Duncan/Criner/Walden era NCAA football infractions

**cc1091** · 07-10-2009, 02:52 PM

In keeping with the interest that some on this board have expressed about the 70's era football teams (and why during the 80s and beyond ISU turned into such a dog), I would like to discuss those NCAA infractions that lead to reduced football scholarships over a number of years at ISU.

My memory of these infractions is hazy, so I wonder if anyone could fill in the details (or perhaps, most of the story). I believe that some of the infractions came under the Donnie Duncan era, but most of them came under the Jim Criner era. I also believe that of those that came under the Criner era, there was one NCAA penalty that took an extremely large number of scholarships from the ISU program (something like 20 or 40). And it was that penalty that combined with the NCAA imposing lowered caps on recruiting that pretty much mandated that ISU Football, even when recruiting the maximum number of players allowed by the NCAA, would not reach the full number of allotted scholarship players for something like 10 years after the initial penalty was announced (or well into, and even past the Walden era).

Can anyone add more detail to this and/or correct the information? I tried to google for a history of NCAA football violations by school, but was unsuccessful. I suppose someone could sit down with the Des Moines Register microfiche archives from the 80's and on into the first year or so of McCarney's era, but I don't have those resources or time.

CC

**balken** · 07-10-2009, 02:54 PM

The major infraction during the Criner/Walden era was putting terrible teams on the field.

**pulse** · 07-10-2009, 02:55 PM

I don't know the details of the infractions (I'm sure someone will quickly respond), but Walden only had like 60-65 scholarships available while everyone else had like 85.

**rworkman83** · 07-10-2009, 02:56 PM

This is what your looking for...

https://goomer.ncaa.org/wdbctx/LSDBi...otBeDuplicated

**Gnomeborg** · 07-10-2009, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by balken

The major infraction during the Criner/Walden era was putting terrible teams on the field.

way to add nothing.

**balken** · 07-10-2009, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by Gnomeborg

way to add nothing.

I do what I can.

**Tornado man** · 07-10-2009, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by balken

The major infraction during the Criner/Walden era was putting terrible teams on the field.

+1 to you. Walden continually harping about scholarships got sooooo old. We kept him eight years when he should have been fired after four.

**cc1091** · 07-10-2009, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by rworkman83

This is what your looking for...

https://goomer.ncaa.org/wdbctx/LSDBi...otBeDuplicated

WOW! That was fast! Incredible.

I don't see a lot of detail to this report, is there anywhere that details the info shown on that page? Also, is this the only set of infractions, or am I correct in believing that there was a set of infractions dating to the Earle Bruce era that Donnie Duncan inherited (perhaps involving the recruiting of the Boskey brothers)?

**rworkman83** · 07-10-2009, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by cc1091

WOW! That was fast! Incredible.

I don't see a lot of detail to this report, is there anywhere that details the info shown on that page? Also, is this the only set of infractions, or am I correct in believing that there was a set of infractions dating to the Earle Bruce era that Donnie Duncan inherited (perhaps involving the recruiting of the Boskey brothers)?

That is the only infraction for Iowa State...

https://goomer.ncaa.org/wdbctx/LSDBi..._Cmd=Go_Search

**puckwarrior** · 07-10-2009, 03:13 PM

I don't think it was just the penalty that was the problem. Criner had brought in a large number of JUCO recruits that when added to the previous classes of Juniors caused us to loose around 40 players in 1 year. There were also a number of defections from the younger kids in the coaching change and since Walden had a limit on how many kids he could bring in, it took many years to get to the full level of scholarship players.

**sdillon500** · 07-10-2009, 03:13 PM

This?! This is what we got slammed for? Read the report in the link above from rworkman (long, but kind of fascinating for a long Friday afternoon). Click the link for "View Public Report."

An incomplete summary of violations for the football team:

1) Paying for gas & meals for a football recruit (approx $20-$40)
2) Putting recruits up in improper lodging (a local motel) and paying for long distance phone calls
3) Arranging for banks to give unsecured loans to JUCO recruits to help pay for tuition
4) Letting recruits participate in workouts with the football team
5) Assistant coach driving recruits around
6) Asst coach paid $110/month to cover one recruit's rent

There's a lot more in there, all in a similar vein. Granted, it's all a violation of NCAA standards, but it's just so mediocre. I kept reading expecting to find out about coke-fueled hooker orgies with recruits. Paying for meals & driving recruits around is ridiculous compared with some of the stuff that goes on with USC, 'Bama etc.

**cc1091** · 07-10-2009, 03:14 PM

Aah...More info when I click the "View Public Report" button

Still, I also remember incidents with Football players at Veenker (sp?) golf course, and of course the Sam Mack + football player Burger King robbery. As well as some dust-up about the recruiting of Chris Boskey.

Anyhow, all these were a big part of the demise of good football at ISU.

**jbhtexas** · 07-10-2009, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by Tornado man

+1 to you. Walden continually harping about scholarships got sooooo old. We kept him eight years when he should have been fired after four.

Jimbo was just priming us for things to come. He might have done better with some infrastructure and administrative support from ISU.

At least Chizik bailed before ISU had the opportunity to keep him around way beyond his expiration date...

**cc1091** · 07-10-2009, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by sdillon500

This?! This is what we got slammed for?

Yeah, but this was in the era when they were threatening teams like SMU with the Death Penalty (which they did ultimately go through with).

Wasn't Drake was eventually touched by some of this? Or was their demise from Division 1-A football ultimately a problem with the size of their University and the size of their stadium.

CC

**Tornado man** · 07-10-2009, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by puckwarrior

There were also a number of defections from the younger kids in the coaching change and since Walden had a limit on how many kids he could bring in, it took many years to get to the full level of scholarship players.

I remember that time, and had sympathy for Walden. That is, until it turned out that he had his best teams in his first four years, when he had the fewest schollies.