University of Virginia Library

From The Sidelines

The Gamecocks
And The ACC

With Tom Bell

SOUTH CAROLINA'S long-anticipated decision to
withdraw from the Atlantic Coast Conference certainly came
as a surprise to no one, but it again brought to the forefront a
problem which has plagued the conference for years — the
problem of recruiting top-notch athletes, while at the same
time maintaining high academic standards.

Ever since the takeover of the Dietzel-McGuire coalition a
few years ago, the University of South Carolina has led the
fight to abolish the rule of the ACC which requires athletes to
have an 800 total on their college boards to participate.

THE ACC IS one of the few conferences in the nation
which requires anything more than the national rule, which
merely requires an athlete to have a predicted 1.6 grade-point
average to be accepted. The 800 rule has, of course, helped
schools like the University, with high academic standards,
remain competitive with the rest of the schools in the
conference in recruiting.

In recent years, however, a few ACC schools, notably
South Carolina, Maryland, and Clemson, have begun enrolling
students with less than 800 scores, and have had to tell them
they cannot participate in conference athletics. This has led to
many difficulties, and ultimately to the unanimous decision of
the South Carolina Board of Trustee's to resign from the ACC.

Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina have led the fight for
preservation of the rule, because they have the highest
academic standards of the conference schools. Six of the
ACC's eight members (now five of seven) must oppose the rule
if it is to be repealed.

In the statement Monday, USC Board of Trustees Chairman
T. Eston Marchant said that he hoped South Carolina and the
ACC would be separated for only a "minimum amount of
time", hinting that the NCAA might step in and decide that
the rule was unfair, thus permitting the Gamecocks to get back
in the conference. If the NCAA should change the rule and
South Carolina should be readmitted to the conference, they
would, by virtue of their short withdrawal, have a tremendous
recruiting head start on other conference teams.

THE UNIVERSITY, HOWEVER, should continue its fight
against the repeal of the rule, even if it does mean losing South
Carolina, and possibly Maryland and Clemson. There is
increasing pressure on the Athletic Department from students,
alumni, and fans to become "competitive" in the ACC, which
means, in simple terms, to win. Without the 800 rule this
would be more difficult than at present.

The temptation to lower academic standards to help
athletics has increased tremendously as the professionalization
of college athletics has become accepted at most institutions in
recent years. The ACC rule has helped the University avoid the
temptation and maintain its high standards for athletes.

SOUTH CAROLINA SEEMS determined to build an
athletic powerhouse, no matter what the cost. Maryland is
taking steps in the same direction. Should the ACC lose them it
might be a blessing as their athletic and academic programs
have become different from other ACC schools. The
conference has always been, as seen by its academic rules, a
league of schools which placed sports in their proper
perspective — as an important part of the extracurricular
program at all of the schools, but not more important than the
basic educational purposes of the institution. The 800 rule has
been effective in the past in helping to keep athletic programs
in that proper perspective and should be maintained in order
to keep them there.

SOUTH CAROLINA AND OTHER SCHOOLS may
leave, but this should not intimidate the remaining ACC
schools to lower the conference's academic standards. Other
schools can hopefully be found who will maintain the
conference standards, but if none are available, a smaller
conference would be far preferable to a large group of schools
playing on a professional level with little consideration of
academic excellence.