NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey spread the "will to act" message to more than 1,200 athletics administrators who attended the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) annual convention June 16-19 in Dallas.

Dempsey, who has written a series of letters to college and university presidents called, "The Will to Act," delivered the keynote speech at the NACDA convention. In the Will to Act letters, Dempsey has focused on two issues that must be tackled for the betterment of college athletics -- the health of the governance structure and a reduction in the so-called athletics arms race. He has challenged athletics leaders to thoughtfully consider the next step for the NCAA. "What is your will for the membership?" he asked, "and do you have the will to act for the greater good?"

Dempsey's keynote speech followed a welcoming address by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.

The convention also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Title IX. Speakers included Ruth Berkey, formerly of the NCAA; Norma Cantu, formerly of the Office for Civil Rights; Barbara Hedges, director of athletics at the University of Washington; Donna Lopiano, executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation; Judy Sweet, vice-president for championships at the NCAA; and Lynette Woodard, assistant women's basketball coach at the University of Kansas. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, women's basketball coach Pat Summitt appeared via video. Michele Tafoya of ESPN served as emcee for the celebration.

"Would we have seen the dramatic changes in opportunities for women that have occurred over the past 30 years without the passage of Title IX?" Hedges asked. "My answer is emphatically no. There is no question in my mind that I am a product of Title IX -- not as an athlete, but as an administrator."

Cantu said, "(Title IX) is about the future. It's about an American society where discrimination has no place in the classroom. It makes a difference on the global scale and the personal scale."

"If it weren't for Title IX," Lopiano added, "men's professional sports would not have audiences that are now 50 percent female. There would be no female commentators on television. There would be 30,000 women competing in NCAA sports programs instead of the 150,000 who are competing today."

Also at the convention, NACDA's officers and executive committee members approved a resolution urging NACDA members to sponsor a commemoration of September 11. The events are to take place on individual campuses at either games or practices on September 11, 2002. Each school is asked to offer a moment of silence at the beginning of the game or practice. Other activities surrounding the commemoration will be determined by the individual schools.

The 9/11 initiative was led by NACDA First Vice-President Judy Rose, director of athletics at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte; NACDA Secretary Tim Gleason, commissioner of the Ohio Athletic Conference; and NACDA Past Presidents Hedges and Gene Smith, director of athletics at Arizona State University.

Sears Directors' Cups

One of the many NACDA convention highlights was the presentation of the Sears Directors' Cups. This year's winners all were repeat recipients -- Stanford University in Division I, the University of California, Davis, in Division II, and Williams College in Division III.

The Sears Directors' Cups, presented annually by Sears, Roebuck and Co. and NACDA, are awarded to the nation's top collegiate athletics programs based on schools' finishes in various NCAA sports.

In Division I, Stanford clinched the Cup even before its participation in the Men's College World Series. The Cardinal placed third there after falling to the University of Texas at Austin June 20. The Cup was Stanford's eighth consecutive, unprecedented in all three NCAA divisions. The Cardinal compiled 1,499 points, surpassing runner-up Texas by 388.5 points. Stanford won the Cup on the strength of national championships in women's volleyball, women's tennis, and men's and women's water polo.

In Division II, UC Davis has finished either first or second in each of the seven years of Cup competition, winning the award in 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2002. UC Davis teams accumulated 743 points, 56 points ahead of Grand Valley State University. Led by their national champion women's rowing team, the Aggies sealed the Cup win with five top-10 finishes in men's and women's cross country, football, men's golf, and men's swimming and diving.

Williams won its sixth Division III Cup in the last seven years by posting 989 points, 137 points ahead of Ithaca College. The Ephs won national championships in women's rowing, and women's and men's tennis. Five additional teams recorded top 10 finishes -- women's cross country, women's outdoor track and field, women's swimming and diving, field hockey, and women's volleyball.

Sears and NACDA also will present each of the second- through fifth-place institutions with Sears Directors' Cup plaques. Since the program's inception in 1993, Sears has presented more than 13,000 conference and sport champion trophies and more than $2 million in academic scholarships.

Other awards

The convention's awards luncheon featured the presentation of the James J. Corbett Memorial Award, NACDA's highest honor for athletics administration, to Southeastern Conference Commissioner Roy Kramer. In accepting, Kramer said, "Each of us, in our own way, shares in one of the greatest laboratories for young people that has ever existed. There is no greater challenge, but the challenge of excellence."

Also presented at the luncheon was the NACDA/NIT Athletics Directors Award to Fred Jacoby, current commissioner of the American Southwest and Lone Star Conferences and former commissioner of the Southwest and Mid-American Conferences.

The SportsBusiness Journal Athletics Director of the Year Award went to Bob Bowlsby, director of athletics at the University of Iowa.

The NACDA AD of the Year Awards honored the following 16 regional winners:

Division I-A -- Bob Bowlsby, University of Iowa; DeLoss Dodds, University of Texas at Austin; Jeremy Foley, University of Florida; Laing Kennedy, Kent State University.

Division I-AA/I-AAA -- Don DiJulia, St. Joseph's University; Dan Guerrero, University of California, Irvine; Dennis Thomas, Hampton University; William Steinbrecher, Valparaiso University.

Division II -- Robert Hartwell, Adelphi University; Jerry Hughes, Central Missouri State University; Jim Jordan, Delta State University; Greg Warzecka, University of California, Davis.

Division III -- Scott Allison, Roanoke College; Scott McQuilkin, Whitworth College; Porter Miller, Earlham College; Joy Reighn, Rowan University.

Final Sears Directors' Cups standings

Final standings in the Divisions I, II and III Sears Directors' Cups, presented annually by Sears, Roebuck and Co. and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics:

Division I

1. Stanford 1,499

2. Texas 1,110.5

3. Florida 1,078

4. North Carolina 1,065.5

5. UCLA 1,026

6. Michigan 917

7. Minnesota 886.5

8. Georgia 865

9. Arizona 852

10. LSU 842.5

11. South Carolina 828.5

12. Tennessee 821

13. Notre Dame 806.5

14. Ohio State 778.5

15. Arizona State 767.5

15. Southern California 767.5

17. Oklahoma 760.5

18. Colorado 751.5

19. Auburn 738.5

20. California 738

21. Princeton 736

22. Nebraska 721.5

23. Brigham Young 685

24. Penn State 676.5

25. Washington 639.5

Division II

1. UC Davis 743

2. Grand Valley State 687

3. UC San Diego 571.5

4. Truman 541.5

5. Western State 535.5

6. Cal State Bakersfield 530.5

7. North Dakota 527

8. Northern Colorado 507.5

9. South Dakota State 465.5

10. Indiana (Pa.) 457

11. Adams State 445.5

12. Ashland 437.5

13. Abilene Christian 429.5

14. Central Missouri State 427.5

15. North Florida 421

16. Cal State Chico 412

16. North Dakota State 412

18. Nebraska-Kearney 395

19. Northern Kentucky 392

20. Barry 390

21. Tampa 374

22. Nebraska-Omaha 351

23. Minnesota State-Mankato 344.5

24. Florida Southern 344

25. Lock Haven 343.5

Division III

1. Williams 989

2. Ithaca 852

3. College of New Jersey 751

4. Middlebury 703.5

5. Emory 673

6. Wisconsin-Stevens Point 656.5

7. Amherst 623

8. Wisconsin-Oshkosh 552

9. Wisconsin-La Crosse 512

10. Gustavus Adolphus 509

11. Calvin 490

12. Cortland State 485

13. St. Thomas (Minnesota) 446.5

14. DePauw 433.5

15. Wartburg 432.5

16. Claremont-M-S 422.5

17. Washington (Missouri) 421

18. Ohio Wesleyan 409.5

19. Wisconsin-Eau Claire 388.5

20. Nebraska Wesleyan 385

21. Central (Iowa) 376

22. Johns Hopkins 371.5

23. Rowan 352

24. Wheaton (Massachusetts) 350

25. Messiah 348