 |
|
| Proposal may give ASU
chance at I-A play |
Josh
Dernosek
Sports Beat |
James Nix | The Appalachian
The Mountaineers in play during
their first-round I-AA playoff loss to the University of Maine.
Owens Field House, shown behind the team, is in need of renovation
to add locker rooms, offices and new weight room.
|
Appalachian State
University may have found a way into Division I-A football as long
as the current athletic proposal is approved by the Board of Trustees
Friday.
The NCAA is changing the requirements for Division
I-A membership, taking effect in 2004. It will make it easier for
some I-AA schools to change divisions to I-A while moving others
out.
To meet the new criteria, a school must have
17,000 people in paid attendance at football games and 200 athletes
on full scholarships, including men’s and women’s sports
and sponsor at least 14 NCAA sports.
Currently, Appalachian only meets the third requirement
but is not far from meeting the other two, said Athletic Director
Roachel J. Laney. |
“To
reclassify, an institution must be in compliance with all rules
in its desired division for a period of two years,” according
to the NCAA website.
After knowing this, some students find it to
be coincidental that the athletic department has put a plan on the
table that will allow for Appalachian to meet the remaining two
criteria, especially the hardest requirement to fulfill: attendance.
“I find it convenient that this athletic proposal will give
[Appalachian] the opportunity to meet Division I-A around the same
time as the new NCAA proposal,” said senior construction technology
major Phil C. Crosby.
“At no time have we talked about doing these things to meet
Division I,” Laney said. “We just want to stay competitive
in all of our sports.”
Kidd Brewer Stadium currently has a seating capacity of 16,650,
while football games have an average paid attendance in the14,000
range. After the renovations to the stadium, seating will allow
for 21,000, more than enough room to meet the requirement under
the new plan.
As far as scholarships are concerned, Appalachian currently gives
close to 160 full-time scholarships to athletes, only 40 short of
the soon to be required 200.
Schools will also have to fill 90 percent of the maximum number
of scholarships in all sports, Laney said.
“Take basketball for example,” Laney said. “If we
have 20 basketball scholarships to give we have to extend 18 of
those, and that includes all sports.”
Despite the formation of the Football Opportunities Committee, Laney
said the belief the athletic department is making the push to bump
up in division is anything but the truth.
The Football Opportunities Committee was formed in February 2002
with the intentions of looking into Division I requirements, as
well as improving the athletic program as a whole, said Laney.
“With the loss of Broome-Kirk Gym [to the new cafeteria], we
will be losing offices and facilities for our sports programs,”
Laney said. “We need these facilities to replace these spaces.” |
|
|
 |
 |
