | Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| Baruch College Baruch College Bernard M. Baruch College, more commonly known as Baruch College, is a constituent college of the City University of New York, located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, New York City. With an acceptance rate of just 23%, Baruch is among the most competitive and diverse colleges in the nation... |
Women's Basketball | Unknown |
| Buffalo State College Buffalo State College The State University of New York College at Buffalo, referred to as Buffalo State College, often referred to colloquially as Buff State, is a public, liberal arts college in Buffalo, New York, United States and is part of the State University of New York. Buffalo State was founded in 1871 as the... |
Women's Lacrosse, Women's Basketball, Men's Ice Hockey, Women's Ice Hockey | 27 January 2012 |
| Fontbonne University Fontbonne University Fontbonne University is a co-ed liberal arts Catholic institution of approximately 3,000 students in Clayton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. It is a member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Fontbonne is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North... |
Football, Women's Basketball, Men's Lacrosse | Unknown |
| Hobart College Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the... |
Football | 5 January 2014 |
| State University of New York at Geneseo State University of New York at Geneseo The State University of New York at Geneseo—also known as SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo State, or, colloquially, Geneseo—is located in Geneseo, Livingston County, New York, United States. It is a University College of the State University of New York... |
Men's Ice Hockey | 27 January 2012 |
| State University of New York at Potsdam State University of New York at Potsdam The State University of New York at Potsdam, also known as SUNY Potsdam, or, colloquially, Potsdam, is a public university located in the Village of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, New York. Founded in 1816, it is among the 50 oldest colleges in the United States... |
Men's Ice Hockey, Women's Ice Hockey, Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball | 21 April 2016 |
Subsidiaries
The NCAA runs the officiating software company ArbiterSportsArbiterSports
ArbiterSports is the sports officiating software company of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and is a venture between two NCAA subsidiaries, Arbiter LLC and eOfficials LLC...
, based in Sandy, Utah, a joint venture between two subsidiaries of the NCAA, Arbiter LLC and eOfficials LLC. The NCAA has said their objective is for the venture to help improve the fairness, quality and consistency of officiating across amateur athletics.
Sponsors
| Company | Category | Since |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | Wireless services | 2001 |
| Coca-Cola Coca-Cola Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke... |
Non-alcoholic beverages | 2002 |
| CapitalOne | Banking and credit cards | 2008 |
| Nissan (Infiniti Infiniti is the luxury division of automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989 in North America. Marketing operations have since grown to include the Middle East, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, China, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Infiniti began sales in additional... ) |
Car & parts | 2010 |
| Enterprise Rent-A-Car Enterprise Rent-A-Car Enterprise Holdings, Inc. is a privately held company formed in 2009 to operate rental car subsidiaries: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car, WeCar and its commercial fleet management, used car sales, and commercial truck rental operations.Enterprise Holdings was formed as... |
Car rental | 2005 |
| The Hartford The Hartford The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. , usually known as The Hartford, is a Fortune 500 company and one of America’s largest investment and insurance companies... |
Mutual funds and related financial services | 2004 |
| Hershey's Hershey's Hershey's may refer to:* Hershey's, a nickname for The Hershey Company* Hershey's Ice Cream produced by Hershey Creamery Company* Hershey's Chocolate World, a theme-park/visitor-center facility... (Reese's) |
Candy | 2009 |
| LG LG LG may refer to:*LG Corp., a South Korean electronics and petrochemicals conglomerate*LG Electronics, an affiliate of the South Korean LG Group which produces electronic products* Lawrence Graham, a London headquartered firm of business lawyers... |
Electronics | 2009 |
| Lowe's Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in... |
Home improvement | 2005 |
| Kraft Kraft Foods Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang... (Planters Planters Planters is an American snack food company, a division of Kraft Foods, best known for its processed nuts and for the Mr. Peanut icon that symbolizes them. Mr. Peanut was created by grade schooler Antonio Gentile for a 1916 contest to design the company's brand icon... ) |
Snack foods | 2008 |
| Unilever Unilever Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products.... |
Personal-care products | 2010 |
| UPS United Parcel Service United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the... |
Package delivery and logistics | 2009 |
- AT&T, Coca-Cola and CapitalOne are NCAA Corporate Champions. Other sponsors are NCAA Corporate Partners.
Criticisms
Numerous criticisms have been lodged against the NCAA. These include:- The creators of South Park in the episode "Crack Baby Athletic Association" (s15e05) http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s15e05-crack-baby-athletic-association
- Several people, notably including former Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
columnist Rick ReillyRick ReillyRichard "Rick" Paul Reilly is an American sportswriter. Long known for being the "back page" columnist for Sports Illustrated, Reilly moved to ESPN on June 1, 2008 where he is a featured columnist for ESPN.com and wrote the back page column for ESPN the Magazine...
, have criticized the NCAA for its inflexibility. - Former NCAA President Walter Byers in his book Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Exploiting College Athletes refers to the NCAA's operation by stating that "Today the NCAA Presidents Commission is preoccupied with tightening a few loose bolts in a worn machine, firmly committed to the neo-plantation belief that the enormous proceeds from college games belong to the overseers (administrators) and supervisors (coaches). The plantation workers performing in the arena may only receive those benefits authorized by the overseers."
- Following losing the 1953 case The University of Denver v Nemeth, where it was found that a student and athlete was owed workers' compensation, it has been argued that the NCAA created the term "student-athlete". This was done according to Andrew Zimbalist in his book Unpaid Professionals (1999) to prevent similar future litigation losses.
- In 2007, the case of White et al. v NCAA was brought by former NCAA student-athletes Jason White, Brian Pollack, Jovan Harris and Chris Craig as a class action lawsuit. They argued that the NCAA's current limits on a full scholarship or Grant in Aid was a violation of federal antitrust laws. Their reasoning was that in the absence of such a limit, NCAA member schools would be free to offer any financial aid packages they desired to recruit the student and athlete. The NCAA settled before a ruling by the court, by agreeing to set up the Former Student-Athlete Fund to "assist qualified candidates applying for receipt of career development expenses and/or reimbursement of educational expenses under the terms of the agreement with plaintiffs in a federal antitrust lawsuit." More information about this settlement is available at NCAA
- The National Collegiate Players Association (NCPA) is a group started by former UCLA football players with the purpose of organizing student-athletes. Their goal is to change NCAA rules they view as unjust. Today this continues by:
- Raising the scholarship amount
- Holding schools responsible for their players' sports-related medical injuries
- Increasing graduation rates.
- The NCAA is highly criticized for the inconsistencies in the rulings and punishments towards superior athletic universities. It is said by many that this is a way for the NCAA to make a strong statement and to show their power. These inconsistencies can be seen in many circumstances, such as the recent probation of the University of Southern California Football Program. Because of the violations committed by Reggie Bush, USC lost 30 scholarships and lost bowl game eligibility for two years. Ohio State, with a very similar violation, was punished by losing five games of eligibility. It seems that the NCAA interprets their bylaws differently for each individual situation, depending on the university, strength of the athletic program, and their opinion of the severity of the violation committed.
Other collegiate athletic organizations
The NCAA is the dominant, but not the only, collegiate athletic organization in the United States. Several other such organizations exist.In the United States
- National Association of Intercollegiate AthleticsNational Association of Intercollegiate AthleticsThe National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA) - National Junior College Athletic AssociationNational Junior College Athletic AssociationThe National Junior College Athletic Association , founded in 1938, is an association of community college and junior college athletic departments throughout the United States. It is held as Divisions and Regions. The current NJCAA holds 24 separate regions.-History:The idea for the NJCAA was...
(NJCAA) - National Christian College Athletic AssociationNational Christian College Athletic AssociationThe National Christian College Athletic Association is an association of approximately 100 Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada which see collegiate sports primarily as an opportunity for Christian fellowship and ministry. The national headquarters...
(NCCAA) - United States Collegiate Athletic AssociationUnited States Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe United States Collegiate Athletic Association is a national organization in the USA for the intercollegiate athletic programs of less than 100 small colleges, community collegs and junior colleges. It holds 11 "National Championship" tournaments in seven sports...
(USCAA) - Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for WomenAssociation for Intercollegiate Athletics for WomenThe Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. It evolved out of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women . The association was one of the biggest...
(AIAW) – disbanded in 1982, after the NCAA began sponsoring championships in women's sports
Foreign intercollegiate/interuniversity equivalents
- British Universities & Colleges Sport
- Canadian Interuniversity SportCanadian Interuniversity SportCanadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
(CIS) - Canadian Colleges Athletic AssociationCanadian Colleges Athletic AssociationThe Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association is the national governing body for organized sports at colleges in Canada. It was formed in 1974. The CCAA hosts nine annual national championships. The CCAA's name in French is l'Association canadienne du sport collégial .Its equivalent body for...
(CCAA) - National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines)National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines)The National Collegiate Athletic Association is an athletics association of nine colleges and universities in the Philippines. Established in 1924, the NCAA is the oldest athletic association in the Philippines...
(NCAA) and University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) for PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(among other leagues)
International governing body
- International University Sports FederationInternational University Sports FederationThe Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire , based in Brussels, Belgium is responsible for the organisation and governance of worldwide competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 28...
(FISU) (Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire)
See also
- Academic Progress RateAcademic Progress RateThe Academic Progress Rate, sometimes also known as Academic Performance Rating and generally abbreviated as APR, is a metric established by the NCAA to indicate the success of collegiate athletic teams in moving student athletes towards graduation . It was instituted in February of 2005...
- College athleticsCollege athleticsCollege athletics refers primarily to sports and athletic competition organized and funded by institutions of tertiary education . In the United States, college athletics is a two-tiered system. The first tier includes the sports that are sanctioned by one of the collegiate sport governing bodies...
- College rivalries
- List of college athletic programs by U.S. state
- List of college sports team nicknames
- List of U.S. college mascots
- Prime Time LeaguePrime Time LeagueThe Prime Time League is an annual National Collegiate Athletic Association-approved men's summer basketball league played in North Liberty, Iowa, eight miles north of The University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. It is similar to the Game Time League, a women's basketball league that is also played...
- Higher education in the United States
- Collegiate Club SportsCollegiate Club SportsCollegiate Club Sports are any sports offered at a University or College that compete competitively with other Universities or Colleges but are not regulated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Collegiate Club Sports can exist at schools that do have teams that are part of the National...