Scorecard

THE BATTLE OF DALLAS

If viewed as a struggle between school presidents and athletic directors for control of major college sports, the NCAA Convention in Dallas was a clean sweep. On every key proposal, the presidents—at least the ones who are reform-minded about their sports programs—outhustled, outargued and ultimately outvoted the ADs. "The presidents showed that they are indeed in control," said TCU athletic director Frank Windegger.

NCAA executive director Dick Schultz, who heretofore had taken a see-almost-no-evil view of college sports, set the tone with a remarkable welcoming speech, which outlined his—and to a large extent, the presidents'—vision for the NCAA. Schultz not only urged the passage of reform measures on the agenda but laid out bold ideas for the future. He said the NCAA should consider revoking freshman eligibility and cutting back seasons in all sports. To reduce pressures to win, he suggested, coaches might be given tenure, or at least "initial contracts [of] five years with no termination except for rules violations or other ethical or moral reasons."

Schultz also proposed that recruiting be sharply curtailed. "It's absolutely ridiculous that we allow six in-person off-campus visits," he said. "We hire presidents, commissioners, faculty and coaches with far fewer visits." He asked delegates to be prepared by the 1991 convention to pass legislation to effect his proposed reforms.

The most acrimonious debate involved Proposition 30, which among other things called upon Division I-A and I-AA football programs to reduce spring practice from 20 days to 15 and upon Division I basketball programs to pare the regular season from 28 games to 25 and move the start of practice from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1.

Presidents argued that Prop 30 would give athletes more time to focus on their studies. Athletic directors responded that shorter seasons would have no positive effect on academics and that losing the revenue from three basketball games—as much as $250,000 for some schools—might force them to cut back on minor sports.

At first, Division I schools voted 170-150 to refer to committee—and thus put off indefinitely—the section of Prop 30 mandating a shorter basketball season. But then the presidents, led by Arizona State's Lattie Coor and Wake Forest's Thomas Hearn Jr., began twisting arms, and, slowly, support for Prop 30 grew: This paragraph passed, and then that one. Finally, the section on curtailing the basketball season was brought up for reconsideration, and it too passed, 206-116. Prop 30 will take effect in 1992.

Like Prop 30, many of the other measures passed in Dallas brought significant, if incremental, changes.

?Controversial Proposition 42, which passed last year but won't go into effect until next August, was modified. Under its original provisions, which many NCAA members labeled unfair and racist, Prop 42 would have denied scholarship aid to "partial qualifiers" who met some but not all of the NCAA's academic requirements for freshman athletes. The majority of these struggling students are black and poor.

Under Prop 42's new, more reasonable provisions, partial qualifiers will still not be allowed to participate in sports as freshmen but will be able to receive financial assistance. That aid will come from the school's general scholarship fund, not from the athletic department, and will be based on need.