More than 20 NCAA Division I coaches, athletics administrators and college presidents spoke with members of Congress June 27 about the importance of proposed legislation that would extend a ban on legal sports wagering on college athletics to all states.

The group discussed the proposed legislation and its impact on intercollegiate athletics during individual meetings throughout the day on Capitol Hill.

"After hearing from our coaches, who are closest to this issue, we hope that members of Congress will see that legal sports wagering impacts the integrity of the athlete and the game," said NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey. "Our coaches have come here to demonstrate how important the legislation -- as it was introduced -- is to the intercollegiate athletics community. We're concerned about the far-reaching effects of legal sports wagering on college sports."

The group is calling for passage of the Amateur Sports Integrity Act (S. 718) and the Student-Athlete Protection Act (H.R. 1110). S. 718 was introduced by Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona; Sam Brownback, R-Kansas; and John Edwards, D-North Carolina. The legislation would remove the grandfather clause from the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).

"After some of the members of Congress hear the personal experiences of our coaches, presidents, athletics directors and conference officials, we hope they will better understand the seriousness of this issue and its potential impact on college campuses and athletics programs," said Dempsey.

The House version of the bill was introduced March 20 by Reps. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina; Tim Roemer, D-Indiana; Tom Osborne, R-Nebraska; Ron Kind, D-Wisconsin; and 42 co-sponsors.

It has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

NCAA members who traveled to Washington, D.C., June 27 to support legislation that would ban legal sports wagering on college athletics in Nevada:

Gary Barnett, football coach University of Colorado, Boulder

Bob Bender, men's basketball coach University of Washington

John Calipari, men's basketball coach University of Memphis

Barry Collier, men's basketball coach University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Billy Donovan, men's basketball coach University of Florida

Lefty Driesell, men's basketball coach Georgia State University

Jerry Dunn, men's basketball coach Pennsylvania State University

Cliff Ellis, men's basketball coach Auburn University

Larry Eustachy, men's basketball coach Iowa State University

Fran Fraschilla, basketball coach University of New Mexico

Andy Geiger, athletics director Ohio State University

Bill Guthridge, former men's basketball coach University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Lou Holtz, football coach University of South Carolina, Columbia

Floyd Keith, executive director Black Coaches Association

Roy Kramer, commissioner Southeastern Conference

Rev. Edward Malloy, president University of Notre Dame

Glen Mason, football coach University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Muffet McGraw, women's basketball coach University of Notre Dame

Lorenzo Romar, men's basketball coach Saint Louis University

Bo Schembechler, retired football coach University of Michigan

R.C. Slocum, football coach Texas A&M University, College Station

Ron Turner, football coach University of Illinois, Champaign