Beginning with the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis, January 2006, the NCAA will celebrate 100 years of the student-athlete.
The NCAA was founded in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt as a result of numerous injuries and deaths caused by college football’s flying wedge. A bronze statue of the flying wedge is featured in the NCAA Hall of Champions, located in Indianapolis, as a tribute to the Association’s founding.
The purpose of the NCAA is to ensure that college sports are fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike and to further integrate intercollegiate athletics within American higher education, making academics central to the experience of student-athletes.
In December 1905, New York University Chancellor Henry M. MacCracken led a meeting of 13 institutions to initiate changes in football playing rules. The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) was founded by 62 members on December 28, 1905, in New York City.
On March 31, 1906, the IAAUS was constituted. The IAAUS became the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1910.
The first NCAA national championship, the National Collegiate Track and Field Championships was held in 1921.
A “Sanity Code” was created to establish guidelines for recruiting and financial aid. Continued abuses involving student-athletes, increasing numbers of postseason football games, decreased football attendance because of television games and growth in membership and championships demonstrated a need for full-time leadership. Walter Byers was named the NCAA’s first executive director in 1951.
The NCAA national headquarters was established in 1952 in Kansas City, Missouri. Later, the national headquarters moved to Mission, Kansas. In 1999, the NCAA national office moved to its current location in Indianapolis.
Divisions I, II and III were created in 1973 at the first special Convention.
In 1978, Division I voted to create I-A and I-AA for the sport of football.
The NCAA began administering women’s championships in 1980.
There have been four NCAA executive directors and presidents. Walter Byers served as the Association’s first executive director for 36 years, retiring in 1987. Richard D. Schultz followed, resigning in 1993. Cedric W. Dempsey served as NCAA president through 2002. Dr. Myles Brand became the first university president to lead the Association, becoming president on January 1, 2003.
Today, there are approximately 350 full-time employees at the NCAA’s national office in Indianapolis.
Approximately 95 percent of all NCAA revenue is distributed to the membership in the form of scholarships, special events, leadership conferences, programs supporting student-athlete well-being, conference disbursements and through conducting championships and supporting championships travel.
The NCAA is a voluntary, membership-led Association made up of more than 1,200 colleges and universities, conferences and other groups.
There are 125 committees within the NCAA governance structure working to create guidelines to serve the student-athlete.
There are currently more than 360,000 NCAA student-athletes competing in three divisions (Divisions I, II and III) in 23 sports.
Approximately 49,000 student-athletes compete in 88 NCAA championships each year. Three of these championships are co-ed championships (rifle, fencing and skiing).
The 2005-06 season celebrates the 25th anniversary of women’s championships.
