The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- May 24, 1999

NCAA announces outsourcing of drug-testing program

The NCAA has announced that it will outsource administration of its drug-testing program, effective July 5.

The program's administrative functions will remain under the direction of Frank D. Uryasz, NCAA director of sports sciences, who announced last summer that he would not be relocating to Indianapolis when the national office moves there in July.

Uryasz has been associated with the program since its inception in 1986. He will launch a company in July that will provide drug-testing services, primarily in athletics. NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey approved the transfer of the NCAA drug-testing program's administrative

functions to Uryasz's company, the National Center for Drug-Free Sport, earlier this month.

"This decision will allow the NCAA to maintain the high level of drug-testing

services its colleges and universities have come to expect since 1986," Uryasz said. "The program will employ the same drug-testing crews for specimen collection and use the same laboratories for processing results. This still will be the NCAA drug-testing program -- we'll just be operating it for them."

Uryasz said it was important to distinguish that only the administrative function of the program will be outsourced.

The responsibility for the direction, goals and strategies of the program will remain the purview of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.

"We will process all the results, but if a result is appealed, that appeal still will be handled by the NCAA," Uryasz said.

The NCAA drug-testing program was approved at the 1986 Convention and was first implemented at the 1986 Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships. Through 1990, the program was conducted only during various NCAA championships and Division I-A football bowl games. At the 1990 Convention, the membership approved legislation to make the program year-round.

Uryasz said that at the time of initial implementation, the national office weighed whether outsourcing the program would provide for a more efficient program, but there were no companies that were equipped to perform such a function. Thus, the sports sciences staff was created and has been retained ever since to administer the program.

"The drug-testing program has played a significant role in the work of the Association, in part because of the direction and leadership Frank has provided," Dempsey said. "While it is unfortunate that he will not be relocating, we're pleased that the administration of the program will remain under his supervision."

Since 1986, the drug-testing program has handled more than 110,000 cases. The number of cases has grown rapidly each year, beginning with a modest 3,300 in 1986 to more than 10,500 in 1998.