The Division II Presidents Council gave its blessing to an overhaul of Division II football at its October 31 meeting, agreeing not only to expand the field from 16 to 24 teams effective with the 2004 season but also endorsing measures to enhance the safety of the sport during fall preseason and spring practices.

Rather than approving emergency legislation to implement the changes to enhance safety in fall preseason practice, the Presidents Council instead will use the authority of NCAA Constitution 5.3.5.3.1.2.1 to grant an exception to the September 1 legislation sponsorship deadline in situations where the division is responding to actions taken by other divisions (in this case, Division I). The approach means that the Division II membership will be able to consider the proposal at the 2003 Convention in January.

In its discussion of the issue, the Division II Presidents Council considered research that shows that football players are more at risk to heat illness in late summer than other student-athletes because of the large amount of protective equipment that the sport requires. Sports-medicine authorities believe the problem is best addressed by gradually acclimating the athletes to a full-scale workout regimen.

With that in mind, the presidents agreed to sponsor legislation for the 2003 Convention that would require that preseason football practice begin with a five-day acclimatization period for all participants. During that five-day period, student-athletes would not be permitted to engage in more than one on-field practice per day. That practice would not be permitted to exceed three hours.

As for equipment, the proposal would require that only helmets could be worn during the first two days of the acclimatization period. During the next two days, helmets and shoulder pads would be permissible; on the final day, practice in full pads would be permitted.

After the acclimatization period, institutions would not be allowed to conduct multiple on-field practice sessions (two- or three-a-day workouts) on consecutive days. The legislation also would place restrictions on the administration of two- or three-a-day workouts. The Management Council earlier had referred to the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports a recommendation to provide a member of an institution's sports-medicine staff with the "unchallengeable authority" to cancel or modify preseason workouts for health and safety reasons.

The proposal that will go before the Convention also would allow preseason football practice sessions to begin August 10 or 14 days before the first day of class, whichever occurs earlier. The presidents considered an alternative that would have permitted practice to begin August 5 with a limit of 28 actual practices before the first contest. However, they concluded that few institutions start school early enough to gain extra practice sessions and that any competitive advantage resulting from those extra sessions would be minimal and would decrease as the season progressed. On the other hand, the presidents concluded that an earlier across-the-board start date would create an excessive financial burden for the Division II football-playing membership.

The presidents also endorsed changes to the Division II spring practice model based on the same principle as the recommended changes to preseason workouts. The proposal, which the membership will consider at the 2004 NCAA Convention through the normal legislative process, will permit practice with helmets only in the first two sessions of spring practice. In the third session, helmets and shoulder pads only would be permitted. After that, only eight of the last 12 sessions could involve tackling and at least one of the 12 practice sessions would have to be a helmet-only practice. Also, no more than two consecutive spring practice sessions involving tackling would be permitted.

The presidents did exercise their authority to expand the football championship field from 16 teams to 24, effective with the 2004 season (the October 28 issue of The NCAA News cited an incorrect effective date) and to finance the football expansion and gender-balance plan by adjusting the Division II membership trust fund (see the October 28 issue of the News).

They also agreed to support membership Proposal No. 2-33, which specifies that the first permissible contest for Division II football (and other fall sports) may occur on the Thursday preceding September 1 each year. The change would permit the division to expand the football championship while keeping its desirable championship date (after Division I-A conference championships, before Division I-A bowl games, before NFL Saturday games, immediately before the Heisman Trophy presentation).

The presidents also approved $10,000 to develop and distribute posters highlighting good practices for out-of-season conditioning activities in all Division II sports. Proposals to provide more discretionary time for football student-athletes and to fund a Division II videotape highlights show earlier had been referred to committees for further study.

Other business

In other business, the Presidents Council did not approve a recommendation from the Division II Management Council to strongly recommend (rather than require) an increase in the minimum size of the pole vault landing pad for 2002-03. The presidents voted to require the change for 2002-03 to bring the Division II rule in line with Divisions I and III. However, the presidents asked for more scientific data on pole vault safety and for additional study on whether helmets would enhance safety in the event. They noted that the purchase of additional pole vault padding would be a permissible use of Division II health and safety conference grant funds. That grant money will be available in September 2003.

They also approved a second graduation-rate pilot study that will take place in spring 2003. The study will request information on the 1996 cohort and, among other things, will feature a simpler form than the first study, a distinction between two-year and four-year transfer student-athletes, and an April 1 mailing date and a June 15 response deadline.

The pilot studies are to assist Division II in determining if it wants to proceed with an annual survey that would measure graduation rates for transfer student-athletes and for student-athletes not receiving athletically related aid. Incoming transfers and walk-ons are not counted using the methodology required by the federal Student-Right-to-Know Act, and outgoing transfers are counted as having not graduated. Although the federal method provides a measurement that has some value, Division II leadership believes that it does not accurately represent graduation outcomes for the general Division II student-athlete population.

Other highlights

Division II Presidents Council
October 31/Indianapolis