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Beginning of 1950's: College Sports popularity began to rise
The popularity of collegiate athletics began to rise at the start of the 1950s. This was almost entirely credited to television dominating as the new media of the times.
(Football was not very popular at the start - fans didn't understand the game & it was hard to follow on TV)
(Basketball was all the rave. Start of the peak of the sport). -
1951: The Mob Takes Over NCAA
After people saw the popularity of basketball, the next step was to find ways to monetize it.The New York mob was big in this.They forced their way in and started paying players to throw the games so they could win money. (Around this time we also saw gambling take off). It really turned fans away from college basketball). Didn't see it pick back up until the mid 60s.
(Big Games: Texas Western vs. Kentucky (Glory Road).Wooden Dynaasties 64-75).Game of the Century Houston vs. UCLA 68. MSU vs ISU -
1955: Ray Dennison Court Case
Ray was a right guard for the Fort Lewis A&M Aggies. On September 25th He got hit on the head in a football game and he died 30 hours later. His wife, Billie Dennison decided to file a lawsuit against against the NCAA. It was said that this case set the standard for defining the relationship between the NCAA and its athletes. The case went to the Colorado Supreme Court and the court ruled in favor of the NCAA saying "football players are STUDENT-ATHLETES and not college employees." (1957) -
1956: NCAA splits colleges and universities into divisions
NCAA split bigger schools into "University division" - later become Division 1
NCAA split smaller schools into "college division" - later became Division 2 & 3
That was big because it even'd out the competition level. Also big for TV contracts. -
1960: ACC made eligibility requirements
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) made eligibility requirement a minimum joint score of 750 on the SAT. This began to advance the academic standard colleges held for admitting athletes. The ACC was one of the trailblazing organizations for implementing academic standards in addition to athletic standards. -
1962: NCAA follows ACC and made test requirements
NCAA followed ACC's 1.6 Predictor Rule (high school rank and test scores to predict a 1.6 grade point average the first year of college). This was the beginning of the academic reform that lasted until 1973. -
1964: Civil Rights Act of '64
“No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program". Also, Title VII helped with employment discrimination. -
1968: Freshman eligibility granted by NCAA
Freshman Eligibility granted by NCAA. Before freshman weren't allowed to play Varsity sports. This was big, and it evolved to players playing one year in college then going pro. -
Early 1970s AIAW was created
AIAW is the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women... huge for advancement in women's collegiate sports. Leads me to my next point in the timeline -
1972: Title IX was created!
Major step for equality in athletics in the United States. Prohibited discrimination of all forms and increased participation (especially women) in youth sports.
3 things (prongs) to remember with Title IX:
- 1st is Proportionality. Think everything being 50/50. With male and female athletics and the number of male and females in athletics being the same
- 2nd is expansion. Think schools have to actively try to expand their female athletic programs
-Accomodating interes expand to meet interest -
1976: Major football Conferences emerge
Division I institutions separated by "true" major football conferences: Big Eight, Big Ten, Southeastern, Southwestern Pacific 8, Western Athletic, and Atlantic Coast conferences. Separating universities by geographical location and competitiveness was a huge step for the NCAA.