NCAA Coaching Positions by Michael L. Kasavana, Ph.D., campus nor serve as a recruiting coordinator. DANTONIO It is important to note that a high school or CHTP NAMA Professor in Hospitality two year college coach cannot be employed or Business appointed to an institutional coaching position Faculty Athletics Representative, in the same sport he or she is currently coach- Michigan State University ing. VOLUNTEER COACHES In sports other than football and basketball, a volunteer coach is any coach who does not The NCAA limits the number and type of coaches that receive compensation or remuneration from the can be employed, or volunteer, for each varsity athletic team. institution’s athletics department. Allowable Functionality and areas of responsibility help differentiate sports are limited to one volunteer coach per coaching categories. Any athletics department staff member, academic year with the following exceptions: who participates in the coaching of a team either in practices, • Rowing: 4 volunteer coaches games, or organized activities directly related to the sport, • Swimming and Diving: 2 volunteer coaches counts against the coaching limitations of that sport. There • Cross Country/Track & Field: cross country, are few exceptions to this rule. indoor track & field and outdoor track & field are considered three separate sports and COACHING CATEGORIES may use one volunteer coach for each team. Under NCAA legislation, there are five coaching cat- The volunteer coach may coach student- egories: Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Volunteer Coach, athletes in any of the three sports throughout Graduate Assistant Coach (football and rowing only), and the academic year. Note: there is a special Undergraduate Assistant Coach. Coaching designations are provision for Pole Vaulting that allows the assigned by the athletic department and certified by the use of one volunteer coach to coach both institution. Pursuant to NCAA definition, an individual who men and women vaulters. coaches and either is uncompensated or receives compen- An individual designated in a coaching cat- sation or remuneration of any sort from an NCAA member egory assumes that position for the duration institution, even if such compensation or remuneration is not of the academic year unless the coach was designated for coaching, must be classified into one of the temporarily replaced due to extenuating cir- five coaching categories. cumstances or through normal attrition. Head and Assistant Coaches are hired by MSU and des- ignated to perform specific coaching duties on a paid basis. RECRUITING EXAM A Volunteer Coach, permitted in all sports but football and Since 1993, coaches at NCAA Division basketball, cannot receive compensation or remuneration I institutions, in all sports, must complete from the athletic department or any organization associated and pass an annual certification exam to be with the athletic department and is prohibited from recruiting eligible to recruit off-campus. Big Ten Con- activities. A volunteer coach can receive two complimentary ference policy mandates that the institution’s tickets to home athletic events in the sport in which he or faculty athletic representative administer the she coaches, as well as complimentary meals incidental to exam. The exam focuses on recent legislative organized team activities, but not training table meals. changes, commonly occurring violations, and A Graduate Assistant (GA) Coach, only allowed in the technical matters of interpretation primarily sports of football and rowing, is any coach who has received related to recruiting. Why recruiting? Since a a baccalaureate degree and is actively enrolled as a graduate disproportionate number of NCAA rules viola- student as defined by the institution. A graduate assistant tions occur in the recruitment of prospective coach typically is enrolled in at least 50 percent of the institu- student-athletes. tion’s minimum regular graduate student course load each Once an eligible coach passes the online academic semester. Compensation for a graduate assistant certification exam, he or she is certified to con- office for an alternative test-administration option (e.g. is limited to the value of a full grant-in-aid for a full-time tact or evaluate a prospective student-athlete off-campus. extended time, oral exam, etc.). Once an examination is com- graduate student, based on the residency status (in-state The NCAA examination is a standardized test consisting of pleted, scores are immediately reported to the test taker and or out-of-state) of the individual. A GA may be awarded no 40 questions. The examination includes multiple-choice and automatically stored in the NCAA database linked to a pass- more than four complimentary tickets to MSU football and/or true or false questions. There are four versions of the exam: word protected NCAA website. All scores are subsequently basketball games. A GA Coach is not allowed to evaluate or football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and coaches relayed to the Big Ten Conference office. This process en- contact prospective student-athletes off-campus and cannot of all other sports. Since many recruiting restrictions vary by ables a coaching staff member, certified at MSU for example, serve as a recruiting coordinator. The only recruiting excep- sport, sports specific versions of the exam focus on areas of to re-locate to a second NCAA institution and remain certi- tion for GA Coaches applies to those who successfully pass differentiation by sport. In other words, a tennis or volleyball fied for the duration of the annual certification cycle. There the NCAA Certification Exam. For those coaches, telephone coach will receive a different set of questions than a football simply is no need for a coach who moves from one NCAA contact with prospective student-athletes is permitted. or basketball coach. The exam is an open-book exam and is institution to another to be re-certified – the NCAA database An Undergraduate Assistant Coach is any coach who is constrained to 80 minutes. The minimum passing score is 80 maintains the test record. It is important to note that multi- an undergraduate student-athlete who has exhausted his or percent; in other words, a coach must score at least 32 out of sport coaches (e.g. cross country, indoor and outdoor track) her eligibility in the sport or has become injured to the point 40 to be certified to recruit off-campus. The exam specifically are only required to pass one exam per annum. that he or she is unable to practice or compete ever again. An includes NCAA legislation in four areas: recruiting; freshman In a typical year, more than eighty MSU staff members Undergraduate Assistant Coach can only serve at the institu- academic requirements; transfer regulations; and the terms take the NCAA Certification Exam. Nearly three-quarters of tion at which they participated in intercollegiate athletics and and conditions of awarding athletically-related financial aid. the MSU test takers score 90 percent or higher on the test receives no compensation, beyond financial aid. A student The annual certification period is Aug. 1st through July 31st. with approximately 10 percent achieving a perfect score coach must be enrolled in a full time program of study and Coaches who have medically or professionally diagnosed (40/40). During the current testing season no MSU coach cannot evaluate or contact prospective student-athletes off- learning disabilities may apply to the Big Ten Conference failed the exam. 66 WWW . MSUSPARTANS . COM 20TH ANNIVERSARY: 1990 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON The 1990 Michigan State Spartans, who won the school’s sixth Big Ten Championship, will be honored during REGULAR SEASON this afternoon’s game as the team celebrates its 20th anniversary. DATE RESULT ................................ OPPONENT Led by head coach George Perles, the Spartans went Sept. 15 T, 23-23 ............................... at Syracuse 8-3-1 overall and 6-2 in the league to win Perles’ second Sept. 22 L, 19-20 ...................No. 1 NOTRE DAME Big Ten title. Michigan State shared the championship with Sept. 29 W, 34-10 .................................at Rutgers Illinois, Iowa and Michigan that season in the league’s only Oct. 6 L, 7-12 ............................................ IOWA ever four-way tie for first. Oct. 13 W, 28-27 ..................... at No. 1 Michigan MSU opened the year with a 1-2-1 record, but the season Oct. 20 L, 13-15 ............................at No. 8 Illinois turned around with a historic 28-27 win over top-ranked Oct. 27 W, 55-33 ............................PURDUE (HC) Michigan at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 13, marking MSU’s Tico Duckett led the Spartans in rushing, averaging 116.2-yards second victory over a No. 1 team in school history. Although per game. Nov. 3 W, 45-20 ................................... INDIANA the Spartans fell to Illinois the next week, MSU closed the Nov. 10 W, 28-16 .............................at Minnesota season with six consecutive victories, including a 17-16 win Nov. 17 W, 29-22 ........................at Northwestern over No. 21 Southern California in the John Hancock Bowl. Nov. 24 W, 14-9 ................................ WISCONSIN The 1990 Spartans featured 16 All-Big Ten selections JOHN HANCOCK BOWL and six players went on to be chosen in the 1991 NFL Draft. Dec. 31 W, 17-16 .........No. 21 Southern California 1990 AWARD WINNERS/ 1991 NFL DRAFT WR James Bradley NFL Draft 7th round (No. 181 overall), Indianapolis Dan Enos is the only Spartan quarterback to win two bowl games LB Chuck Bullough Second-Team All-Big Ten (Media) (1989 Aloha, 1990 John Hancock). P Josh Butland Honorable Mention All-Big Ten RB Tico Duckett First-Team All-Big Ten (Media) LB Dixon Edwards Honorable Mention All-Big Ten NFL Draft 2nd round (No. 37 overall), Dallas QB Dan Enos Honorable Mention All-Big Ten DB Alan Haller Honorable Mention All-Big Ten WR Courtney Hawkins Honorable Mention All-Big Ten The cover of the Lansing State Journal following MSU’s win over No.