The NCAA Official Publication of the National Collegiate Athletic Association January 8,1992, Volume 29 Number 2 Pressures could shape NCAk future, Schultz t:ells Convention By I’. David Plcklr Edltor-lrl Chief. The NCAA New, 1 Next week: Intercollegiate athletics is taced with four dominant Convention actions pressures, and the future 01 the NCAA could depend on how Actions taken at the business sessions of the 86th the membership reacts to them, Exccutivc Director Richard annual NCAA Convention will be repotted in the D. Schult;r said in his annual “State of the Association” January 15 issue of The NCAA News. address. That issue will include a review of the entire event, Speaking January 7 m Anaheim, Cahlornia, at the plus a complete summary of actions involving proposals opening business session of the Association’s 86th annual considered at the Convention. Convention, Schultr idcntificd pcl~ccptions. politics, llnanccs and reform as factors that will have the most ellect on mtercollcglatc athletics and higher education m the next few the model.” Schultz said, pressure tram Federal and state years. Icgislation is growlnp. “Fveryone should bc aware by now Schultz sad problems with the pubhc’s perception ot that the comments made a year ago about Congressional intcrvcntion were not Idle rhetoric.” Schult;r said~ Hc men- See text of speech, page 5 tioncd the omnibus “reform” bill sponsored by Rep. ‘lam intercollegiate athletics have Icd to assorted political pluzssurcs McMillcn (1)~Mai~yland) and also cited the due proccsh laws that will take a large toll on the Association. “You are what adopted in four states and similar laws pending in six other you are perceived to he,” Schultz said, “and WC are pcrcc~vcd states. by the gcncral public and even by our tacultles and staffs as “These politIcal prc\surcs arc not without cost and not doing a good job of controlling our programs.” Impact,” he haid. “cvcn though much of the legislation I\ <till Pressure growing pending. t‘hcsc political prcssurcs and the litigation that cots Richard D. Schultz speaks to delegates Fven th&h th; Association is making efforts to “change Idea of open hearings prompts most concern The most serious question about Hc was cspeclally conccrncd the rccommcndations of the Special about the affect the change might Committee to Review the NCAA have on the Association’s cvidence- Enforcement and Infractions Proc- gathering ability, primarily because ess involved the concept of open young athletes might not be willing hearings, according to committee to testify il they knew their remarks chair Rex E. Lee. would be made public. Lee and other members of the He was less worried about the so- committee listened to questions and called “Anita Hill syndrome” since comments from the membership testimony at open hearings would during a two-hour session January not be live and witnesses therefore 7 at the NCAA Convention in Ana- could not appear to be put on trial heim, California. Earlier, Lee and thcmsclves. members 01 his committee had met l‘hc 1993 Convention is expected with the Collcgiatc C‘ommissioners to vote on proposals to create open Association and the Committee on hearings and to permit hearing of- Infractions. ficers to make findings of fact and The cnforccmcnt-review commit- to recommend penalties in cases not tee issued a series ol recommenda- resolved by summary disposition. tions October 2X that would affect The NCAA Council has the author- the way casts are resolved and the ity to approve the remaining recom- manner in which hearings are con- mcndations, and Lee said he hoped ducted. it would do so as soon as possible. After listing to comments from “The most important IS the sum the membership, I.ec said he sensed mary-disposition process,” I ,ee said. “I hope it is adopted and put into apprehension on the suhjcct of open Three members of the Special Committee to Review the NCAA Enforcement and Infractions eftect rather soon.” hearings. “1 voted with the majority Process- (from left) William M. Sangster of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Charles W Ehrhardt on this before.” hc said, “and I will Summary disposition would aI- of Florida State Universiiy and chair Rex E. Lee of Brigham Young University-listen to comments again, but it is a very close question.” SW l1lra I$ prlgc~ s about the committee’s recommendations at a fotum in Anaheim ‘p al 11 In the News FootDau crowds down everywhere except I-A By James M. Van Valkenburg Suprcmc Court struck down the bc blamed cntircly on unrcstrictcd average of 42,043 is the best since IXrectur of Slalistio NCAA television plan (season t&vision. From 197X--the ycal 1986. It IS lourth hlghcst under the tickets had been sold betore the Division I-AA was crcatcd-p current lormat. Division I-A fell Legiblative Assistance 2 Division 1-A football attcndancc court decision) and brought back through I99 I, Division 11 per-game tram I37 teams m 198 I to 97 in 1982 Council meeting 2 in 1991 rcachcd its highest level in unrestricted televising of college average has fallen from 5,544 to when 40 teams moved to I-AA, then Schultz on image.. I 1 2 six years, but all other dlvlsions games for the first time since the 4,OOS; Division 111 from 2,629 to went up to 106 in 1983 (the current High-school academfcs 3 dcchned in per-game average. early 1950s. 1.902, and all non-NCAA teams alignment). As a result, national college loot- from 2,540 to 1,724. That is 27.8 Division I-AA’s average fell in Comment. 4 Total attendance ncvcr has ball attendance showed a small de- pcrccnt, 27.7 and 32. I, respectively. I99 I. and the total in that d!vision is sweet Iall& reached its 1984 level in the new cline of 60,667 to 36.565.880 for Part of the reason is teams moving up only hccausc of more teams. Associatbn . 6 unrestricted era, and this is the third all 08 t four-year colleges with var- trom Division II to I-AA. Another Division 1-A drew 7X.4 percent of Basketball stats. 7 dcclinc in those seven years. By sity teams (548 are NCAA reason: 38 more colleges play foot- capacity, I-AA 53.6 percent. contrast, it had dropped only twice Academic all-Americans 12 mcmbcrs). ball now than in 1978, and these arc The Southeastern Conference in 31 years and more than Football all-Ame&ans. 13 Even with the decline, the 1991 small-attendance teams. leads a fourth straight season at doubled in that span under the NCAA Record.. ,14 total was third highest m hlstory. Division I&A also never has re- 66,610 per game its record high. NCAA television plan. Thehladet. 14 1990 was No. 2. turned to its 19X4 level of 42,548, The national record is 67,997 by the Btfefly . .16 The record high of 36,652,179 However, declines by the “grass highest under the current alignment BIG Ten Conference in 19X4. came in 19X4, the year the U.S. roots”divisions below I-AA cannot that began in 1983, but the 1991 SW Foorhall cron&, huge 1 I 2 THE NCM NEWS/January 8,19X2 Checking in Delegates lined up January 6 to register for the 66th Con- vention in Anaheim. A day later; NCAA Executive Direc- torRiichardD.Schuttzopened the Convention by telling delegates in his “State of the Association”address that the future like/y will be shaped by how well member institutions react to various pn3sures the Association is facing. Council decides not to reconsider Legislative Assistance test-score change’s effective date 1992 Column No. 2 The NCAA Council voted in its Correction: Midyear transfer- pre-C‘onvention meeting.IanLJary S- Other actions academic year of residence/satisfactory progress 6 in Anaheim, California, not to Divisions I and II memher institutions should note that the opening In other pre-Convention action, the Council: reconsider its curlier action regard- sentence of I.egislative Assistance column No. 45, Item No. 2 (December 0 Agreed that the Council Subcommittee on (‘ertification should ing the adiustmcnt from 1X to I7 in IX, 1991, edition o1 The NCAA News) should read as follows: continue its work, with the LWntl~lJKd. and possibly expanded, LJseof the minimum rcquircd AC’1 score DJvisions I and II member institutions should note that a midyear cOnWk;JlItS. I atcr in the year, the suhcommittcc will be translormrd for initial athletics eligibility. transfer student who dots not meet an exception to or a waiver of the Into a special NCAA committee. In its October meeting, the Count transfer rcgutations must fulfill a one-year residence requirement prior to l SlmJlarly, the cLJrrcnt (‘ouncil SLJhcommittcc to Kcvicw NCAA rcprcscnting the institution in intercollegiate competition. c.11 approved the recommendation I_cpislativc I’rLJccdLJres recommended that it hccomc a special of the Academic ReqLJJremcnts Corn- NCAA committee. with additional members to bc appointed. Bylaws 14.6.4.4.5 and 14.6.6.2- mittcc that the ACT score be l Approved ;I rccornrnendation by the Committee on Financial transfer to four-year college changed hcrausc of data indicating Aid and Amateurism that the Needy Student-Athlete Fund bc prior to completion of requirements that an ACT score of 17 should be permitted to operate for two years and that the committee be Divisions I and II member institutions should note that a student-athlctc considered the nearest equivalent to dilcctcd to monitor that lund to determine if it is addressing who transfers from a two-year collcgc must satisfy an academic year of an SAl‘score ol 700.