The latest study of athletics personnel at NCAA member institutions reveals what advocates for diversity have warned for the last several years: that the diversity landscape in intercollegiate athletics isn't changing significantly.

The 1999 NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee's Race Demographics of Member Institutions' Athletics Personnel shows few increases, if any, in the percentages over a four-year period of ethnic minority administrators and coaches employed by NCAA member schools.

In athletics administrator roles, in fact, the percentage of African-American males has decreased since 1995, which was offset only minimally by a slight increase in African-American female administrators to produce a 0.3 percent increase in the number of African Americans in overall administrative positions at Divisions I, II and III schools (historically black colleges and universities included).

The positions of director of athletics, associate director of athletics, assistant director of athletics and senior woman administrator all declined slightly with regard to the percentage of ethnic minority representation. The position of associate director of athletics saw the largest decrease, from 8.2 percent in 1995 to 7.1 percent in 1999.

The overall decrease in the percentage of athletics directors can be attributed in part to a significant decline in Division I, which fell from 10.1 percent in 1995 to 7.5 percent in 1999.

Conversely, the percentage of African-American senior woman administrators in Division I experienced the single-largest increase, from 8.4 percent in 1995 to 11 percent in 1999.

The percentage of African Americans in administrative positions overall in Division I was up by a little more than 1 percent. Division III also experienced an increase, while the percentage of African Americans in administrative positions overall in Division II was down by 1.5 percent.

For other minorities (defined as Asian, Hispanic, Native American or other) in athletics administrative positions, both men and women increased somewhat in Divisions I and III over the baseline-year data, but the percentages for other minorities in Division II were down.

There were some pockets of aggregate gain in some positions. The number of African-American women in administrative assistant positions went from 65 in 1995 to 113 in 1999, and the number of African-American senior woman administrators rose from 51 to 71 over the same time frame. The number of African-American women academic counselors also went up from 45 to 83. African-American male academic counselors also increased from 95 to126.

Though not all of those positions are considered as leadership positions, the numbers do indicate that the pool of candidates for potential advancement in intercollegiate athletics may be growing.

Coaching data

Data regarding head coaches indicate that overall, African-American representation in both men's and women's teams has not increased. In fact, African-American male representation did not increase for either men's or women's teams, while African-American female representation increased only slightly for men's and women's teams.

Percentages for other minorities in head coaching positions increased slightly for both genders coaching both men's and women's teams. In the division breakdown, Division I percentages increased only slightly with African-Americans coaching men's teams and other minority males coaching men's teams. Division I women's percentages increased for African-American women and both genders of other minorities.

Division II percentages increased for men's teams with African-American women and other minority men and both genders of other minorities with women's teams.

Both Divisions I and II still have small representation of other minority women in coaching men's teams. Division III African-American representation in some areas is up slightly while other areas remain the same.

Assistant coach data indicate more decreases than increases in minority representation. Overall, the percentage of African-American male assistant coaches decreased in men's teams, yet increased in women's teams, while other minority males increased slightly in men's teams only. Other minority female assistant coaches decreased overall for both men's and women's teams.

In the division breakdown, Division I minority representation decreased. The only categories to increase were African-American males for both men's and women's teams. Divisions II and III percentages also varied between increases and decreases, most notably with other minority women assistant coaches showing decreases for all men's and women's teams.

"The continued efforts we've made just seem to produce the same results," said Charles Whitcomb, chair of the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and faculty athletics representative at San Jose State University.

"Either people aren't taking the report seriously, or the efforts just aren't being made to identify ethnic minorities for leadership positions in athletics."

Base-line data

The race demographics study is a biennial study designed to collect data on the racial and gender breakdown of athletics personnel at NCAA member institutions.

The 1999-00 Institution Staff Demographic Form was voluntarily completed by NCAA member institutions' athletics personnel for this continuing study. The NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, formed in January of 1991, has been using the data since 1995 to measure broad changes over time.

In all, there were 985 responses to the 1999 study out of 1,041 NCAA member schools. The response rate for the original study in 1995 garnered 953 responses out of 985 schools.

The study also was conducted in 1997, but 1995 data are used as base-line data for the purposes of the 1999 report.

"The response rate in each of the three years has provided a tremendous sampling, though it must be noted that it is not a complete sampling," said Amie Steiner, NCAA research analyst. "It is important to note that the 1999 figures are based on a total of received forms different from the 1995 sample, and thus the percentages provided in the table are calculated using a slightly different base rate. However, 1995 will always be the year of comparison in future studies."

For this year's study, new tables were included for each category that show the specific minority breakdown for Asians, Hispanics and Native Americans.

As with the previous two studies, there are tables for overall figures and divisional breakdowns. Included within each category are tables that provide data with historically black institutions excluded.

Copies of the report may be obtained from the NCAA research staff at 317/
917-6222.

Percentage of African-American Administrators at
NCAA Member Institutions
(historically black colleges and universities included)

Position 1995 1999 Change

Division II Percentages

Division III Percentages

*All athletics administrative staff.