NCAA: THE RULE BOOK : NCAA’s Questions Stump Top Football Coaches : Rule Book Is So Poorly Worded That Few of Them Know All of the Answers

Football coaches whose teams were ranked in the top 20 during the week of Nov. 2 were asked to take the following quiz.

Eighteen coaches participated, one refused and one could not be reached in time to take the test. The questions are worded exactly as they appear in the NCAA Manual.

No. 1 SITUATION

A professional sports organization provides free admission for an individual to attend a professional contest.

Question: Does the receipt of the free admission affect the individual’s eligibility under the association’s professional ruling?

Answer: No. The free admission is not considered as a form of financial assistance from a professional team.

Correct 2, Incorrect 16 No. 2 SITUATION

Members of a sports team are assembled the night before a home contest by the coaching staff.

Q: Is it permissible for the institution to rent a film or movie to show to the assembled squad without it being considered an extra benefit not available to the student body in general?

A: Yes. Entertainment of the team assembled the night before a contest would be considered a benefit incidental to the student’s participation.

Correct 15, Incorrect 3 No. 3 SITUATION

An institution is recruiting a prospective student-athlete.

Q: Is it permissible for a student-athlete enrolled in the institution to telephone the prospective student-athlete for the purpose of recruitment at the expense and authorization of the institution?

A: Yes, provided the call is for the purpose of recruitment only and with full knowledge of the department of athletics in each instance. The cost-free use of a telephone or credit card for personal reasons of the student-athlete would not be permissible.

Correct 10, Incorrect 8 No. 4 SITUATION

A student-athlete is injured going to or from class or while participating in classroom requirements, such as physical education.

Q: Is it permissible for the institution to pay the medical or hospital expenses for the student-athlete?

A: No, unless similar services are provided by the institution to all students who are provided by terms and conditions of the institution’s overall insurance program.

Correct 16, Incorrect 2 No. 5 SITUATION

A member institution’s alumni group or booster club wishes to honor prospective student-athletes for outstanding athletic accomplishments and present an award to the honorees.

Q: Is the presentation of such awards permissible?

A: No. The presentation of such an award would be considered an improper inducement.

Correct 16, Incorrect 2 No. 6 SITUATION

During the telecast of an institution’s intercollegiate contest, the station televising the game proposes to show a videotape of competition involving high school or junior college players.

Q: Could the institution permit the television station to show the videotape of the competition under NCAA legislation?

A: No. A prospective student-athlete may not be interviewed or otherwise featured in any type of telecast involving a member institution.

Correct 15, Incorrect 3 No. 7 SITUATION

An institution is limited to a certain number of initial minimum awards in football and a total limit in other sports.

Q: Is it permissible for an institution to offer more than the maximum initial awards in anticipation that all of the offers will not be accepted?

A: Yes. However, the institution shall not exceed the limitation in the sport in question.

Correct 15, Incorrect 3 No. 8 SITUATION

An institution participates in a foreign tour after its intercollegiate season is completed and prior to the start of the next academic year. A student-athlete was eligible but did not participate during the institution’s season just completed. The student-athlete did represent his institution’s team on the foreign tour.

Q: Does such participation count as a season of eligibility for purposes of an NCAA championship event in the sport in question?

A: Yes. Such participation shall be counted as a season of eligibility for the preceding season.

Correct 11, Incorrect 7 No. 9 SITUATION

An institution’s athletics booster club proposes to finance an intercollegiate team’s transportation expenses to a location that is not more than 100 miles from the campus for a recognition banquet. This is to occur prior to or during the season.

Q: Is this permissible?

A: Yes, provided expenses are paid through the institution’s department of athletics and the location is within 100 miles of the campus; further, there can be no tangible award provided to members of the team.

Correct 10, Incorrect 8 No. 10 SITUATION

A grant-in-aid recipient lives and eats off campus and is given cash by the institution in lieu of room and board. The student-athlete uses part of this money to purchase government food stamps, which results in considerable savings.

Q: Is this permissible?

A: Yes. The purchase of food stamps with funds secured through an institutional grant-in-aid is permissible provided these stamps are available to the student body in general and the student-athlete who purchases them is eligible for such stamps without any special arrangements on the part of athletic department personnel or representatives of the institution’s athletics interests.

Correct 15, Incorrect 3 The Top Twenty poll for the week of Nov. 2, 1986, and each team’s coach:

1. Miami, Fla., Jimmy Johnson; 2. Penn State, Joe Paterno; 3. Michigan, Bo Schembechler; 4. Oklahoma, Barry Switzer; 5. Arizona State, John Cooper; 6. Alabama, Ray Perkins; 7. Nebraska, Tom Osborne; 8. Texas A&M;, Jackie Sherrill; 9. Auburn, Pat Dye; 10. Arkansas, Ken Hatfield.

11. Ohio State, Earle Bruce; 12. UCLA, Terry Donahue; 13. Washington, Don James; 14. USC, Ted Tollner (since fired); 15. North Carolina State, Dick Sheridan; 16. Iowa, Hayden Fry; 17. Arizona, Larry Smith; 18. LSU, Bill Arnsparger (since resigned); 19. Georgia, Vince Dooley; 20. Clemson, Danny Ford.