NCAA Cuts Recruiting Seasons Almost in Half

Recruiting seasons were reduced in football and basketball and players received permission to give one complimentary game pass to someone other than a relative or student as delegates wrapped up the 81st annual NCAA convention Friday.

In other voting during a long business session, measures were passed to monitor the outside income of coaches and to give the enforcement department permission to make more information public.

As its last act, the convention elevated Wilford Bailey of Auburn to the presidency of the NCAA. Bailey, who has been secretary-treasurer, replaces the outgoing Jack Davis of Oregon State.

Arguments over complimentary game passes consumed more time than any other proposal during the six-day meeting of the nation’s colleges and universities. Chaos erupted last season when it was discovered that many players were giving their complimentary passes to persons other than fellow students or family members. After 60 Nebraska football players were suspended for a game and then reinstated, the rule was put in abeyance.

After lengthy debate Friday, Division I schools voted to let players give one--but not all four--of their four passes to anyone they choose.

“This is better than what we had,” Nebraska Athletic Direcor Bob Devaney said. “I would have preferred to let them give all four to anybody they want. It’s my opinion that the cheaters in college sports are not the players, but other people.”

In the morning session, delegates approved with little opposition a move to cut the recruiting seasons in the major sports almost 50%. In addition, the major powers got a measure passed granting them authority to decide for themselves the maximum amount of financial assistance to be given to scholarship players.

The money coaches make also took up considerable time. Finally, schools voted to make coaches report all outside income to their athletic directors; to prohibit coaches from using their school’s name or logo in endorsing commercial products without approval of the school; and to require coaches to get approval of the school’s chief executive officer before accepting pay for endorsing brands of shoes, apparel or equipment.

Amending three rules which caused widespread controversy last year, delegates voted:

--To let medals be given to high school prospects at such events as the Penn Relays or Drake Relays.

--To allow a school to pay the expenses for players and coaches to attend a teammate’s funeral.

--To allow coaches to watch their offspring play high school games outside the official evaluation period, creating what many dubbed “The Dooley Rule.”

Vince Dooley, Georgia football coach, couldn’t watch his son, Derek, play high school football last year because it was not during the official scouting period.

Dooley brought laughter from the nearly 2,000 delegates when he told the convention, “I think we should adopt this admendent for many reasons, not the least of which is domestic tranquility for coaches. But at the same time I must admit that I have no more children.”

“Next year,” one delegate was heard to yell, “we’ll be back saying it’s OK for coaches to watch their grandchildren. Some of those guys are getting pretty old, you know.”

Passed nearly without opposition were proposals to give the public a clearer view of enforcement proceedings. In the future, the report outlining a decision by the Infractions Committee will be delivered to the news media at the same time it is given to the school. Names will be deleted from the media’s report, but schools will be given the option of providing them to reporters.

In addition, enforcement personnel at NCAA headquarters in Mission, Kan., were authorized to comment on erroneous information about a case put out by a school or a coach.

“This is still a gray area and we will have to take each case as it comes, but at least we won’t have to just sit there and keep mum when we know that people aren’t telling the truth,” said Steve Morgan, NCAA assistant executive director for enforcement.

Football coaches under the new rule will be allowed to contact prospects from Dec. 1 to the first Saturday after the national letter-of-intent signing day, usually in mid-February. Football coaches can evaluate prospects in November and May 10-31.

In basketball, coaches can recruit Sept. 17-Oct. 17 and March 1 to the Saturday after the national signing day, usually in mid-April. Evaluation can be done July 10-31, Dec. 11-31 and Feb. 8-28, or Feb. 29 in a leap year.