The NCAA News
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Special Convention set for December 3-4 Attention will be focused on The Special Committee on a series of proposals designed NCAA Governance, Organiza- to restructure Division I when tion and Services began ad- the 4th special Convention of dressing the Division I restruc- the NCAA is held in St. Louis turing question late in 1979. In December 3-4. March 1981, a subcommittee of The Convention will open five individuals was appointed officially at 2 p.m. December 3 and assigned two topics: The at Stouffer’s Riverfront effectiveness of the 1978 Divi- Towers with the general round sion I football reorganization table, chaired by NCAA Secre- into Division I-A and Division tary-Treasurer John L. Toner, I-AA and the overall growth of University of Connecticut. Division I membership, espe- Most Division I-A allied con cially in terms of Division I ferences will meet either in the basketball classification. morning before the round table The demand for a special or shortly after its conclusion. Convention developed in Au- A schedule of events-includ- gust and September after the ing related meetings-appears College Football Association at the end of this article. contracted with NBC televi- A total of 23 proposals-plus sion for a four-year football any amendments to amend- television package apart from ments that may be submit- the NCAA’s $263.5 million ted-will be considered at the package with ABC and CBS. Traditional powers Penn State and Indiana will be among the favorites when the NCAA Division I Men’s business session, which will CFA member conferences, Soccer Championship begins this month. Both squads are loaded with veterans, such as Nittany Lion begin at 9 a.m. December 4. faced with the question of midfielder Greg Dennis (left) and Hoosier forward Armando Betancourt (right). The statement of Conven- choosing between the NCAA tion purposes notes that the package and the CFA package, agenda for the special Conven- held a series of meetings be- tion is limited to legislative tween August 21 and Sep- proposals directly related to tember 8. At that time, the Division I restructuring. Any more basic question of Division legislative proposal not quali- I restructuring became the fying will be ruled out of order. Continued on page 6 WWEti!l#lB Annual Convention VOL. 18 l NO. 16 November 15, 1981 122 proposals in Official Notice Delegates to the 1982 NCAA begin January 8. ing the last decade has the Change recommended Convention in Houston will be Chief executive officers of amount of legislation to be facing virtually the same active and allied members will voted upon remained so con- in automatic qualification number of nrooosals as thev receive forms to be used in stant. appointing voting delegates, The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee has considered at the 1981 Con- Excluding 31 proposals in vention. alternates and visitors to the recommended to the NCAA Executive Committee that no t,he consent packages (20 rou- more than 40 percent of the championship bracket may be A total of 122 proposals will Convention. Those forms, tine amendments to the which will accompany the Of- allocated to champions of allied conferences and that, appear in the Official Notice of bylaws and 11 to the constitu- ficial Notice, are to be returned beginning with the 1983 championship, those conferences the Convention, which will be tion), the largest number of at the earliest convenience of qualifying automatically will be determined strictly by the mailed from the national office proposals for any topical the chief executive officers. Friday, November 20. The pro- grouping is 14 found in the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index. The legislative package of posals are distributed among financial aid, membership and The committee stipulated that fractions are to be round- 12 legislative topics, and no 122 proposals is below the lo- eligibility sections. There will ed upward; so in the current 48-team bracket, for example, proposal, topic or group of year average of 139. The small- be 13 recruiting proposals, no more than 20 conferences could qualify automatically. topics seems to stand out as est number considered during while championships attracts The committee, however, would have the prerogative of being more important than the period was 10.5 in 1980, 10 amendments. Other group- recommending fewer than 20 conferences for automatic while the record high was 228 others, as was the case at the ings include general (six), tele- qualification. 1981 Convention when gover- in 1976. vision (five), amateurism The RPI-which is based on winning percentage, oppo- This marks the second con- nance, academic requirements, (four), governance (four), nents’ winning percentage and the opponents’ opponents’ secutive Convention for slight financial aid and recruiting playing and practice seasons winning percentages-will be computed for all games of the issues dominated the program. increases in the number of pro- (four) and academics (three). 1981-82 season, including postseason tournaments. The The NCAA membership will posals to be considered. Since RPI index alone will determine those conferences that will consider the proposed legisla- i979, however, the numbers A review of the proposed leg- tion when the Convention as- have remained relatively islation for the January Con- receive automatic qualification. sembles January 11-13 at the stable, not rising above 134 vention will appear in the No- Final RPI figures will he available to allied conferences Hyatt Regency Hotel in Hous- (1979) or dropping below 105 vember 30 and December 15 by May 15,1982. ton. Related meetings will (1980). At no other period dur- issues of the NCAA News. In one other change, the committee voted to recommend that a conference’s representation in the tournament he limited to a maximum of 56 percent of its membership. McCarthy earns Award of Valor Again, fractions are to be rounded upward. Committee Chair David R. Gavitt, Providence College, In February 1979, he was IJnited States Secret Service said the reasons for the recommendations included the agent Timothy J. McCarthy, transferred to the Presidential following: who was wounded in a March Protection Division in Wash- 1. During the past two years, there has been continued 30 assassination attempt on ington, D.C., where he was proliferation of automatic qualification. Allowing 50 per- President Reagan, has been se- among those responsible for lected to receive the NCAA’s the protection of President cent of the field to qualify automatically no longer will Award of Valor at the 1982 Carter. Since December 1980, accomplish what the committee originally intended to do in honors luncheon. McCarthy has been assigned to terms of striking a balance between the number of auto- McCarthy, a football letter- President Reagan. matic qualifiers and at-large positions. man at the University of Illi- The following honors have 2. It is in the best interest of the tournament for the nois, Champaign, in 1970 and been presented to McCarthy: committee to have the flexibility to select 60 percent of the 1971, was injured when he po- l City of Chicago Medal of field on an at-large basis. Due to the quality of basketball sitioned himself between the Merit. being played at the Division I level, it would be advan potential assassin and Reagan. l Illinois Police Association tageous for t,he committee to have more at-large positions. He was struck in the abdomen Valor Award. 3. The changes provide more quality control. Too many by a .22 caliber bullet and l IJS. Secret Service Valor conferences presently are gaining a privilege and financial knocked to the ground by the Award. rewards without earning them. The constant flow of insti- impact. McCarthy was hospi- l U.S. Treasury Department tutions moving to Division I needs to be discouraged. talized for nine days at the Outstanding Performance Presently, a great incentive to move to Division 1 exists George Washington University Award. Timothy J. McCarthy even though the quality of basketball of the institution or Hospital but has since recov- l Honor Legion Award of conference desiring to make the move may be questionable. ered and is back on duty. the Chicago field office, where the New York Police Depart- Institutions are motivated to move to Division I, join or ment. After graduating from Ilh he was responsible for inves- form a new conference, meet the minimum criteria and then nois in 1971 with a degree in tigating counterfeit currency l International Association seek automatic qualification. finance, McCarthy joined the and for investigating the theft, of Chiefs of Police/Parade The committee met October 21 in Chicago. U.S. Secret Service in Febru- forgery and negotiation of U.S. Magazine Policeman of the ary 1972 and was assigned to Treasury checks and bonds. Continued on page 6 The Editor’s View The special Convention Dissatisfaction with the current status that this special meeting was necessary. Reprinted below is un excerpt front the writing of u news columnist of Division I in general and Division I-A commenting pertinently nhout athletics. It IS selected because the When an appreciable number of members NCAA Neurs feels it makes CI point and ci~scusses n topic that u&L Football in particular has led to the call of believe such a Convention is the best way mterest readers. Puhlicvtion herein, howeuer, does not imp[y NCAA a special NCAA Convention, the fourth in to treat a serious problem, it is the NCAA News endorsement of the oiews expressecl h.y the uuthor. the Association’s 7%year history. Council’s obligation to respond to that Reduced to a simple form, the problem desire. to be addressed in St.