From the Archives 1972-73

[NewsCopy]

Athletics Was Involved In Numerous Hassles

By general consensus, it could be said that USL had a rather good basketball team during the 1972-1973 season. It could also be said that our team provided much entertainment for students and townspeople alike. It may be assumed that the team’s fame and successes have done much to make the name of USL familiar to many people.

However, acquiring and maintaining a top-rate team requires a good deal of financial maneuvering, and the NCAA has placed certain restrictions upon universities to prevent any excesses in the area of recruiting.

In the fall of the year, the President of the University placed certain members of the athletic department on disciplinary probation after observing several irregularities with regard to recruiting. This action seemed to have been taken to avoid NCAA action against the team. It certainly would have been a colossal waste of money to have recruited such an outstanding team, only to have it barred from competition.

The NCAA did not seem to be appeased by the University action and instigated official action against USL. However, a course was obtained which delayed this until August 1973.

But what effect did all this activity have upon the student? Intercollegiate athletics is supposed to foster healthy spirit and competition between colleges, and exists to provide recreation and entertainment for the student body. Nevertheless, it appears that a trend developed during 1972 which seemed to push out the student spectator in favor of the more lucrative, older non-student spectator.

In October, plans were formulated to sell a section of previously student seating to season ticket holders, and which would require any student interested in attending a game to pick up a ticket in advance. Those student tickets not given out in advance would be sold as general admission at the door. SGA qualms about the loss of seating were quieted by the mention of the possibility of closed-circuit broadcasting of all home games live to the Union.

The athletic department got the extra seats, and the students got the shaft. The live broadcasts never materialized, and ticket pickup turned into a super hassle. Though students were allowed only one ticket per i.d. they could pick up a ticket for a friend only if the friend was a member of the opposite sex. Whether this regulation was to encourage heterosexuality or to discourage ticket distribution was unclear. At any rate, the regulations did little to increase student attendance.

Then in December, Athletic Director Whitey Urban became pressed to find seating for the "Championship Club," a group of fans who had made contributions of $1000 to the athletic department in return for four season tickets to all athletic events. Urban decided that he could take the seats from the student midcourt section, and proceeded to do so without consulting any Administration official. It must be mentioned that he did set up a section of bleachers behind a goal as a sort of compensation. Student Governments outrage at the autocratic activities of the athletic director was cooled by a promise from the University that the incident would not be repeated.

LACADIEN

[ZoomZoom]

The year before I started at USL. Now it all makes sense. Bleed every buck you could out the paying fans and screw the students has been a SOP.

It would be interesting to see the attendance figures for Blackham from the Bo era to the move to the CD. Attendance may had already started declining before the dome.

[shof]

Athletics Was Involved In Numerous Hassles

By general consensus, it could be said that USL had a rather good basketball team during the 1972-1973 season. It could also be said that our team provided much entertainment for students and townspeople alike. It may be assumed that the team’s fame and successes have done much to make the name of USL familiar to many people.

However, acquiring and maintaining a top-rate team requires a good deal of financial maneuvering, and the NCAA has placed certain restrictions upon universities to prevent any excesses in the area of recruiting.

In the fall of the year, the President of the University placed certain members of the athletic department on disciplinary probation after observing several irregularities with regard to recruiting. This action seemed to have been taken to avoid NCAA action against the team. It certainly would have been a colossal waste of money to have recruited such an outstanding team, only to have it barred from competition.

The NCAA did not seem to be appeased by the University action and instigated official action against USL. However, a course was obtained which delayed this until August 1973.

But what effect did all this activity have upon the student? Intercollegiate athletics is supposed to foster healthy spirit and competition between colleges, and exists to provide recreation and entertainment for the student body. Nevertheless, it appears that a trend developed during 1972 which seemed to push out the student spectator in favor of the more lucrative, older non-student spectator.

In October, plans were formulated to sell a section of previously student seating to season ticket holders, and which would require any student interested in attending a game to pick up a ticket in advance. Those student tickets not given out in advance would be sold as general admission at the door. SGA qualms about the loss of seating were quieted by the mention of the possibility of closed-circuit broadcasting of all home games live to the Union.

The athletic department got the extra seats, and the students got the shaft. The live broadcasts never materialized, and ticket pickup turned into a super hassle. Though students were allowed only one ticket per i.d. they could pick up a ticket for a friend only if the friend was a member of the opposite sex. Whether this regulation was to encourage heterosexuality or to discourage ticket distribution was unclear. At any rate, the regulations did little to increase student attendance.

Then in December, Athletic Director Whitey Urban became pressed to find seating for the "Championship Club," a group of fans who had made contributions of $1000 to the athletic department in return for four season tickets to all athletic events. Urban decided that he could take the seats from the student midcourt section, and proceeded to do so without consulting any Administration official. It must be mentioned that he did set up a section of bleachers behind a goal as a sort of compensation. Student Governments outrage at the autocratic activities of the athletic director was cooled by a promise from the University that the incident would not be repeated.

LACADIEN

USL, undermining attendance since 1972. ;(

[gridiron]

Kicking students around since 1972 then asking for donations after graduation.

[AboveAverage]

The article puts it at the feet of Whitey Urban but from 73 to 23 it didn't matter who the AD was. They promised in 73 never to do it again but never stopped. Moved the students from behind the bench in basketball, football, tailgating. Urban was the fall guy. And we wonder why support suffers.

[Turbine]

I'm trying to figure, out if going for the money on the precipice of the death penalty was a last ditch money grab or just poor timing?

No time is a good time to do it at the expense of the students though.

Its obvious the writer didn't know the extent of what was coming