unparalleled tradition rich history NTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS REMAINS A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF THE HISTORICAL i SUCCESS IN CALIFORNIA. COUPLED WITH ITS PREEMINENT PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, THE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM AND ATHLETIC PRO- GRAMS HAVE LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED AS LEADERS IN CREATING NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR CITIZENS THROUGH ATHLETIC PROGRAMS EXPRESSLY DESIGNED BY AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGES. The California Community College system — composed of 71 districts and 107 colleges — annually enrolls nearly 1.5 million students and employs over 70,000 California citizens. The system encompasses 45 million square feet of space, contains approximately 3,500 structures and has an annual state budget of nearly $1.7 billion. One of every 15 adult Californians is involved with the community colleges and nearly half of all adult Californians have attended a California Community College. The system is an unprecedented federation of continuing opportunity for the citizenry of the Golden State. Consider: • Some 1.4 million residents enroll annually in local community colleges. • This represents 10 percent of all college students Source: San Diego Community College District (above), Long Beach City College and Pat McCormick Foundation (inset). in the nation and 27 percent of all community college students. • Nearly 25,000 student athletes participate annually in intercollegiate athletics at California’s community colleges. THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF CALIFORNIA • Nearly 100 regional and state final events produce champions in 20 men’s and women’s ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO OFFER MEN sports each year. • The majority of student athletes participating AND WOMEN OF ALL AGES THE OPPORTUNITY at a community college transferred to a four-year TO EXCEL ACADEMICALLY AND ATHLETICALLY. college or university to continue their academic and athletic endeavors. 1 Community college intercollegiate athletics provide millions of people — athletes, students, alumni and the general public — with great pleasure, the spec- tacle of extraordinary effort and physical grace, the excitement of an outcome in doubt, and a shared unifying experience. Thousands and thousands of men and women in the country are stronger adults because of the challenges they mastered as young student athletes at community colleges. Sports are educational in the best sense of that word because they teach the participant and the observer new truths about testing oneself and others, about the enduring values of challenge and response, about teamwork, about discipline and perseverance. Above all, intercollegiate contests — at any level of skill — drive home a fundamental lesson: goals worth achieving will be attained only through effort, hard work and sacrifice, and sometimes even those will not be enough to overcome the obstacles life places in our path. Source: US Track and Field abundant opportunity If asked, thousands and thousands of citizens — whether they enrolled immediately after high school or after time in the workforce — will no doubt convey a personal and professional awakening at a local community college. There is no other system in the free world that offers an individual the opportunity Source: Riverside College to knock unannounced on a coach’s door, enroll in the college as a birthright and then be provided open access to distinguished faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and outstanding academic and athletic support staff dedicated solely to the advancement of the individual. 2 creating wealth through opportunity ALIFORNIA’S COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE THE TRUE PEOPLE’S COLLEGES. LITERALLY C MILLIONS OF OUR CITIZENS OWE THEIR JOB, THEIR JOB UPGRADE, THEIR TRANSFER TO A FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTION, THEIR CRITICAL THINKING ABILITIES, THEIR READING AND WRITING ABILITIES, AND THEIR INCREASED LEVELS OF TOLERANCE, COMPASSION AND HUMANITY TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES. In a broad academic sense, community colleges Similarly, community college athletics in California continue to perform a critical role in meeting the has a history and tradition unlike anywhere else in needs of education and training for the state’s work- the country. The names read like a veritable “who’s force, and providing educational opportunity for all who” of sports — baseball legends Jackie Robinson, citizens. From an historical athletic sense, some of the Tom Seaver, Willie Stargell, Joe Morgan, Duke Snider, greatest student athletes and coaches of the 20th George Brett and countless others: football greats century have been produced by California’s community such as Frank Gifford, Hugh McElhenny, Ollie Matson, colleges; individuals who have gone on to win Olympic Warren Moon, Isaac Bruce and Keyshawn Johnson; medals, star in professional sports and be inducted tennis stars such as Rosie Casals and Brad Gilbert; into college and professional sport halls of fame. golfers Roger Maltbie and Bob Eastwood; Olympic gold medalist volleyball player Steve Timmons; track and field luminaries Bob Seagren, Lee Evans, Houston McTear, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Ruth Wysocki, Andre Phillips and Ato Boldon; and Olympic swimming and diving legends Debbie Meyer, Pat McCormick, Shirley Babashoff, and Susie Atwood. Numerous Olympic medal winners and professional sports stars started their postsecondary athletic careers at California community colleges. Legendary coaches such as John Madden, Bill Walsh, Tom Flores and Joe Gibbs played and later coached at California community colleges. Even former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle was a California community college student athlete. As the proving ground for so many Source: Sacramento City College (above), Gauilan College (right), great athletes in the past 80 years, California’s com- East LA College (inset). munity colleges truly feature tomorrow’s stars today. 3 the commission on athletics An integral part of California’s extensive community physical education, sports information directors college system is the Community College League and athletic trainers associations. In addition, two of California’s Commission on Athletics (COA). As conference commissioners representing northern authorized by the State Legislature, the Education and southern California support the management Code provides the COA the opportunity and authority council in an advisory capacity. to establish the rules and regulations to administer The primary concern of the council and the COA the athletic activities of the nearly 25,000 men and Board is the administration of postconference com- women student athletes in the state. petition for nearly 100 regional and state final events Since its founding as the California Junior College annually, which produce champions in 20 men’s and Federation in 1929, which united the Southern California, women’s sports. There are 10 individual sports con- Northern Junior College and Central California athletic ferences located geographically throughout the state associations, the COA has been the single administra- (see pg. 6), which are guided by college-developed tive governing entity responsible for statewide rules by-laws allowing all conferences to coexist under and policies for intercollegiate athletic programs. In the umbrella of the COA Constitution. 1998, the COA implemented a reorganization process The COA Constitution documents all governance and created a COA Board and a Management Council aspects of the intercollegiate athletic programs, to better serve the policy and operations needs of including recruitment, eligibility, college and confer- its vast membership. The COA Board serves as the ence responsibilities, playing rules, competition/ steward of all administrative and fiscal policies relating participation, due process, appeals and penalties, to athletic programs and oversees — much like the contests and seasons of sports, postconference locally-elected boards of trustees of individual colleges competition and administration, policy change — all aspects of the COA programs. The 28-member processes, finance, and awards program procedures. Management Council provides operational oversight The Constitution contains 17 sections or articles and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the and various appendix, forms and related protocols. system. The council is composed of representatives of numerous associations, including the athletic directors, The COA annually sponsors a Hall of Fame Award academic advisors, sports coaches, state council on and several individual and team Scholar Athlete awards. Each year, these highly prestigious awards are presented to those who have historically served The Cost of Attending for the betterment of athletics and those who are a Community College designated as scholar athletes. $13 $12 The COA administrative office is located in Sacramento, $10 CA, and is under the guidance of the state athletic commissioner. Additional staff members include an $6 associate commissioner and administrative staff which $5 focus on providing postconference competition, sports information, and general administrative services. $0 1912- 1984- 1991- 1993 1994- 1998 1984 1991 1992 1997 Community College Per Unit Enrollment Fee 4 California Community colleges & conferences Central Valley Conference Northern California Columbia College Football Alliance Fresno City College North Division Merced College Butte College Modesto Jr. College Laney College Porterville College Sacramento City College Reedley College Santa Rosa Jr. College College of the Sequoias Shasta College Taft College College of the Siskiyous West Hills College American River College