The relationship of selected variables to winning percentages of NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports of football and men's basketball from 1994 to 2003

In the highly visible and revenue producing sports of football and men's basketball at the NCAA Division I level of intercollegiate athletics, the primary goal is to win. Schools are investing considerable organizational resources on those two programs with the hopes of fielding successful teams that accomplish that goal. The ideal situation would not be one or two seasons of winning, but rather consistent winning over time.;By sustained winning over time, numerous researchers have reported on the potential benefits successful athletic teams bring to the sponsoring institution. The direct benefit is the financial gain as a result of monies generated from ticket and merchandise sales, television contracts, and corporate sponsorships. The most frequently cited indirect benefits include an increase national and regional exposure which, in turn, increases the potential number applicants for admission, and donations from alumni and program supporters.;A study commissioned by the NCAA and conducted by outside researchers, revealed several major contradictions to popular belief. The contradiction that relates most to this study was that increased spending does not necessarily produce medium-term increases in winning percentages. If this finding is valid that for the NCAA Division I sports of football and men's basketball spending more does not correlate to winning more, then it is quite possible other variables are responsible. It is also feasible that spending does correlate, but additional variables must be present in order that financial resources be most effective.;With so much at stake in Division I intercollegiate athletics, it would be most advantageous for leaders in higher education and at athletics at all levels to have a better understanding of the organizational resources, other than financial, that might contribute to higher winning percentages for the high profile sports of football and men's basketball.;The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of selected variables on winning percentages of Division I intercollegiate athletic football and men's basketball programs during the time period of 1994 to 2003. The results indicate a significant relationship between the total number of head coaches and the institution's ten year mean academic ranking score and winning percentages for both the football and men's basketball programs.;Based on the finding concerning the total number of head coaches, several administrative recommendations were offered. First schools should work at building a sports team's reputation and tradition that starts with head coaching stability. Second, schools be sure the organizational resources are in place so that a head coach has a realistic chance to succeed. Finally, schools should use caution in dismissing a coach based on only a few failed seasons since team performance could be also attributed to factors not examined in this study.;Based on the finding concerning academic rankings, the following recommendation was offered. An investigation of business practices and operations should be conducted to find ways to decrease athletic budgets. Any dollars saved as a result of this analysis should be redirected and reinvested into academic programs in order to enhance reputation and ultimately academic rankings.