NCCU DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS
LEGISLATION UPDATE
MARCH 1, 2010
VOLUME 1, ISSUE II
BYLAW 11: PERSONNEL
In preparation for the NCAA Certification
Visit in Fall 2010, the NCCU Athletics
Compliance Office is tasked with preparing all
coaches, staff, and student-athletes with
understanding the difference in the legislation
in Division II, our old home, and Division I,
our new home. This newsletter will assist you
in preparing for the transition.
COACH
In athletics, there is a tendency to call everyone
“coach.” However, there are very specific
things that coaches can and cannot do based on
NCAA legislation.
At the beginning of each year, each head coach
of a sport declares his or her coaching staff.
Only those persons are eligible to perform
coaching tasks for NCCU. Coaches may be full
-time or part-time, volunteer or paid.
GRADUATE ASSISTANTS
This is another term that has been used
generally to describe any person working in
the athletics department who is also in
graduate school. However, graduate assistants
are only allowed in bowl subdivision football
and the sport of women’s rowing. Therefore,
NCCU does not have any graduate assistant
coaches.
CERTIFICATION TO RECRUIT OFFCAMPUS
Only coaches who have been certified may
contact or evaluate any prospective studentathlete off-campus. Certification must occur on
an annual basis.
At NCCU the NCAA Coaches Certification
Exam is administered by the Faculty Athletics
Representative, Dr. Les Brinson. It is given
each year in the summer for certification for
the upcoming academic year.
The certification exam covers Bylaws 12,
recruiting, Bylaw 15.3 institutional financial aid
award, and Bylaw 14.3 freshman academic
requirements.
SCOUTING
In the sports of basketball, football and women’s
volleyball, off-campus, in-person scouting of
opponents is PROHIBITED.
Regular-Season Tournaments, Doubleheader
Events or Postseason Tournaments.
NCCU may pay the expenses of a member of its
coaching staff to attend a regular-season OR
postseason tournament or, in basketball, a
doubleheader event in which NCCU’s
intercollegiate team is a participant. Under such
circumstances, the individual may scout future
opponents also participating in the same
tournament at the same site, or, in basketball, the
same doubleheader event at the same site,
without being subject to the scouting prohibition.
In all other sports, NCCU may not pay or permit
the payment of expenses incurred by its athletics
department staff member or representatives
(including professional scouting services) to
scout its opponents or individuals who represent
its opponents.
A coaching staff member who receives ANY
expenses from NCCU related to recruiting or
team travel SHALL NOT scout NCCU’s
opponents in conjunction with such travel.
Regular-Season OR Postseason Tournaments
NCCU may pay the expenses of a member of its
coaching staff to attend a regular-season OR
postseason tournament in which NCCU’s team is
a participant. Under such circumstances, the
individual may scout future tournament
opponents also participating in the same
tournament at the same site.
LEGISLATION UPDATE
Page 2
LIMITATIONS ON NUMBER OF COACHES & OFF-CAMPUS RECRUITERS
SPORT
LIMIT ON NUMBER
OF COACHES
LIMIT ON OFF-CAMPUS
RECRUITERS
Baseball
3
2
Basketball, men’s
4
3
Basketball, women’s
4
3
Bowling
2
2
11
7
Golf, men’s
2
2
Tennis, men’s
2
2
Tennis, women’s
2
2
Cross Country/Track, men’s
3
2
Cross Country/Track, women’s
3
2
Volleyball
3
2
Football, FCS
VOLUNTEER COACH
The sports of football and basketball are not allowed to have volunteer coaches.
In sports other than football and basketball, a volunteer coach is any coach who does not receive compensation
or remuneration from NCCU’s athletics department or any organization funded in whole or in part by the
athletics department or that is involved primarily in the promotion of the NCCU athletics program (e.g.,
booster club, athletics foundation association).
For all volunteer coaches the following provisions apply:
(a) Volunteer coaches are prohibited from contacting and evaluating prospective student-athletes off campus
or from scouting opponents off campus and may not perform recruiting coordination functions.
(b) The volunteer coach may receive a maximum of two complimentary tickets to home athletics contests in
the coach’s sport.
(c) The volunteer coach may receive complimentary meals incidental to organized team activities (e.g., pregame or post-game meals, occasional meals, but not training table meals) or meals provided during a
prospective student-athlete’s official visit, provided the individual dines with the prospective studentathlete.
LEGISLATION UPDATE
Page 3
QUESTIONS/ANSWERS
Question: As the head women’s basketball coach,
I am allowed to have four coaches, but my budget
will only support three coaches. I am not allowed
to have a volunteer coach. How is that fair?
Answer: While you are not allowed to have a
volunteer coach, you are allowed to have a fourth full
-time coach whose salary is zero dollars. As long as
that fourth coach takes and passes the annual coaches
certification exam, that person may perform all of the
duties of any other full-time paid coach.
Question: In football, we need to have graduate
assistants in order to get all of the work done and
other schools have them, why are you saying that
we can’t have them?
Answer: The legislation is specific in Bylaw 11.01.3
that graduate assistant coaches are only allowed in
bowl subdivision football and women’s rowing. Until
you fill all 11 spots with coaching staff members, you
may continue to add “coaches.”
What you call them internally and what we as a
university and athletics department publicize are two
different things. In all of our publications, there
should be no reference to graduate assistant coaches
AND when our coaches and staff give interviews
they should not refer to non-certified coaches as
coaches. This avoids questions regarding our coaches
limitations from outside sources to the NCAA.
Remember, we are not concerned with what other
schools do, specifically schools who are already full
members of NCAA Division I. We are still trying to
become full members of Division I and therefore are
under more scrutiny than current NCAA members.
We can’t afford to get it wrong.
Question: An office across campus made a
mistake, yet my team is being charged with an
NCAA violation? That does not seem fair, how is
that possible?
Answer: By definition, it shall be the responsibility
of an institution’s head coach to promote an
atmosphere for compliance within the program
supervised by the coach and to monitor the activities
regarding compliance of all assistant coaches and
other administrators involved with the program who
report directly or indirectly to the coach.
Therefore, if a violation occurs in housing, financial
aid, admissions, international programs, registrar,
or the business school, and it involves a studentathlete, that sport will be penalized and that student
-athlete’s eligibility could be effected. That is why
the compliance office is tasked with educating the
entire campus, as well as alumni, regarding NCAA
rules. And, each head coach is tasked with keeping
an eye on all facets of his or her program, not just
the coaching aspects.
Question: I have a student-athlete who is injured
and can no longer participate in the sport, but
wants to stay involved. May she be listed as an
undergraduate coach.
Answer: The NCAA did away with the distinction
of undergraduate and graduate student coaches and
no only has student assistant coaches. The
requirements to be a student assistant coach are as
follows:
(a) Is enrolled at the institution at which he or she
participated in intercollegiate athletics;
(b) Is participating as a student-coach within the
five-year eligibility period;
(c) Is completing the requirement for his or her
baccalaureate degree or graduate program;
(d) Is a full-time student, unless during his or her
final semester of the baccalaureate program;
(e) Is receiving no compensation or remuneration
from NCCU other than the financial aid that
could be received as a student-athlete and
expenses incurred on road trips that are received
by individual team members; and
(f) Is not involved with contacting and evaluating
prospective student-athletes off campus or
scouting opponents off campus and does not
perform recruiting coordination functions.
NCCU DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS
OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE
McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium
919/530-6725 or 919/530-7053