The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- November 22, 1999

Timeline - 1940 to 1979

December 1940 Convention authorizes the Executive Committee to investigate alleged violations of the Association's amateurism regulations and to issue interpretations of the NCAA constitution.

December 1942 NCAA advocates the use of college and university athletics facilities by armed services to maintain active sports programs; encourages members to continue their own programs.

December 1944 Officers, Executive Committee and rules committee chairs meet in New York in lieu of an annual Convention.

April 1945 NCAA endorses a 15-point program designed to curtail travel in cooperation with the purposes of the Office of Defense Transportation.

July 1946 Conference of Conferences held in Chicago, results in first draft of "Principles for the Conduct of Intercollegiate Athletics."

January 1947 NCAA adoptes principles in the following five areas resulting from the Conference of Conferences: Amateurism, institutional control and responsibility, sound academic standards, financial aid and recruiting.

July Executive Committee votes to finance the National Collegiate Athletic Bureau football statistical service.

January 1948 NCAA adoptes as permanent legislation the five "principles" provisionally adopted in 1947 (commonly referred to as the "Sanity Code").

June 1949 Executive Committee votes to allocate $5,000 to study the effect of television on football attendance.

January 1950 NCAA fails to meet a two-thirds majority vote on a motion that would have suspended seven institutions for violating the "Sanity Code."

Adopts the so-called "Byrd Resolution" stipulating that all institutions of comparable size shall adopt and maintain similar standards.

January 1951 NCAA votes to declare a moratorium on live telecasting of college football games for 1951.

October Walter Byers, who had served as part-time executive assistant since August 1947, assumes duties as executive director of the NCAA [pictured with Wayne Duke (center) and Art Bergstrom (right)].

January 1952 NCAA votes to adopt a program of limited live television for 1952, controlled and directed by the NCAA with various objectives, including the spreading of television among as many colleges as possible.

September A total of 121 institutions enroll in the first NCAA Intercollegiate Athletic Group Insurance program that provides catastrophic-injury medical coverage for student-athletes.

February 1953 Conference of Conferences held in Chicago to solidify plans for investigation and enforcement cooperation between conferences and the NCAA.

May 1954 The NCAA Council initiates the Certification of Compliance program, requiring certification of compliance by the chief executive office at each member institution.

April 1955 The Council, following consideration of the first case presented to it by the Committee on Ethics, takes disciplinary action against a member of a school's coaching staff.

January 1956 The NCAA treasurer reported to the Convention that for the first time in its history, the NCAA is in a reasonably stable financial condition.

Votes to abolish out-of-season basketball practice and establish October 15 as the first date of in-season practice.

September 1958 The NCAA publishes the first report on "The Sports and Recreational Programs of the Nation's Universities and Colleges."

January 1959 NCAA adopts legislation that prohibits athletics department personnel from receiving compensation from professional sports organizations for scouting, evaluating talent or negotiating professional sports contracts.

April 1960 The Executive Committee reaffirms its position that member conferences and institutions should be obligated to compete in the NCAA's University Division tournament if invited.

The Council cancels NCAA-AAU Articles of Alliance.

June At the request of professional baseball, the Council agrees to appoint a special committee to address the indiscriminate signing of college baseball players.

January 1961 Five-year rule established.

May 1962 The Special Committee on Basketball Television reports televising college basketball games does not adversely affect attendance.

October NCAA member institutions urged to withdraw membership in the AAU.

January 1963 Conference-based letter-of-intent program announced at NCAA Convention.

January 1965 The Convention adopts the "1.6 rule," which sets an academic floor for the award and retention of financial aid based on a prospect's ability to predict a grade-point average of at least 1.600.

January 1966 Convention rejects attempts to weaken or delay 1.6 rule.

May 1967 Compliance with 1.6 rule noted by 93.5 percent of the membership.

October Council appoints a committee to study the feasibility of establishing machinery for the development and supervision of women's intercollegiate athletics.

January 1968 Convention votes freshmen eligible for all NCAA championships except football and basketball.

May 1968 Report No. 3 of "The Sports and Recreational Programs of the Nation's Universities and Colleges" reflected a significant growth in sports participation, facilities, budget and personnel over the 1962 report.

September Membership required to choose between University or College Divisions. A total of 223 members select University Division; 386 choose College Division.

January 1970 Number of permissible regular-season football games increased from 10 to 11.

October 1971 Council agrees to let Committee on Infractions act on cases without reporting to Council.

January 1972 Freshmen made eligible for all competition.

October NCAA terminates its long-held membership in the United States Olympic Committee.

January 1973 Convention votes to abolish 1.600 legislation; creates 2.000 standard in the alternative.

April The NCAA moves to a new national office in Mission, Kansas (left).

August In a special Convention, the membership votes to reorganize the Association's legislative and competitive structure, creating Divisions I, II and III.

March 1974 Department of Health, Education and Welfare interpretation of antidiscrimination provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 has major ramifications for NCAA.

January 1975 Convention requests plan on administration of women's athletics.

August Special Convention votes to restrict recruiting activities, number and amount of financial awards, squad sizes and coaching-staff sizes.

January 1976 Convention rejects need-based financial aid plan; defeats plan to distribute football television revenue equally to all football-playing members.

May 1977 Home Box Office purchases cable television rights for 1977 College World Series Championship game.

September Association enters first four-year football television contract. Agreement with ABC covers 1978-81 seasons.

January 1978 Convention votes to realign Division I football, establishing Divisions I-A and I-AA.

April NCAA membership in USOC reestablished.

August NCAA and ABC reach out-of-court settlement with Warner Cable Corporation, permitting Warner to cablecast five Ohio State University football games into Columbus, Ohio, in 1978 and 1979 on an experimental basis.

March 1979 Reaches two-year agreement with the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) to cablecast a series of NCAA championships. ESPN programming began September 7, 1979.

April Division I Basketball Championship game between Michigan State University and Indiana State University attracts a television rating of 24.1, a record that still stands.

August Executive Committee expands field for Division I Basketball Championship to 48 teams; eliminates the restriction that permitted the selection of no more than two teams from a conference.