National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

December 2, 1996

Group stands against violence

The National Consortium for Academics and Sports has taken a "zero tolerance" stance against athletes convicted of gender violence.

The nonbinding resolution, which was approved November 21, states that any athlete convicted of rape, sexual assault or battering should be banned from intercollegiate competition for at least one year at the member institution in which he or she is enrolled.

"We believe it will be a powerful way to protect potential victims, send a zero tolerance message to potential perpetrators and provide a process for perpetrators to receive appropriate counseling and work their way back into the campus community," said Richard E. Lapchick, director of the consortium.

Lapchick said that while athletes have not been shown to be more violent than nonathletes, he said that it may be true that athletes are protected on many campuses.

"The consortium believes we must demonstrate that college athletics has zero tolerance for men who are violent against women," Lapchick said. "Just as we have developed policies for substance abuse, we must do the same for gender violence."

Individuals desiring more information may contact the consortium at 617/373-4025.

Role reversal

Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball coaches recently got the chance to show that they haven't lost their shooting touch.

The conference media day had the usual work session involving coaches, players and media, but it also featured a different wrinkle: a three-point shooting contest among the coaches.

Each coach was given 45 seconds to make as many three-pointers as he could, with $5,000 being donated to a charity selected by the winning coach.

New University of Massachusetts, Amherst, coach James "Bruiser" Flint left his coaching elders behind, canning nine three-pointers in the allotted time. Flint, who was an assistant for seven years at Massachusetts before taking the head job, played at St. Joseph's University (Pennsylvania) from 1984-87. Unfortunately for Flint, the three-point shot was legal only during his last two seasons.

Phil Martelli, the current St. Joseph's coach and an assistant there while Flint was in school, finished second with eight three-pointers while Dayton University's Oliver Purnell was third with seven.

Flint donated the $5,000 to Coaches vs. Cancer.

Eye on Schipper

Not many Division III football coaches are profiled on a national program, but Ron Schipper of Central College (Iowa) recently was the subject of a piece that appeared on the "CBS Evening News."

The interview was done by Harry Smith, long-time host of "CBS This Morning," noted television journalist -- and defensive tackle for Central College, class of '73.

Schipper just finished his 36th season at Central, where he has a record of 287-66-3.

Pregame routine

The University of Washington football team implemented a new pregame ritual this season.

At each home game, team captains Ink Aleaga, John Fiala, Dave Janoski and Bob Sapp escorted a special guest down the tunnel and on to the field for the coin toss.

The guests were truly special.

The only ones eligible were patients from Seattle's Children's Hospital or the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

"It's a great program," said Fiala, who started the program. "It's exciting for kids, and it's exciting for us because these kids have cancer and they're fighting for their lives and so it's an honor to go out on the field with them. We all believe in that."

The idea for the program, called "Lucky Dawg" in conjunction with the Huskie mascot, came from a team discussion on how to be more involved in the community.

"If we can make someone's life a little more special and happy, it's worth it," Fiala said, "because it's not all about football and if we can make some kid's day better because we're Huskies, then we'll do that."

-- Compiled by David Pickle

Looking back

5 years ago: U. S. District Judge Howard McKibben refuses to grant the NCAA's request for a preliminary injunction against the state of Nevada's so-called "due process law" in a December 19 hearing and sets a trial date of February 28, 1992, to consider an NCAA lawsuit on the matter. The law in question established a set of unattainable due process standards that prevented the NCAA from completing a case pending against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The NCAA eventually prevailed in the case. (The NCAA News, December 25, 1991)

10 years ago: Those involved with the NCAA's new drug-testing program say that it is functioning according to plan. Testing began at the Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships in late November and continued through the football bowl games in December and early January 1987. (The NCAA News, December 23, 1986)

30 years ago: The NCAA News offers a pro and con feature on a pressing topic of the day: whether to proceed with a national football playoff. Bill Miller, faculty athletics representative for North Texas State University, offers that "a national playoff system, similar to the one utilized in basketball, is needed in order to crown a legitimate champion." Bob Woodruff, athletics director at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, says that determining which teams should qualify would be "very difficult" and that a playoff would interfere with examination schedules. (NCAA News, December 1, 1971)

75 years ago: Meeting December 29, 1921, the NCAA Convention approves an "allied membership" category for athletics conferences and votes that a Council be elected at every Convention. ("NCAA: The Voice of College Sports")

90 years ago: The first Convention of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association is held December 29, 1906, in New York City. Capt. Palmer E. Pierce of the United States Military Academy, the first president of the Association, presides. Twenty-eight of the 38 members of the Association send representatives. Among its first actions, the Convention receives the first report of the Football Rules Committee. ("NCAA: The Voice of College Sports")