The National College Athletics Association’s (NCAA) main goals are to administer the rules adopted by member schools, organize 89 national championships annually, provide educational services to coaches and athletics administrators, manage financial systems for the membership and conduct research into the experiences of those involved in college sports.
It also supports student-athlete success by ensuring they are prepared for the college classroom when they enter school and then continue to progress toward a degree.
Many are interested in the ins and outs of this college sport governing body.
Here are 10 facts that will give you a little more insight into the force behind college athletics.
The modern era of the NCAA began in July 1952 when its executive director, Kansas City, Mo. native Walter Byers, moved the organization’s headquarters from the LaSalle Hotel in Chicago (where its offices were shared by the headquarters of the Big Ten Conference) to downtown Kansas City.
The move was intended to separate the NCAA from direct influence of any individual conference and to keep it centrally located. In 1999, the NCAA moved its 300 member staff to its new headquarters in White River State Park in a four-story 140,000-square-foot facility on the west edge of downtown Indianapolis.
To ensure academic achievement, the NCAA releases a report card for each Division I team every year called the Academic Progress Rate (APR). If half or more of the student-athletes aren’t on track to graduate, that team is ineligible to participate in postseason play.
Dr. Mark A. Emmert became the fifth president of the NCAA in October 2010. Other presidents include Jim Isch (2009-2010); Myles Brand (2003-2009); Cedric Dempsey (1994-2002); Dick Schultz (1988-1993); and Walter Byers (1951-1988).
The NCAA conducts 89 national championships in 23 sports across Divisions I, II and III, with 44 championships administered for women and 42 for men. More than 54,000 student-athletes participate in NCAA championships each year.
The NCAA has a new national center for excellence for the study and improvement of health and safety in athletics called the NCAA Sport Science Institute (SSI). The SSI is devoted to research, education, collaboration, policy development, and best practice guidelines that will benefit the safety, excellence and wellness of the intercollegiate student-athlete.
The NCAA has a magazine called “NCAA Champion” that celebrates college sports and the people who give it a special place in American society, from the coaches and athletics directors who shape the collegiate experience to student-athletes who achieve on and off the field.
As a branch of the NCAA, the Hall of Champions offers a family, school and civic friendly environment for the Association, Central Indiana and visitors from around the world. The Hall of Champions seeks to provide a greater understanding of the NCAA, including its members of more than 1,000 colleges and universities and over 400,000 student-athletes.
The ELITE 89, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The 2013-2014 winner from an Indiana college was Mara Olson, a biology major at Butler University on the women’s track and field team.
About two percent of high school athletes are awarded some form of athletics scholarship from the NCAA to compete in college. And fewer than two percent of NCAA student-athletes go on to be professional athletes.
The University of Oregon defeats The Ohio State University 46–33 March 27, 1939 to win the first-ever NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Final Four, as the tournament became known, has grown exponentially in size and popularity since 1939. The NCAA has credited Bob Walsh of the Seattle Organizing Committee for starting the March Madness celebration during 1984.
Source: NCAA.com; NCAA.org; History.com.
