NC Central, Winston-Salem find transition to Division I daunting task

November 6, 2:05 AMBlack College Sports ExaminerGregory Smith

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Tarheels Deon Thompson and Tyler Zeller are just two of the obstacles facing North Carolina Central as it continues its transition to Division I. (AP photo/The News & Observer, Ted Richardson)

 Hopes are high for the North Carolina Central Lady Eagles this year.  At first glance, one might be surprised at such an attitude from a team that finished 10-17 last year.  But, 2008-09 featured four more victories and three fewer losses than 2007-08.  Last year was also the first season in which their schedule was fully Division I.

The Lady Eagles are in the third year of the school's transition from NCAA Division II to Division I.  The NC Central football team is faring okay for a transitioning team.  The Eagles sport a 2-8 record in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), but managed to score 28 points in a road game against Old Dominion.

The success of both the basketball and football programs bodes well for the school, one of 12 currently seeking to move up to Division I. 

For those who try to move up, there are a myriad of reasons.  Certainly the financial aspects come into play, with the potential of guaranteed television contracts.  Connecticut is now part of the Big East in football, while North Texas has moved into the Sun Belt.

Others seek new challenges.  Marshall, which used to dominate the old Division I-AA, now finds itself struggling to stay above .500 in Conference USA.

Moving to a higher division can also improve recruiting.  The number of scholarships increase and the move can open up new avenues of recruiting.  People may think of Connecticut more for basketball than football, but having the Big East behind it can't hurt.

While moving up has advantages, getting there is the real struggle.  Take North Texas for example.  According to NCAA rules, the Mean Green football team had to average 15,000 actual or paid attendance per home game.  The numbers had to be certified annually.  That proved difficult with FBS programs like TCU only an hour's drive away in Fort Worth.

For many schools in transition, that means a vast upgrade in facilities.  While 70,000 fans can pack Michigan Stadium to see the Wolverines take on Ohio State, small schools like black colleges often have to move their classics to pro stadiums like the Georgia Dome or Reliant Stadium.

There is also the requirement to field a certain number of sports.  Division I hopefuls must have 14 sports, of which a minimum of six must be male/mixed (most schools aim for seven male/mixed).

All of this takes money and sometimes the spirit is more willing than the wallet.  Just ask Winston-Salem State.

In 2004, they left the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAA) for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), hoping to join powerhouses like Florida A&M and South Carolina State.  While they've played MEAC schools, because of NCAA mandates, they are not eligible to compete for the conference title or postseason awards until the 2010-11 season.

They won't make it that far.

In September, Winston-Salem informed the NCAA and MEAC that it was returning to Division II.  Though the school will continue in the MEAC during the transition period, they will begin the 2010-11 season in their old conference, the CIAA, which accepted them back into the fold on Oct. 7.

The culprit in Winston-Salem's demise was finances.  The school could not meet the additional burdens of increased scholarships, membership fees ($1800 per year), upgrading facilities and having to travel farther to play more FCS opponents.  In 2008-09, the school's athletic program ran a deficit of $1.8 million.  Losses were $6 million since 2004 and projected to hit $15 million by 2012, according to the Fayetteville Observer.

"In the final analysis, the resources to complete the reclassification simply were not available, currently or prospectively, in sufficient amounts," Chancellor Donald J. Reaves told a meeting of Winston-Salem's board of trustees in September, according to CBSsports.com.

 "Over the past two years, we have continued to be concerned that budgetary constraints would not allow us to successfully complete the transition," the Fayetteville Observer quoted Reaves. 

By NCAA rules, Winston-Salem must reduce scholarships in football and basketball to meet Division II and CIAA criteria.  The moves must be completed before the Rams can become eligible to compete for the CIAA championship.

Another problem connected to finances and almost as stressful for transitioning schools like North Carolina Central is scheduling.  The NCAA says that 50 percent of football games must be against FBS or FCS schools.  For basketball, all but four games each season must be against Division I foes.  For a school like North Carolina Central, that inevitably means taking on the powerhouses.

The Lady Eagles have a schedule that would make even big schools blanch.  They'll travel to Maryland, Campbell, George Mason, Virginia Tech, South Florida, Duke and Winthrop, among others.  The men face North Carolina, Miami, James Madison, Iowa, Indiana and Virginia, to name but a few. 

At least, those schools are in the south.  In 2007-08, the Lady Eagles traveled more than 22,000 miles for 23 road games that led to a 4-26 record.

 "Our schedule is definitely very competitive this year," Lady Eagles head coach Joli Robinson told the university's sports information office NCCU Eagle Pride.  "The positive points about our schedule are that we are not traveling many miles across the map like we have in the past and we will not miss as many class days.  Our games are close enough that our fans can come out and support us, and we will have some room in our schedule to plan and prepare for the next game."

Winston-Salem's football team has struggled to adapt to a tougher schedule.  In 20087, they finished 3-8.  This year, thus far, they're 1-7.  Another transition school -- Western Kentucky -- was 2-10 last year and is looking even worse at 0-8 so far this season.  North Texas, which jumped up to the FBS a few years ago, is 2-6 and its head coach is on the hot seat.  Catching up with the likes of Connecticut (4-4) and Marshall (5-4) seems like a pipe dream.

Of course, schools like North Texas and Western Kentucky have larger fan bases than Winston-Salem.  More importantly, they have generous alumni and access to far more lucrative television contracts than conferences like the CIAA, which gets seven televised games a year on regional network ESPNU.

For small schools like North Carolina Central, they must rely on constant improvement and excellent fundraising if they want to realize their dreams of moving up.  Otherwise, they may find themselves like Winston-Salem State  -- with their big dreams dashed and a faint hope that those dreams are only deferred, not denied.