My Trophies and Medals from Three Conferences
I get teased a lot about having competed for three, yes three, Div I track and field programs. I spent one year at SMU, then transferred to Florida. After receiving my bachelors degree at Florida, I still had one year of eligibility left. When I enrolled in grad school at USC, the track coaches asked if I would like to compete for them.
The “money” sports, like football and basketball, have other rules. If an athlete transfers, they sit out a year. The only time other athletes have to sit out a year is if they transfer within the same conference. You have 5 years to complete 4 years of eligibility, so a money sport athlete who completes a degree in 4 years currently cannot transfer for grad school. The requirement that he/she sit out a year would end his/her eligibility.
Now, the NCAA is proposing a new rule that says if an athlete finishes a bachelors degree with any eligibility left, they can go to grad school at another institution and play without sitting out a year.
Needless to say, the AD’s and coaches are yelling. Terry Bowden is posting some of their reactions over at ESPN. At my alma mater, the University of Florida, AD Jeremy Foley says, “We don’t love this rule.” Florida football coach, Urban Meyer, says, “It’s unbelievable. It’s a loophole that needs to be closed.” I guess I just have a thing about Urban Meyer. Once during a jog, I moved over when I saw him coming down the sidewalk, but he stayed in the middle and nearly knocked me down. If he wants to succeed in the South, I think he might need to learn a little of that great Southern chivalry.
Incidentally, the Florida Athletic Department’s mission statement reads: “The University Athletic Association, Inc. exists to advance the University of Florida’s teaching, research and service missions….The University Athletic Association is dedicated to the intellectual, physical and personal development of student-athletes.” It’s nice to put “intellectual” first, but actions speak louder than words.
My favorite comment is from Dave Maggard, the AD at the University of Houston: “I am not for these transfers. There are a whole bunch of things students like to do. Just because a student wants something doesn’t mean they should get it.”
A whole bunch of things students like to do? Like study the subject of their choice at the school of their choice? I chose USC because the Annenberg School is just terrific. Having a chance to compete in track was a bonus, but I had already enrolled for school before talking to the coaches.
The NCAA already has image problems when it comes to student-athletes. Their own self-study, conducted in 2002, concludes that “Education is not strongly linked with the NCAA image. All constituents believe intercollegiate athletics’ top priority should be assuring that student-athletes earn a college degree. But most believe that such help has become a low priority.”
The proposed transfer rule could really help the NCAA address this image problem by putting the student-athlete first. The coaches are worried about poaching, but rules are already in place to protect them. You can’t talk to coaches of another school without getting a “waiver” from your home institution. In other words, before I could talk to USC, I had to get Florida’s permission, even though I had already graduated. That’s strict.
Unfortunately, what this rule will probably do is get rid of a lot of red-shirt years. A red-shirt year is when the student-athlete continues school, but does not compete. Sometimes we do this when we are injured. Other times, it “saves” eligibility. If you have a hot freshman quarterback, but you already have an established senior starter, a red-shirt can give the freshman more time to develop. If coaches start to worry about this new rule, they probably will use up all four years of eligibility without redshirting anyone.
The bottom line is that student-athletes should come first. We get 48 hours to size up a school that is recruiting us, and mistakes happen. Transferring is a pain, for any student, and we don’t do it lightly. And talk about incentive for getting a degree! What is wrong with encouraging more athletes to go to grad school?
I think this rule is a big step forward for student-athletes! I couldn’t agree more with Terry Bowden, who says:
“I believe this is one of the few times we’ve actually done something right for the good guys. I’m talking about the true student-athletes who come to college, graduate ahead of schedule and qualify to get into graduate school. These are the athletes we ought to be bending over backward to assist.”
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