The N ews - January 30, 1985, Volume 22 Number--~- 5 _ ational Collegiate Athletic Association Davis identifies three ‘challenges’ Budget restraints Newly elected NCAA President Problems are solvedand issues John R. Davis has identified three addressed by people of good will “interesting challenges” that he working together in a spirit of likely to continue hopes to address during his two- mutual endeavor. Democracy is year term as the Association’s top built on this premise and so is The NCAA is facing further bud- l The Association’s continued po- elected official. the NCAA. get restraints for the 1986-87 fiscal tential to pay competitors’transporta- Speaking to the delegates at “With the adoption of propos- year on the heels of recent actions by tion costs to NCAA championships the 1985 NCAA Convention in als 29 and 30, and with the the Executive Committee to reduce represents a benefit made possible Nashville, the Oregon State Uni- anticipated decisive actions of the costs in 1985-86. by receipts in excess of those required versity faculty athletics represen- Presidents’ Commission, I am cer- Information developed for The for fundamental NCAA services. “For tative listed academic issues, in- tain that we now are in a good NCAA News by Louis J. Spry, the more than 50 years, the NCAA did tegrity in athletics and NCAA position ~ perhaps the best of all Association’s controller, projects a not pay transportation costs for its governance as the three key areas. time-to address appropriately $158,000 deficit in 1986-87, with ex- championships,” Spry stated. “Con- Davis made his comments just the issues of governance in inter- penses of $48,353,OOOexceeding anti- ducting championships is a service before the Convention adjourned collegiate athletics. cipated revenues of %48,195,000. to the membership, but payment of January 16, immediately after he “I am dedicated to the rich Spry said a modest surplus might transportation guarantees is a benefit, was elected and accepted the gavel diversity of our member institu- be achieved in 1985-86, based on rather than a service, and one that is from outgoing President John L. tions while recognizing the needs $44,959,000 in revenues and paid only when sufficient funds are Toner. and interests of individuals. The S44,903,OOO in expenditures. How- available.” The text of his remarks: wide diversity of in-season sports ever, he noted the Executive Commit- “There is an old Chinese curse within the membership, NCAA tee set aside $660,000 from 1983-84 l The continued growth of NCAA that says, ‘May you live in in- championships for men and surpluses to pay for transportation championships, particularly those teresting times.’ We certainly have women, postseason tournaments, to individual championships in all that represent maximum financial had some in the past, and I have bowl games -all are examples of three divisions in the spring of 1985, burdens to the Association, should no doubt that we will have inter- the diversity of competiton for and that amount was arbitrarily be halted. The Executive Committee esting challenges in the future. John R. Davti our students. added to 1985-86 revenues inasmuch concluded that it will not be possible “In that regard, I would like to stituted rumors for evidence. But “We should be cognizant of the as the transportation payments will to provide any transportation guaran- mention to you three areas that I once a group of educational insti- fact that, although the NCAA has be made from that budget. tees for new championships. hope to address as your president. tutions agrees to observe their been thrust into the role of being None of Spry’s projected expenses l Net receipts generated by the “The first deals with the aca- self-determined rules, then the the conscience of higher education, include moneys for drug testing. If a championships of a given division demic well-being of student-ath- enforcement and infractions pro- our purpose is to provide oppor- program such as that proposed at letes. We need to address issues of gram must respond fully to the tunities for men and women to the 1985 Convention is adopted and first should be used to pay the trans- portation guarantees of that division initial eligibility, academic pro- wishes and desires of the group compete in intercollegiate ath- implemented, an adjustment in the gress, success in graduation, sup- for competitive equity based on letics. expense budget would be necessary. before consideration is given to guar- port services for student-athletes, observance of those rules. “I invite any of you and all of The current and projected future anteeing and paying the transporta- and the issues of reporting and “In other words, we should you to let me, Secretary-Treasurer financial condition of the Association tion expenses of other divisions that accountability for academics with- evaluate our enforcement program Wilford Bailey and the other mem- has been caused by the loss of ag- See Budget, page 8 in athletics. during the year ahead with the bers of the NCAA Council know proximately SO.7 million in football “The second area is the integrity thought of strengthening that of your interests and ideas so that television income, as well as by con- of institutions seeking competitive program and the resolve of all of we can appropriately reflect on tinuing increases in costs of materials equity. 1 am afraid that we are in our institutions. your needs and the wishes of the and services and projected new costs a society these days that has sub- “The third area is governance. membership.” to maintain effectively existingessen- tial programs for the membership. The report of the Executive Com- mittee to the 1985 Convention in Men’s game scoring is increasing, Nashville (pages 36 to 39, 1983-84 NCAA Annual Reports) explained in some detail the committee’s con- but it’s only a drop in the bucket siderations, including an extensive study and report by a special com- By James Van Valkenburg good news if you like the way the second clock. The clock likely would mittee headed by R. J. Snow; Univer- NCAA Director of Statistics game now is being played. have been voted in last year, except sity of Utah. The principal conclusions Scoring is up about two points per At midseason, the national scoring that rulesmakers could not agree on of the Executive Committee in for- game nationally in Division I men’s average is 138.7 points per game whether to keep the clock on the mulating the 1984-85 budget were: basketball, and if you want to, you (both teams combined). A year ago, entire game or turn it off in the last can credit the increase to the fact it was 136.8 at midseason and this few minutes. l Every effort should be made to that a few more conferences are using declined to a final 136.3. In 1983, it A small shooting decline maintain present programs and ser- the 45-second clock this season- was 136.4 at midseason and this in- At midseason, national field-goal vices in current or reduced form, and keeping it on the entire game. creased to a final 138.7 (same as accuracy is down a tiny bit, to 47.6 instead of eliminating specific activi- But, the increase certainly is no now). That was the year 40 percent percent. It was 47.7 at midseason last ties. Inauguration of new services big deal (1.4 percent above midseason of Division I used experimental rules, See Men’s game, page 3 should be kept to a minimum. 1984 and 1.8 percent above the 1984 including nine conferences using the final). Most observers surely would three-point goal. ---_ An increase was coming regardless Spring sports coming; Baskefball nofes of experiments, though, because the 60 percent of the country using the agree that the45-second clock, origi- same old rules in 1983 averaged 137.2. baseball to be on TV That reversed a seven-year downward nated by the Sun Belt Conference The NCAA men’s volleyball season The collegiate baseball season will several years ago, really has a mini- plunge in scoring, from 153.1 in 1975 preview on page 6 of this issue of The be getting additional exposure this mal effect on national scoring trends. to 135.1 in 1982-a 30-year low. NCAA News is the first of seven year on the Entertainment and Sports This season, only three conferences What the clock does do is eliminate spring sports seasons to be previewed Programming Network. are using the three-point goal-the those low-score, stall-ball games that in upcoming issues. Seven teams that appeared in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Big Sky make people mad and hurt television The men’s volleyball season pro- 1984 College World Series will dis- Conference and Pacific Coast Ath- ratings. Even the winning team is not mises to be highly competitive, with play their talents during the first half letic Association. None ranks among always happy after one of those. Pepperdine University rated a solid of ESPN’s Sunday night college base- the first 13 conferences in scoring. The real story is this annual piece threat to dethrone the University of ball schedule. Seventeen of the 3 1 Division I con- on midseason trends is that once California, Los Angeles, which has The show will begin February 10 ferences were given permission by again, everything is pretty much the won the past four championships at 8 a.m. (Eastern standard time) the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules same.