National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

Abbreviation	NAIA
Formation	1937 (National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball) 1952 (NAIA)
Legal status	Association
Headquarters	Kansas City, Missouri
Region served	United States of America
Membership	307
President	Jim Carr
Main organ	National Coordinating Committee
Budget	$3 Million (2007-08 Budget)
Website	http://naia.cstv.com/

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA as members. The NAIA has five members in Canada and at one point had one in the Bahamas, which made it the only international intercollegiate athletic association in North America until 2009. For the 2007-08 academic year, the NAIA has 291 member institutions. Currently, the headquarters are located in Kansas City, Missouri. The NAIA sponsors 23 national championships. The CBS College Sports Network, formerly called CSTV, serves as the national media for the NAIA.

History

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NAIA headquarters near the Power and Light District and Sprint Center in Downtown Kansas City.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) was formed in 1937, when Dr. James Naismith and local leaders formed the National College Basketball Tournament staged at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The goal of the tournament was to establish a forum for small colleges and universities to determine a national basketball champion. The original eight-team tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1938. On March 10, 1940; the National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) was formed in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 1952, the NAIB was transformed into the NAIA, and with that came the sponsorship of additional sports such as men's golf, tennis and outdoor track and field. Football in the NAIA was split into two divisions in 1970, based on enrollment (Div. I & Div. II); it was consolidated back into a single division in 1997.

African-American participation

In 1948, the NAIB became the first national organization to open their intercollegiate postseason to black student-athletes. That same year, Indiana State coach John Wooden brought the first African-American student athlete to play at the national tournament.

The association furthered its commitment to African-American athletes, when in 1953, it became the first collegiate association to invite historically black colleges and universities into its membership. In 1957, Tennessee State became the first historically black institution to win a collegiate basketball national championship.

Female participation

The NAIA began sponsoring intercollegiate championships for women in 1980, the first coed national athletics association to do so, offering collegiate athletics championships to women in basketball, cross country, gymnastics, indoor and outdoor track and field, softball, swimming and diving, tennis and volleyball.

Champions of Character

Launched in 2000 by the NAIA, the Champions of Character program addresses character issues more comprehensively than any other national program for youth and serves as a demonstration of the NAIA slogan "NAIA: All that's Right In Sports". The program currently reaches hundreds of thousands of students on nearly 300 college and university campuses in North America and extends into their surrounding communities.

The NAIA Champions of Character program is an educational outreach initiative which emphasizes the tenets of character and integrity, not only for NAIA college students, but for younger students, coaches and parents in our communities. The programs has the following five core tenents: respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership, and sportsmanship that are exhibited and promoted by member athletic departments to local communities.

Coaches, parents, administrators and community partners all have a role in developing students of character. The NAIA Champions of Character program brings them training, guidelines and behavior models to create positive environments that promote personal growth, academic enrichment and fun through sports.

Championship Sports

The NAIA sponsors 13 sports in which it conducts 23 annual championships (12 for men, 11 for women). Basketball is the only sport divided into two divisions. The association conducts, or has conducted in the past, championship tournaments in the following sports (year established):

Baseball (1957) Basketball Men's Division I (1937) Division II (1992) Women's Division I (1981) Division II (1992) Bowling (discontinued) (1962-1978) Cross Country Men's (1956) Women's (1980) Football (1956)

Golf Men's (1952) Women's (1995) Gymnastics (both discontinued) Men's (1964-1984) Women's (1981-1988) Ice Hockey (discontinued) (1968-1984) Soccer Men's (1959) Women's (1984) Softball (1981) Swimming Men's (1957) Women's (1981)

Tennis Men's (1952) Women's (1981) Indoor and Outdoor Track Men's Indoor (1966) Men's Outdoor (1952) Women's Indoor (1981) Women's Outdoor (1981) Volleyball Women's Volleyball (1980) Men's Volleyball (original run 1969-1980; a "recognized" sport since 1999) Water Polo (discontinued) Wrestling (1956)

Emerging Sports

• Cheer and Dance
• Men's Volleyball

Conferences

The NAIA has 28 member conferences, and 9 football conferences. The membership is also divided into regions which may vary based on sport..

Awards and Honors

Al Ortolani Scholarship (ATA) Athletic Trainer of the Year Charles Morris Award

Clarence "Ike" Pearson (SIDA)

Given annually to a member of the NAIA-Sports Information Directors Association to honor outstanding contributions to the profession. The award is named for the former statistical crew chief of the NAIA men's basketball national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

Duer- Liston Award

Hall of Fame Larry Lady Officiating Award Wally Schwartz Award Athletic Director of the Year

See also

• List of NAIA Conferences
• List of NAIA Institutions
• List of NAIA Regions
• List of College Athletic Programs by US State
• NACDA Director's Cup

External links

• NAIA official site
• NAIA's history
• Victory Sports Network Publications, radio programs, and message boards about NAIA sports