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More than a quarter of all Division I colleges, 43 percent of all universities that play in the high-profile Football Bowl Subdivision and more than half the members of the Power Five conferences committed major violations of National Collegiate Athletic Association rules in the last decade, an Inside Higher Ed analysis shows.
The NCAA's Division I Committee on Infractions issued findings of major violations in 114 cases during the 10-year period from January 2006 through December 2015, according to a review of the association's major infractions database.
Of the 351 colleges and universities in Division I, 96 were found guilty of such infractions. Sixteen institutions (see box at right) were censured more than once, and two -- the University of Oklahoma and West Virginia University -- were punished three times each.
The proportion of violators was significantly higher among the NCAA's most-visible members, those who play in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and even higher among the universities in the highest-octane conferences, known as the Power Five.
The Multiple-Timers' Club
Division I institutions and the number of times punished in last decade:
Ball State U (2)
Coastal Carolina U (2)
Florida A&M U (2)
Georgia Institute of Technology (2)
Northeastern U (2)
Ohio State U (2)
Southeast Missouri State U (2)
Southeastern Louisiana U (2)
Southern Methodist U (2)
Texas Southern U (2)
U of Central Florida (2)
U of New Hampshire (2)
U of Oklahoma (3)
U of Tennessee Knoxville (2)
Weber State U (2)
West Virginia U (3)
The association punished 56 of the current 128 FBS institutions during the 10-year span, including eight of the 10 members of the Big 12 Conference (yes, there are only 10 universities in the Big 12, and 14 in the Big Ten Conference, after the latest conference realignment) and at least half of the members of the American Athletic, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conferences.
The number of institutions found to have committed wrongdoing appears to be holding steady. Previous Inside Higher Ed reviews of NCAA data found that 54 institutions in the FBS (or Division I-A, as it used to be called) were guilty of major violations in the 2000s, and 53 in the 1990s, but the total number of colleges at that competitive level was lower at the time, so the proportions of rule breakers were comparable.
In the 1980s, 57 of the 106 institutions in Division I-A -- well over half -- were punished by the association for rule breaking, according to a survey by this reporter in 1990 (at another higher education publication).
One important note: Pennsylvania State University does not appear on the list because the NCAA's punishment against it -- in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal -- was meted out not by the association's Committee on Infractions but in an unprecedented move by the association's leaders themselves. The penalties were hotly debated by those who said the NCAA was sliding down a slippery slope in punishing members for no direct violations of the association's rules, and they were later softened. (Note: This article has been updated to add this paragraph.)
The nature of the violations and of the penalties imposed by the NCAA in response does seem to be shifting. The association continued to make less use of one of its most serious findings of wrongdoing, lack of institutional control, asserting it in only nine cases against Football Bowl Subdivision institutions from 2006 to 2015, compared to 14 times from 2001-2010 and 31 from 1991-2000. In contrast, the NCAA chose to use the less serious "failure to monitor" more frequently.
There was a slight uptick, however, in the number of institutions whose teams were barred from competition for a least a year, with that serious penalty being imposed in a total of 20 of the 114 cases, including 11 involving FBS universities. From 2001-2010, just six Football Bowl Subdivision programs had teams barred from the playoffs in their sports.
The NCAA also has continued to shy away from the penalty with the most severe financial consequences, a ban on television. No programs faced that sanction in the last decade, while three did from 1991-2000.
But the association did impose fines in 34 cases, significantly more than in the past. There were only three such fines from 2000-2005, and none in the 1990s.
Year | Violations | |
Alabama State U | 2008 | Lack of institutional control, academic fraud, financial aid |
Alcorn State U | 2006 | Lack of institutional control, unethical conduct, eligibility |
Arizona State U | 2010 | Violations of recruiting rules |
Arkansas State U | 2011 | Eligibility violations |
Ball State U | 2007 | Lack of institutional control, financial aid |
Ball State U | 2010 | Recruiting violations |
Baylor U | 2012 | Unethical conduct, failure to monitor, recruiting |
Boise State U | 2011 | Failure to monitor, lodging, recruiting, cash |
Bradley U | 2006 | Pay for work not performed |
Brigham Young U | 2008 | Failure to monitor, awarding of extra benefits |
California State U-Fresno | 2006 | Impermissible telephone calls |
California State U-Sacramento | 2015 | Improper recruiting; failure to follow substance policy |
California State U-Long Beach | 2008 | Unethical conduct, improper recruiting |
Coastal Carolina U | 2008 | Unethical conduct, impermissible financial aid |
Coastal Carolina U | 2015 | Improper recruiting |
College of the Holy Cross | 2009 | Impermissible telephone calls |
East Carolina U | 2011 | Academic fraud |
Eastern Michigan U | 2012 | Excessive practice |
Eastern Washington U | 2009 | Lack of institutional control, failure to monitor, use of ineligible players |
Florida A&M U | 2006 | Lack of institutional control, eligibility violations |
Florida A&M U | 2015 | Failure to monitor, eligibility violations |
Florida International U | 2008 | Lack of institutional control, improper financial aid, eligibility violations |
Florida State U | 2009 | Academic fraud |
Fordham U | 2013 | Improper financial aid |
Georgetown U | 2009 | Improper financial aid |
Georgia Institute of Technology | 2011 | Preferential treatment, eligibility violations |
Georgia Institute of Technology | 2014 | Failure to monitor, improper recruiting |
Georgia Southern U | 2010 | Unethical conduct |
Howard U | 2014 | Lack of institutional control, unethical conduct |
Indiana U | 2008 | Impermissible telephone calls |
Indiana U/Purdue U-Fort Wayne | 2015 | Failure to monitor, improper financial aid |
Indiana U/Purdue U-Indianapolis | 2010 | Eligibility violations |
Iowa State U | 2013 | Failure to monitor, improper recruiting calls |
Louisiana State U | 2011 | Impermissible transportation, telephone calls |
McNeese State U | 2007 | Academic fraud, unethical conduct |
Middle Tennessee State U | 2008 | Failure to monitor, eligibility violations |
Mississippi State U | 2013 | Improper recruiting |
Morehead State U | 2010 | Improper recruiting |
Northeastern U | 2009 | Improper recruiting |
Northeastern U | 2014 | Unethical conduct, improper recruiting |
Northern Illinois | 2006 | Extra benefits |
Ohio State U | 2011 | Preferential treatment, unethical conduct, pay for work not performed |
Ohio State U | 2006 | Academic fraud, improper recruiting |
Oklahoma State U | 2015 | Substance abuse policy, improper recruiting |
Pepperdine U | 2012 | Eligibility violations, improper financial aid |
Prairie View A&M U | 2008 | Lack of institutional control, extra benefits |
Princeton U | 2010 | Impermissible educational expenses |
Purdue U | 2007 | Academic fraud, unethical conduct |
Radford U | 2012 | Extra benefits, improper recruiting |
Saint Francis U (Pa.) | 2014 | Unethical conduct, improper recruiting, extra benefits |
Samford U | 2011 | Improper financial aid |
Savannah State U | 2006 | Lack of compliance |
Southeast Missouri State U | 2008 | Improper recruiting |
Southeast Missouri State U | 2009 | Extra benefits |
Southeastern Louisiana U | 2013 | Lack of institutional control, improper recruiting |
Southeastern Louisiana U | 2015 | Unethical conduct, improper recruiting |
Southern Methodist U | 2011 | Impermissible texts |
Southern Methodist U | 2015 | Academic fraud, unethical conduct |
St. John's U (N.Y.) | 2006 | Improper cash payments, other benefits |
St. Mary's College of Calif. | 2013 | Improper recruiting |
Syracuse U | 2015 | Lack of institutional control, failure to monitor |
Temple U | 2007 | Unethical conduct, impermissible financial aid |
Texas A&M U-Corpus Christi | 2009 | Improper financial aid, improper recruiting |
Texas Christian U | 2008 | Impermissible telephone calls |
Texas Southern U | 2008 | Lack of institutional control, unethical conduct, impermissible financial aid |
Texas Southern U | 2012 | Lack of institutional control, impermissible participation |
Texas Tech U | 2011 | Impermissible text messaging |
U of Alabama | 2009 | Impermissible textbooks |
U of Albany | 2009 | Impermissible text messaging |
U of Arizona | 2010 | Improper recruiting |
U of Arkansas-Fayetteville | 2007 | Unethical conduct, improper recruiting |
U of Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 2014 | Failure to monitor, eligibility violations |
U of California-Berkeley | 2011 | Impermissible telephone calls |
U of Central Florida | 2012 | Lack of institutional control, failure to monitor, improper recruiting |
U of Central Florida | 2010 | Impermissible calls, text messaging |
U of Cincinnati | 2011 | Impermissible recruiting calls |
U of Colorado-Boulder | 2007 | Impermissible benefits |
U of Connecticut | 2011 | Failure to monitor, improper recruiting, impermissible text messaging |
U of Florida | 2015 | Improper recruiting |
U of Georgia | 2014 | Failure to promote compliance |
U of Iowa | 2006 | Admissions fraud |
U of Kansas | 2006 | Academic fraud, booster inducements |
U of Louisiana-Lafayette | 2007 | Failure to monitor, eligibility violations |
U of Memphis | 2009 | Unethical conduct, improper recruiting, extra benefits |
U of Miami | 2013 | Lack of institutional control, improper booster inducements |
U of Michigan | 2010 | Unethical conduct, violations of coaching rules |
U of Montana | 2013 | Extra benefits |
U of Nebraska-Lincoln | 2012 | Improper scholarships |
U of Nevada-Reno | 2010 | Extra benefits |
U of New Hampshire | 2009 | Improper recruiting |
U of New Hampshire | 2014 | Failure to monitor, improper booster inducements |
U of New Mexico | 2008 | Unethical conduct, improper recruiting |
U of North Carolina-Chapel Hill | 2012 | Academic fraud, improper benefits, failure to monitor |
U of North Carolina-Greensboro | 2015 | Failure to monitor, eligibility violations |
U of Oklahoma | 2006 | Impermissible telephone calls |
U of Oklahoma | 2007 | Impermissible benefits |
U of Oklahoma | 2011 | Unethical conduct, eligibility violations |
U of Oregon | 2013 | Improper recruiting |
U of Richmond | 2009 | Failure to monitor, impermissible telephone calls and texts |
U of San Francisco | 2010 | Failure to monitor, improper financial aid, improper benefits |
U of South Alabama | 2009 | Improper financial aid |
U of South Carolina-Columbia | 2012 | Impermissible benefits, improper recruiting |
U of Southern California | 2010 | Unethical conduct, failure to report, improper benefits |
U of Southern Mississippi | 2013 | Failure to monitor, unethical conduct |
U of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 2010 | Failure to monitor, improper recruiting |
U of Tennessee-Knoxville | 2011 | Unethical conduct, failure to monitor, improper recruiting |
U of Tennessee-Knoxville | 2012 | Eligibility violations, improper booster inducements |
U of Texas-Rio Grande Valley | 2010 | Impermissible calls |
Weber State U | 2006 | Improper financial aid, benefits |
Weber State U | 2014 | Academic fraud |
West Virginia U | 2007 | Unethical conduct, recruiting violations |
West Virginia U | 2011 | Violation of coaching rules |
West Virginia U | 2015 | Impermissible texts and telephone calls |
Wichita State U | 2015 | Failure to monitor, improper benefits |