NCAA History

A hundred years ago, the NCAA was founded in part to put a stop to football's dangerous "flying wedge". Today, they do everything from ensuring safe play to authorizing the college team pub tables and chairs we sell at GreatPubTables.com. The latter may sound like a trivial task, but it is all a part of the regulatory process that aims to maintain the integrity of NCAA athletics. A televised NCAA event is just one of the thousands of things a quality pub table in your home will help you enjoy. Having your team's logo on your NCAA pub table will help you and your family and friends get caught up in the spirit of the big game. Next time you're gathered with friends to cheer on your alma mater or your favorite college team, keep in mind that the NCAA makes all of it possible. But the NCAA is more than just the organization that brings us prime time national championship tournaments and authorizes college logos on products. They give aspiring student athletes the opportunity to get a college degree while competing at a high level. They are committed to helping young adults find success on the playing field, but even more importantly, in the classroom. As evidence of this commitment, students who participate in NCAA athletics have a higher graduation rate than non-student athletes. If you're curious about how the NCAA began a hundred years ago and how it evolved into what it is today, check out the following history, provided by the NCAA's official website:

A century ago, the intense nature of football, characterized by gang tackling and the infamous flying wedge, led to multiple serious injuries and even deaths, which eventually prompted many institutions to discontinue the sport. The problem had become so severe that many demanded football be abolished from intercollegiate athletics, unless serious reforms were implemented.

To deal with this problem, President Theodore Roosevelt invited college athletics leaders to two White House conferences to come up with a solution. This led to a December meeting in 1905 called by Chancellor Henry M. MacCracken of New York University. During this meeting, representatives from thirteen institutions met to initiate changes in the rules of football. At a meeting just a few weeks later, on December 28 in New York City, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) was founded by 62 members.

The IAAUS became official on 31, 1906, and in 1910, the organization adopted its present name, the NCAA. The NCAA began as a discussion group and rules-making body. It wasn't until 1921, that the National Collegiate Track and Field Championship, the first NCAA national championship, was held. As the organization grew, they formed more rules committees and initiated more championship events.

A series of crises brought the NCAA to a crossroads after World War II. Cases involving rule-breaking by institutions student athletes were on the rise, so the NCAA drafted the "Sanity Code" to establish guidelines for recruiting and financial aid. However, this failed to curtail the problem. To make matters worse, postseason football games quickly proliferated, and member institutions became increasingly concerned about the effects of unrestricted television coverage on football attendance.

The complexity and scope of these problems combined with the rapid growth in membership and championships suggested the need for full-time professional leadership. So, in 1951, the NCAA appointed Walter Byers as its executive director, and the organization established a national headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri in 1952. They then approved a program to control live television of football games and postseason bowl games.

IN 1973, the organization expanded to include three competitive subdivisions, Division I, Division I-A and Division I-AA.

The NCAA developed women's athletics programs in 1980. One year later, the organization expanded the women's championships program with the addition of 19 events.

Want more details? Check out the NCAA Century Series, a four-part history of the NCAA, available on the NCAA official website.