Myles Brand encouraged by academic reform efforts

Posted 6:10PM on Tuesday 2nd May 2006 ( 18 years ago )

ATLANTA - Myles Brand told the story Tuesday of how the NCAA was formed following concern from President Theodore Roosevelt 100 years ago about a wave of deaths on college football fields across the nation. Brand said Roosevelt ``called together the presidents of all the major football playing schools and said, 'This has got to stop.''' Brand said the college presidents were challenged in 1906 to form a national organization to come up with rules to govern football. The only option from Roosevelt, according to Brand: ``'I will be forced to outlaw the game.''' Brand, the NCAA president, is using a similarly heavy hand to create academic reform. The former Indiana University president isn't threatening to outlaw any sport, but he is trying to punish teams who operate without academic integrity. Brand told The Atlanta Press Club Tuesday that college teams will be penalized if they do not meet new graduation standards. ``We are changing the picture of intercollegiate athletics,'' Brand said of the new NCAA mandate that at least 60 percent of student-athletes must graduate. Teams that don't meet the graduation requirement face penalties instituted by Brand that begin with the loss of scholarships and can include a program being declared ineligible for postseason competition. The new policy is in its trial year, and Brand says already he sees positive changes. ``The equity conferences did particularly well,'' Brand said, referring to the top six major conferences, including the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference. ``It's early,'' Brand said. ``We've only had one year and let's hope they continue along those lines, but they did particularly well and that was a bit of a surprise. I thought there would be a more even distribution of problem areas.'' Brand said major conference schools ``figured it out.'' ``To avoid the penalties, they need additional help,'' Brand said. ``It became clear that the schools in those conferences had the financial wherewithal to invest in the academic performance of their student-athletes, and that's good. There have been very few not zero, but very few penalties within the schools that belong to the six equity conferences.'' Brand said schools from other conferences should follow the lead. ``I think it sends a message that if you're really going to play in Division I, you're going to have to provide academic support that enables students in your program to succeed,'' he said. ``We want them all to succeed.'' Brand also is on the attack against bogus secondary schools which have acted as so-called ``diploma mills'' to make prospective student-athletes eligible for college. ``I'm talking about storefront operations,'' he said. ``They don't have facilities. They don't have teachers. They don't have classes. This is a small handful of these prep schools which are really scandalous. These are what we are going after, not the normal military schools or prep schools. There are literally thousands of great prep schools in this country which do a great job.'' The NCAA is compiling a list of ``diploma mills.'' The list is expected to be released as early as June. Incoming freshmen who qualified for college by attending those schools could lose their academic eligibility. Brand said he expects college coaches will take fewer risks on high school athletes with borderline academic credentials. ``I think coaches would be well advised to make sure the student-athlete does well in high school,'' Brand said. ``I think the biggest message in men's basketball is to the young man and his family that starting in high school, you better be prepared to go to college. We won't accept shortcuts like free grades from these diploma mills. ``Being able to shoot a jump shot is no longer sufficient to get into college.'' (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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