National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

February 17, 1997

Committee urges loosening of contest-exemption limits

The NCAA Special Events Committee has recommended changes in legislation that would give more institutions the opportunity to participate in contests exempt from limits on the maximum number of contests or dates of competition.

Meeting January 10-11 in Nashville, Tennessee, the committee recommended to the NCAA Council that institutions be permitted to participate in one exempted event in Alaska, one exempted event in Hawaii and one exempted event in Puerto Rico over a four-year period.

The Council approved the recommendation at its January 15 meeting. However, it deferred until April another Special Events Committee recommendation that institutions be limited to no more than two exempted events -- an annual and a one-in-four-year exemption -- during the same season in football and basketball.

The Council also approved the following committee recommendations:

  • That institutions competing in one exempted event in Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico be permitted to compete during the same season in other events in that state or territory that count against contest limitations.

  • That sponsoring agencies for exempted events in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico must be active NCAA members in that state or territory.

  • That institutions participating in exempted events in sports other than football and basketball be permitted to exempt the same event once in a four-year period but count the event against contest limits in other years.

  • That more than one team from the same conference be permitted to participate in a one-in-four-year exempted contest in sports other than football and basketball.

    The Special Events Committee recommended changing the approval criteria for exempted basketball contests to allow the committee to require an event to be conducted under experimental rules, provided the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Rules Committees make such a request. The Council approved this recommendation.

    The committee sought the change because the rules committees have found that few conferences are willing to use experimental rules during the regular season. It was supported by the Division I Men's Basketball Committee and the National Association of Basketball Coaches' board of directors.

    In the sport of football, the committee recommended that sponsors of exempted contests be required to distribute $600,000 or 30 percent of the game's gross receipts, whichever is greater, to each participating team; secure a $1.5 million letter of credit; and contribute at least 25 percent of gross receipts to an approved charity. This recommendation was approved the NCAA Administrative Committee on behalf of the Council.

    The committee denied a request from the Big West Conference to continue the Las Vegas Bowl's exemption from minimum-distribution requirements if a team other than the Mid-American Conference champion opposes the Big West champion.

    In denying the request, the committee noted that if the bowl agreement between the two conferences in interrupted, no future exemptions will be granted and all bowls will have to provide a minimum of $750,000 to each team.

    Approximately two weeks after the meeting, the Mid-American Conference entered into an agreement to send its champion to the Motor City Bowl in Pontiac, Michigan. This contest is subject to Special Events Committee certification in April.

    The committee also agreed to let the Pacific-10 Conference and the Western Athletic Conference secure portions of the $3.75 million letter of credit necessary to certify the Haka Bowl in New Zealand. The committee agreed to let the conferences and the bowl sponsor secure any combination of letters of credit totaling the required figure, as long as the arrangements are finalized in time for bowl certification in April. The committee also stressed that the minimum distribution per team would remain at $1.5 million.

    Other highlights

    Special Events Committee
    January 10-11/Nashville, Tennessee

  • Recommended annual exemptions for the following contests, which previously had been granted one-in-four-year exemptions: Rolex National Intercollegiate Match-Play Team Golf Championship, October 26-27, 1997, La Quinta, California, and State Farm/ NACWAA Women's Volleyball Classic, August 22-23, 1997, Palo Alto, California. These recommendations were later approved by the NCAA Council.

  • Recommended one-in-four-year exemptions for the following basketball contests: NABC Classic, St. Louis, Missouri (date to be determined), per Bylaw 17.5.3.1-(c), and NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, December 13, 1997, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These recommendations were later approved by the NCAA Administrative Committee on behalf of the Council.

  • Recommended one-in-four-year exemptions for the following football contests: Kickoff Classic XV, August 31, 1997, East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Pigskin Classic XIII, date and site to be determined. These recommendations were later approved by the NCAA Council.

  • Recommended one-in-four-year exemptions for the following volleyball contests: Aston's Imua Wahine Invitational, August 29 and 31 and September 1, 1997, Honolulu, Hawaii; Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic, September 5-7, 1997, Honolulu, Hawaii; and an event at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (dates and name to be determined). These recommendations were later approved by the NCAA Council.

  • Recommended one-in-four-year exemptions for the following soccer contests: Outrigger Hotels Wahine Festival, August 29 and 31 and September 1 and 3, 1997, Honolulu, Hawaii; University of Hawaii Women's Invitational, September 12-14, 1997, Honolulu, Hawaii; and University of Hawaii Women's Tournament, September 26-28, 1997, Honolulu, Hawaii. These recommendations were later approved by the NCAA Council.

  • Denied an exemption request for the Calgary Classic because the agency sponsoring the football contest is not an active NCAA member.