Inventory of the Knight Foundation. Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Records, 1989-2007

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Historical Note

In 1989, the Knight Foundation issued the following statement of purpose for the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (Knight Commission):

The Knight Foundation has established this Commission because it believes that excesses in intercollegiate athletics are seriously eroding the integrity of colleges and universities and distorting the basic purposes for which these institutions were chartered. The Foundation also believes there is an important place for a properly-administered program of intercollegiate athletics in American institutions of higher learning. Indeed, competitive sports have long been an integral part of campus life. Regrettably, however, recent surveys show that a majority of citizens believe that flagrant rules violations, greed, fraud, and hypocrisy now pervade intercollegiate sports. These surveys also reflect widespread public doubt that the universities and colleges can or indeed will take forceful action on their own to eradicate these distressing conditions. These conditions can no longer remain unchallenged; we believe they can and must be eliminated. Clearly, trustees, presidents and chancellors, faculty, students, alumni, and sports fans generally must collectively gather the will to correct the problem before the intercollegiate sports programs we cherish and the institutions we respect and love are irreparably damaged. The Knight Foundation, through this Commission, commits itself to help restore institutional integrity and renew the well-being of intercollegiate sports as a wholesome part of the academic community.

The Commission was officially dissolved in February 1996 (see press release in folder 490).

Collection Overview

Records of the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (Knight Commission) include correspondence of Commission members with individuals and corporations involved in intercollegiate athletics and letters to the Commission from interested citizens; transcripts of Knight Commission meetings, notes taken by governors, and master copies of briefing books distributed at the meetings; personal files of Commission members; various reports and memoranda on intercollegiate athletics commissioned by the Knight Foundation and other organizations; bills paid by the Knight Commission; drafts and final versions of Knight Commission reports; videotapes, DVDs, and audiotapes of advertising and news coverage relating to the Knight Commission's work and to college athletics generally; and other items relating to the Knight Commission's work. Included are many items relating to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and to other collegiate sports organizations.

Arrangement of Collection

Items Separated

Detailed Description of the Collection

Drafts and final versions of the three reports issued by the Knight Commission between 1991 and 1993. Also included are criticisms and suggestions for the reports sent by outside readers to the Knight Commission and requests for copies of the reports from interested citizens and organizations. Note that, for the most part, original folder titles have been retained.

Transcripts of the roughly 13 Knight Commission meetings held between 1990 and 1993. Also included are master copies of the briefing books distributed to meeting participants, notes taken by various Commission members, and meeting summaries. Materials relating to particular meetings are followed by items relating to meetings of various task forces and miscellaneous materials that originally accompanied the meeting materials. Note that, for the most part, original folder titles have been retained.

RESTRICTED: Transcripts of executive sessions that are restricted until 1 January 2004 have been moved to Box 32.).

Knight Commission Meeting on Reform Development, Breakers, 24-25 September 1990, Transcript I (RESTRICTED: filed in Box 32, Folder 66x)

Knight Commission Meeting on Reform Development, Breakers, 24-25 September 1990, Transcript II (RESTRICTED: filed in Box 32, Folder 67x)

Knight Commission Meeting on Reform Development, Atlanta, 6 December 1990, Transcript (RESTRICTED: filed in Box 32, Folder 68x)

Knight Commission Meeting on Reform Development, 23 January 1991, Transcript (draft report discussion) (RESTRICTED: filed in Box 32, Folder 69x)

Knight Commission Meeting, 24-25 September 1991, Transcript (RESTRICTED: filed in Box 32, Folder 70x)

Knight Commission Meeting on Reform Development, 22 January 1992, Transcript (draft report discussion) (RESTRICTED: filed in Box 32, Folder 71x)

Knight Commission Meeting on Proposed Legislation for the 1993 NCAA Convention, 27 October 1992, Transcript (RESTRICTED: filed in Box 32, Folder 72x)

Knight Commission Meeting, Breakers Retreat, 5 February 1993, Transcript (RESTRICTED: filed in Box 32, Folder 73ax)

Knight Commission Meeting, Willard Intercontinental Hotel, 24 October 1994, Transcript (RESTRICTED: Pages 1-210 open for research; pages 211-318 closed and filed in Box 32, Folder 73bx)

Knight Commission Meeting, ANA Hotel, 20 March 1995, Transcript (RESTRICTED: Executive Briefing open for research; Executive Session closed and filed in Box 32, Folder 73cx)

3. Chair, Commissioner, and General Files, 1990-1993.

Files of Creed Carter Black and Maureen E. Devlin. Also included are files containing personal information on Knight Commission members and a long rule of general office files in two runs that are arranged roughly alphabetically within each run. Files are in the original order as received, and, in most cases, original file titles have been retained. Because of the idiosyncratic nature of some of the file titles, researchers are advised to scan each subseries list for materials of potential interest.

"Achieving Integrity in Intercollegiate Athletics" an AGB Occasional Paper by Wilford S. Bailey, 1991

"Presidential Task Force Report on the College Student-Athlete at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas," 1992

"Report Number 1: Summary Results from the 1987-1988 National Study of Intercollegiate Athletes," American Institutes for Research. November, 1988

Dissertation: "Freshman Participation Related to the Academic Achievement of Male Intercollegiate Student-Athletes," Jon A. Steinbrecher, Indiana University, 1989

Dissertation: "How College Presidents Perceive Their Role in Matters Relating to the Intercollegiate Athletic Programs," John A. Barrett, University of Southern California, 1985

Dissertation: "Not Just A Game: The Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics," Pamela Denise Blake, Penn State, 1989

Knight Commission Statements: Academe, January-February 1990: "The Role of Faculty in the Governance of College Athletics"

Knight Commission Statements: Comments prepared by the Knight Commission for the Athletic Footwear Association, 29 June 1990

Reed, Dr. Charles B. "Remarks by Dr. Charles B. Reed, Chancellor," State University System of Florida and clippings

4. Monthly Correspondence and Bills, 1990-1993.

Correspondence of the Knight Commission arranged by month, January 1990 to July 1993. Also included are bills paid by the Knight Commission over the same period.

Videotapes and audiotapes containing Knight Commission advertising, news and talk show coverage of the Commission's activities, and other related items. The majority of the videotapes are VHS; however, tapes numbered VT-4687/20-25 are in BETA format. Original order and titles have been retained.

Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. "Exquisite Problems: The Role of Seminary Trustees," 1989

Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. "The Board's Role in Fund Raising," 1988

Terry Bradshaw, "What Makes Us Great." "The Power of Adversity," with Tom Sullivan and Charlie Plumb. Washington Speakers Bureau, 1990-1991

Columbia University Seminars on Media and Society. "The Other Side of the News: Entertainment News or Entertainment?"

"ABC's of Eligibility for College-Bound Student Athletes, hosted by Michael D. Koehler. The College Board"

Knight Tape 11 (604), 18 March 1993, Knight Tape 12 (605), 18 March 1993, Knight Tape 13 (606), 18 March 1993

Writings, including speeches, clippings, and printed publications, mostly relating to athlete and academics.

Files of Creed C. Black, including correspondence, reports, press releases, and other materials relating to the work of the Knight Commission. Included is a photocopy of "American College Athletics" by Howard J. Savage, produced for the Carnegie Foundation in 1929. This was the last independent study of college athletics until the Knight Commission was created.

1992: "A Survey of the Attitudes of the American People and College Sports Fans on the State of Intercollegiate Athletics," LH Research Inc.

1992: "An Educational Reform Commission and Institutional Change: Case Study of the Policies, Politics, and Processes of the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics," Timothy V. Franklin

Correspondence, notes from Commission meetings, transcripts, reports, briefing materials, articles, and newspaper clippings relating to collegiate sports. Included are materials relating to NCAA Conventions, Knight Commission hearings, and organizations dealing with athletes and academics. Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.

Primarily containing news and talk-show coverage of Commission's activities and other footage relating to collegiate sports.

1994 AACRAO & NACAC (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers & National Association of College Admission Counselors)