NCAA News Archive - 2004

« back to 2004 | Back to NCAA News Archive Index

Cabinet backs playing-season modification
Proposal provides one-game increase for basketball and ice hockey


Aug 16, 2004 4:14:17 PM


The NCAA News

The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet is asking the membership to act on a playing and practice seasons issue that has been tabled since 2001.

After two years of study, the cabinet's playing and practice seasons subcommittee is urging the Division I Management Council to sponsor legislation that amends the maximum number of contests in basketball and ice hockey, and eliminates the event-certification process and certain annual exemptions.

The proposal -- finalized during the cabinet's June 28-July 1 meeting in La Jolla, California -- would increase the maximum number of contests from 28 to 29 in basketball and from 34 to 35 in ice hockey; however, it also would eliminate the certified-events exemption in those sports and in all other sports. The proposal also would affect field hockey, soccer, volleyball and women's lacrosse since it would eliminate the additional dates of competition during those sports' nonchampionship segment.

The proposal would affect certified events in that they would no longer be exempt from maximum-contest limitations. Under the new guidelines, institutions would be permitted to participate in those events but would have to count them in contest limits.

The concept is similar to Proposal No. 2000-106, which offered a 29-game maximum in basketball while eliminating exemptions. That proposal entered the Division I governance structure in January 2000 but was tabled by the Board of Directors in 2001 pending a comprehensive review of event-certification criteria.

Proponents of Proposal No. 2000-106 at the time said it would promote competitive equity by eliminating the certified-event process and establishing a uniform number of regular-season contests. Supporters also said it would limit the number of competitions before the first regularly scheduled contest date and thus enhance student-athlete well-being by alleviating time demands during a key period of the academic year.

Some people, though, were concerned about the proposal's effect on certified events since participation in an event, regardless of the number of contests it contains, would be considered one countable contest toward the limit. Others countered that Proposal No. 2000-106 would not eliminate the events, though it may encourage single-elimination events to add consolation rounds to ensure a uniform number of games for each participant.

The Championships/Competition Cabinet's playing and practice seasons subcommittee reached its recommendation after a thorough review of the nonchampionship segment and the number of contests in each sport to determine the most accurate and equitable way of documenting the number of competitions in which student-athletes compete. From that review, subcommittee members agreed that each contest in which an institution competes should count against the maximum-contest limitations, which is why they agreed to recommend eliminating the annual exemptions and the dates of competition during the nonchampionship segment in the specified fall sports.

Further, the subcommittee discussed the appropriate maximum number of contests for each sport and determined that most of the sports appeared to be at the appropriate number of contests. Cabinet members in their report to the Management Council wrote that the proposed changes "will provide a more accurate picture of the number of competitions in which student-athletes compete and achieve a balance between the student-athlete's desire to compete and missed class time caused by competition."

The Management Council will review the matter at its July 19-20 meeting in Baltimore and determine whether the proposal will enter the 2004-05 legislative cycle. If so, the proposal, which carries an August 1, 2006, effective date, would be considered for adoption in April 2005.

Football proposals

In addition to the legislative proposal regarding maximum number of contests and certified events, the Championships/Competition Cabinet also asked the Management Council to sponsor four legislative proposals dealing with football.

One permits an institution to re-award financial aid to a walk-on from a student-athlete who voluntarily withdraws from participation during preseason football practice. The proposal, developed by the Division I Football Issues Committee and supported by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), would allow institutions to reward walk-ons who have made a commitment to a football team despite not receiving any athletics aid for one year.

The Football Issues Committee supported a similar Administrative Review Subcommittee waiver request to allow walk-ons to receive the athletics aid of a student-athlete who voluntarily withdraws during preseason practice. The waiver was granted and made available for all institutions during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 academic years. The cabinet is supporting the proposal because the waiver will no longer be available after the 2004-05 academic year.

A second proposal would prohibit midyear enrollees (for example, two-year college transfers or high-school graduates) from receiving expenses to practice or compete at the site of a postseason bowl game during that season. The AFCA requested that the Football Issues Committee forward this idea because in recent years, it has become more common for institutions to provide midyear enrollees with expenses to attend and practice at bowl games. The AFCA believes the practice has evolved into an unwanted recruiting inducement and inhibits the ability of student-athletes who have practiced with the team throughout the year from receiving expenses to attend the bowl game.

The third proposal would permit one "walk-through" during the five-day acclimatization period in preseason football practice. The walk-throughs may last no longer than one hour each and must occur at least three hours before or after the institution's on-field practice for that day.

After experiencing the first preseason football practice under the new out-of-season conditioning model, the Football Issues Committee and the AFCA believe that teams can engage in on-field walk-throughs that provide for critical teaching/learning opportunities without compromising student-athletes' health and well-being during the five-day acclimatization period. Further, the proposed time limitations will help prevent encroachment on academic orientation activities.

Finally, the cabinet also asked the Management Council to propose legislation that would allow any football coach who counts in the institution's numerical limit of full-time coaches to contact and evaluate prospects off campus during a given week as long as no more than seven coaches are off campus recruiting at any one time.

The AFCA supports the measure as a cost-savings initiative and one that would provide for a more efficient off-campus recruiting process.

Other highlights

Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet
June 28-July 1/La Jolla, California

  • Reviewed a recommendation from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports designed to prohibit student-athletes from participating in NCAA competitions if the student-athlete is under suspension from a national or international sports governing body that has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code. The cabinet referred the measure back to the competitive-safeguards committee, however, because members are uncertain about whether the policy would apply only to suspensions related to a failed drug test administered by these organizations or whether it would apply to a "non-analytical" suspension.

  • Discussed the nominating process when a vacancy on a National Collegiate sport committee occurs that can be filled by an individual from any division. Cabinet members proposed a policy change that would have the chairs of the Divisions I, II and III nominating entities participate in a conference call and determine the appropriate nominee, considering each division's recommendation. If it is determined that the nominee should be from Division I, the relevant nominee would be forwarded to the cabinet's administrative committee for final approval.

  • Asked the Management Council to approve emergency legislation that would create a grace period of two years for conferences that have six core members playing a particular sport but fail to meet the requirement that six members must have competed in the league for the two previous years. The grace period would apply only to conferences that met the requirements of automatic qualification the previous year. The membership in April adopted a similar proposal in basketball that becomes effective this year.

  • Asked the Management Council to authorize a blanket waiver to permit coaches (all divisions and all sports) to participate in autograph sessions and other NCAA championship promotional activities (for example, appearances at NCAA Beyond the Game Tour, championship opening ceremonies, etc.) during the 2004-05 academic year.

  • Asked the Management Council to sponsor legislation establishing a playing and practice season for women's rugby that includes the identification of women's rugby as a fall championship sport.

    Championships host and site designations

    The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet approved the following championships sites and hosts during its June 28-July 1 meeting:

  • 2004 Division I Field Hockey Championship -- Wake Forest University will host the finals November 19 and 21.

  • 2005 National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship -- The Central Florida Sports Commission and the Sunshine State Conference will host the championship in Orlando, Florida, April 14-16.

  • 2005 Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship -- The U.S. Naval Academy will host the finals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium May 20 and 22.

  • 2005 Division I Women's Soccer Championship -- Texas A&M University, College Station, will host the event.

  • 2005 Division I Wrestling Championships -- Duquesne University and California State University, Fresno, were designated as hosts of the East and West regionals, respectively.

  • 2006 National Collegiate Men's and Women's Skiing Championships -- The University of Colorado, Boulder, will host the competition at Mt. Werner (Alpine) and Howelsen Hill (Nordic) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

  • Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships -- Sacramento, California, will be the site for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 championships. California State University, Sacramento, and the Sacramento Sports Commission will host the competition at Hornet Stadium. The cabinet also approved Indiana University, Bloomington (Mideast) and the University of Oregon (West) as regional sites for 2005. Sites for the East and Midwest regions are yet to be determined.

    Cabinet OKs more defined playing-rules approval process

    The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet has approved a new process that will provide for a more efficient way to move playing-rules proposals through the governance structure.

    The new structure expands membership of and clarifies duties for the Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP), a group created 18 months ago to oversee playing-rules proposals. The issue of playing-rules oversight has been complicated since the NCAA moved to a federated governance structure in 1997. Because playing rules must be common for all divisions, the approval process for proposed changes became overly complex and time-consuming when further review of a proposal from a rules committee was necessary.

    The new structure that the cabinet (and the Divisions II and III Championships Committees) approved provides for a 12-member PROP that will oversee all NCAA playing-rules committees and monitor playing rules maintained outside of the NCAA.

    The panel will include six representatives from Division I, three of whom will be appointed by the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet (these appointees must be current members of the cabinet). The remaining three will be appointed by the Division I Collegiate Commis-
    sioners Association (CCA appointments would not necessarily be commissioners).

    The remaining six members will include three each from Divisions II and III. One representative from each of the divisions will be appointed by the divisions' Championships Committees (representatives must be current members of the Championships Committees). The other two representatives for each division will be appointed at large.

    PROP, which reports directly to the Executive Committee, will be responsible for all research and communication pertaining to the administration of playing rules, including the responsibility to advance budgetary recommendations from the playing-rules committees and to ensure consistency among different sports, when appropriate (for example, policies controlling fighting or abusive language).

    PROP members will meet three times annually (March, June, August) to review proposed changes after the playing-rules meetings for each season are complete. A recommendation from any rules committees will be considered to be valid unless PROP determines that the recommendation harms the image of the game, creates an unsafe environment for student-athletes or places an unreasonable financial burden on the membership.

    Any division may ask PROP to exempt it from applying or delaying implementation of a playing rule for financial reasons (the Executive Committee currently holds this authority). Decisions on actions taken by PROP will be reported to the Executive Committee on an informational basis. The Executive Committee has the right to act on informational items if it chooses.

    The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet approved the new structure because it believes the proposed process ensures proper oversight, involvement and feedback from appropriate groups, and continues to allow rules committees to be the custodians of their respective sports.

    Because the new process requires a legislative change, the proposal will enter the 2004-05 legislative cycle and, if approved, would become effective August 1, 2005.


    • © 2010 The National Collegiate Athletic Association
    Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy