The NCAA News Digest

June 16, 1997

• NCAA CHAMPIONS -- 1996-97
• CLEARINGHOUSE -- Deadline extended for submission of 48H forms
• WOMEN'S BASKETBALL -- Attendance increases 28.7 percent to 6.7 million
• LEGISLATION -- Deadline approaching for II and III Convention proposals
• NATIONAL OFFICE -- Financial incentives favored Indianapolis
• PUBLICATIONS -- Eligibility, financial aid and recruiting guides available

NCAA CHAMPIONS

1996-97

NCAA champions, 1996-97 -- NCAA team champions could be found in 33 of the 50 states at the end of the 1996-97 academic year. As usual, California led the way, this time amassing 15 team champions, which was three times more than the number accumulated by any other state. Wisconsin checked in with five national champions, all in Division III, while Arizona, Ohio and New York each had four. Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and New Jersey all claimed three team champions.

CLEARINGHOUSE

The NCAA announced May 31 that its future home will be in Indianapolis.

The deadline has been extended indefinitely for high schools to submit descriptions of courses they want declared core courses for NCAA initial-eligibility certification purposes.

High schools originally were given until May 31 to submit changes to the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. However, the deadline has been extended to allow more high schools an opportunity to submit the information.

To date, the clearinghouse has received information on more than 13,000 courses from nearly 6,000 high schools.

Information packets were mailed to 24,000 high schools in late February containing information about the NCAA's core-course approval process and the school's 48H form -- the form that lists the courses currently approved as core courses for initial-eligibility certification purposes. Schools were given 90 days to return the forms to the clearinghouse.

Staff contact: Kevin C. Lennon.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

NCAA women's national home attendance surpassed the six-million mark in 1997 for the first time in history.

A method of counting home double-header games with men contributed to the unusually large jump. For the first time, NCAA institutions were permitted to count the women's attendance as part of a double-header with men as long as the fan count was taken by half time of the women's game.

Each institution had the option of reporting women's attendance at double-header games, as long as the institution had a way to single out the women's attendance from men's.

The new method increased all divisions proportionately, with Division I and Divi-sion II registering the biggest jumps.

The total of 6,734,141 for all NCAA varsity teams, including the selected double-header games with men, was a net increase of 1,500,187 (or 28.7 percent) over the 1996 total. The figures include all 879 NCAA institutions with varsity teams -- 298 of them Division I members.

This is the 16th consecutive season that national attendance has reached an all-time high.

Staff contact: Richard M. Campbell.

LEGISLATION

Deadline approaching for II

and III Convention proposals

The deadline is approaching for Divis-ions II and III institutions and conferences to submit legislative proposals for the Assoc-iation's 1998 Convention.

The Divisions II and III deadline for Convention proposals is unchanged from the past. The deadline is 5 p.m. (Central time) July 15.

However, another key requirement for the submission of legislation has changed in Division II only.

The number of sponsors required to propose legislation in Division II has increased from eight to 15 active member institutions as the result of action at the 1997 Convention.

Division I will switch August 1 to a conference-representation process and therefore will not vote on legislation at future Conventions.

Staff contact: Stephen A. Mallonee.

NATIONAL OFFICE

Financial incentives

favored Indianapolis

NCAA staff members met June 9 with representatives from the Kansas City area to provide additional information about the financial reasons for choosing to move the national office to Indianapolis.

The Kansas City delegation was advised that the Indianapolis proposal was "front-end loaded," with incentives provided during the early stages of the project. All of the proposals from Kansas City/Overland Park featured incentives that came at the end of a specified time.

The NCAA announced May 31 that it will relocate in Indianapolis, either in the last half of 1999 or the first half of 2000.

Staff contact: Wallace I. Renfro.

PUBLICATIONS

The NCAA Guide to Eligibility, Guide to Financial Aid and Guide to Recruiting have been mailed to the membership.

The publications were mailed May 7 and were accompanied by a memorandum that cited a $5 purchase price for additional copies. The correct price, however, is $6.