Memphis State Placed on Probation by NCAA

An NCAA committee placed Memphis State on two year’s probation Friday, recommending that the Tigers be declared ineligible for the 1987 NCAA basketball tournament and asking that the school return almost $1 million received from tournaments in 1985 and 1986. Five football scholarships would also be lost.

The list of sanctions stemmed from allegations that Memphis State violated a number of NCAA rules, including giving excess financial aid to some athletes.

Memphis State officials refused comment on the sanctions, but university President Thomas G. Carpenter issued a statement saying he was disappointed in the severity of the sanctions.

Because some of the athletes who received excess aid participated in postseason tournaments, the committee recommended that Memphis State forfeit 90% of the money the university received from the 1985 and 1986 tournaments, or about $1 million.