THE MOVE TO DIVISION I: A CHRONOLOGY

November, 1986--Northridge coaches vote unanimously to recommend that the school leave the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division II level and join Division I in all sports but football.

December, 1986--CSUN President James Cleary forms a Special Committee on Athletics to study the recommended classification change. The panel includes athletic directors Bob Hiegert and Judy Brame; Sam Winningham, chairman of the department of physical education and athletics; and Lenin Glass, dean of the School of Professional Studies and Communication.

July, 1987--The physical education and athletic department officially splits, paving the way for the move to Division I.

February, 1988--CSUN’s Special Committee on Athletics recommends that the school move from Division II to Division I in all sports but football. The 18-page report, “Intercollegiate Athletic Program: At the Crossroads,” concludes that in light of projected enrollment increases a move down to Division III or to the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics is “effectively a non-choice.”

April, 1988--Cleary announces support for the move to Division I. “I really don’t think we can afford to not take advantage of the direction nearly everyone suggests we ought to go,” he said.

May, 1988--Northridge officially petitions the NCAA for clearance to move from Division II to Division I in all sports but football.

March, 1989--Cleary meets with officials from Cal State Sacramento, Southern Utah State and other schools to discuss the formation of a new Division I conference. They meet again three months later, but no formal proposals are made.

April, 1989--School officials confirm that the Ogden Corp., a New York-based conglomerate, is studying the feasibility of an 8,000- to 12,000-seat indoor arena on the CSUN campus. It is hoped that Ogden will offer to help finance the project, possibly in exchange for management and concessions rights.

May, 1989--Northridge reaches its $100,000 goal in an annual six-week fund drive. The amount is almost double the previous record, indicating increasing community interest in and support for the athletic program.

May, 1989--At a meeting of California Collegiate Athletic Assn. athletic directors, Northridge gives notice: At the conclusion of 1989-90 intercollegiate seasons, CSUN no longer will be a member of the Division II CCAA.

July, 1989--Ogden delivers the findings of its feasibility study but does not offer to help fund the project. CSUN officials term the information “incomplete.”

May, 1990--Hiegert attends a meeting of athletic directors at United States International University in San Diego. The subject: the formation of a new Division I conference.

June, 1990--Plans for the proposed American Conference are put on hold after a meeting of athletic directors in Marco Island, Fla. Northridge, USIU, Chicago State, Southern Utah State, Wright State (Ohio) and Northeastern Illinois form an unofficial alliance by agreeing to play basketball games against each other.

July, 1990--The NCAA notifies Northridge that it has met Division I scheduling standards. As of Sept. 1, CSUN will be classified in Division I in all sports but football.