The NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics. Points for the NACDA Directors' Cup are based on order of finish in various National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sponsored championships or, in the case of Division I Football, media-based polls. The award originated in 1993, and was presented to NCAA Division I schools only. In 1995 it was extended to Division II, Division III, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools as well, each division receiving its own award.
The University of North Carolina won the award for best Division I collegiate athletics program in its inaugural year. Since then, Stanford University has won it seventeen straight years, winning seventeen out of the eighteen years it has been offered. Williams College has similarly dominated Division III, having won the award thirteen times.
In Division II, UC Davis won six of the first eight awards, but its athletic program moved to Division I in 2003 and Grand Valley State won the award the following eight years. The NAIA division was similarly dominated by Simon Fraser University of British Columbia in its early years, but in 2002, SFU transferred several of its sports programs to Canada's college athletics federation, Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Since then, Azusa Pacific University of California has assumed the mantle at the NAIA level, winning seven consecutive championships, though Simon Fraser remains competitive despite not fielding a full complement of NAIA teams.
The physical award is a Waterford crystal trophy. Prior to 2003, the sponsor of the NACDA Directors' Cup was retail merchandiser Sears, and the award was known as the Sears Cup. Beginning in the 2003–2004 season, the sponsor was the United States Sports Academy. In 2007–2008, Learfield Sports assumed the sponsorship of the Directors' Cup.
|
Contents
|
| Year | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | Seventh | Eighth | Ninth | Tenth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | North Carolina | Stanford | UCLA | Florida | Penn State | Arizona | Texas | USC | Michigan | Arizona State |
| 1994–1995 | Stanford | North Carolina | UCLA | Arizona | Florida | USC | Michigan | Penn State | Nebraska | Texas |
| 1995–1996 | Stanford | UCLA | Florida | Texas | Michigan | North Carolina | Arizona | Nebraska | Penn State | USC |
| 1996–1997 | Stanford | North Carolina | UCLA | Nebraska | Florida | Arizona | Texas | Ohio State | USC | LSU |
| 1997–1998 | Stanford | (tie) Florida, North Carolina | UCLA | Michigan | Arizona | Georgia | Washington | Nebraska | LSU | |
| 1998–1999 | Stanford | Georgia | Penn State | Florida | UCLA | Michigan | Duke | Virginia | (tie) Arizona, USC | |
| 1999–2000 | Stanford | UCLA | Michigan | Penn State | North Carolina | Nebraska | Florida | Arizona | Texas | LSU |
| 2000–2001 | Stanford | UCLA | Georgia | Michigan | Arizona | Ohio State | Florida | USC | Arizona State | Penn State |
| 2001–2002 | Stanford | Texas | Florida | North Carolina | UCLA | Michigan | Minnesota | Georgia | Arizona State | LSU |
| 2002–2003 | Stanford | Texas | Ohio State | Michigan | Penn State | UCLA | Florida | North Carolina | California | Arizona State |
| 2003–2004 | Stanford | Michigan | UCLA | Ohio State | Georgia | Florida | North Carolina | Washington | California | Texas |
| 2004–2005 | Stanford | Texas | UCLA | Michigan | Duke | Florida | Georgia | Tennessee | North Carolina | USC |
| 2005–2006 | Stanford | UCLA | Texas | North Carolina | Florida | Notre Dame | California | Duke | Georgia | USC |
| 2006–2007 | Stanford | UCLA | North Carolina | Michigan | USC | Florida | Tennessee | Texas | California | Arizona State |
| 2007–2008 | Stanford | UCLA | Michigan | Arizona State | Texas | Florida | California | LSU | Penn State | Georgia |
| 2008–2009 | Stanford | North Carolina | Florida | USC | Michigan | Texas | California | Virginia | LSU | Ohio State |
| 2009–2010 | Stanford | Florida | Virginia | UCLA | Florida State | Texas A&M | North Carolina | Ohio State | California | Duke |
| 2010–2011[1] | Stanford | Ohio State | California | Florida | Duke | North Carolina | Virginia | Texas A&M | Florida State | Oklahoma |
| Year | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1996 | UC Davis | Abilene Christian | North Dakota State | South Dakota State | Cal State Bakersfield |
| 1996–1997 | UC Davis | Abilene Christian | Cal State Bakersfield | Central Oklahoma | Indianapolis |
| 1997–1998 | Cal State Bakersfield | UC Davis | Abilene Christian | Barry | Florida Southern |
| 1998–1999 | Adams State | (tie) UC Davis; Abilene Christian | (tie) Florida Southern; North Dakota State | ||
| 1999–2000 | UC Davis | North Dakota State | North Dakota | Florida Southern | Western State |
| 2000–2001 | UC Davis | North Dakota | Cal State Bakersfield | UCSD | Western State |
| 2001–2002 | UC Davis | Grand Valley State (MI) | UCSD | Truman State | Western State |
| 2002–2003 | UC Davis | Grand Valley State (MI) | North Florida | Cal State Bakersfield | South Dakota State |
| 2003–2004 | Grand Valley State (MI) | UCSD | Truman State | North Dakota | Chico State |
| 2004–2005 | Grand Valley State (MI) | Nebraska-Omaha | Chico State | North Dakota | Cal State Bakersfield |
| 2005–2006 | Grand Valley State (MI) | Abilene Christian | Nebraska-Omaha | Southern Illinois Edwardsville | Cal State Bakersfield |
| 2006–2007 | Grand Valley State (MI) | UCSD | Abilene Christian | Minnesota State Mankato | North Dakota |
| 2007–2008 | Grand Valley State (MI) | Abilene Christian | Minnesota State Mankato | UCSD | Tampa |
| 2008–2009 | Grand Valley State (MI) | Minnesota State Mankato | Central Missouri | Abilene Christian | Indianapolis |
| 2009–2010 | Grand Valley State (MI) | California (PA) | Central Missouri | Minnesota State Mankato | St. Cloud State |
| 2010–2011 | Grand Valley State (MI) | Central Missouri | Augustana (SD) | Abilene Christian | UCSD |
| Year | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1996 | Williams | UCSD | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | College of New Jersey | Rowan |
| 1996–1997 | Williams | College of New Jersey | UCSD | Emory | Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
| 1997–1998 | UCSD | (tie) College of New Jersey; SUNY Cortland | (tie) Williams; Middlebury | ||
| 1998–1999 | Williams | Middlebury | College of New Jersey | Amherst | Rowan |
| 1999–2000 | Williams | UCSD | College of New Jersey | St. Thomas (MN) | Middlebury |
| 2000–2001 | Williams | Middlebury | College of New Jersey | Emory | Ithaca |
| 2001–2002 | Williams | Ithaca | College of New Jersey | Middlebury | Emory |
| 2002–2003 | Williams | Emory | College of New Jersey | Trinity (TX) | Washington University (MO) |
| 2003–2004 | Williams | Emory | Middlebury | College of New Jersey | Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
| 2004–2005 | Williams | Middlebury | Washington University (MO | Trinity (TX) | Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
| 2005–2006 | Williams | College of New Jersey | Middlebury | Emory | SUNY Cortland |
| 2006–2007 | Williams | Middlebury | SUNY Cortland | Amherst | Washington University (MO) |
| 2007–2008 | Williams | Washington University (MO) | College of New Jersey | Amherst | Middlebury |
| 2008–2009 | Williams | Middlebury | Amherst | Washington University (MO) | Cortland State |
| 2009–2010 | Williams | Amherst | Washington University (MO) | Middlebury | Illinois Wesleyan |
| 2010–2011 | Williams | Middlebury | Washington University (MO) | Amherst | Calvin |
| Year | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1996 | Pacific Lutheran | Simon Fraser | Mobile | Berry | Azusa Pacific |
| 1996–1997 | Simon Fraser | Pacific Lutheran | Azusa Pacific | Mobile | Willamette |
| 1997–1998 | Simon Fraser | Mobile | Findlay | Oklahoma City | Puget Sound |
| 1998–1999 | Simon Fraser | Azusa Pacific | Life | (tie) Oklahoma City; Lindenwood | |
| 1999–2000 | Simon Fraser | Lindenwood | Azusa Pacific | Mary | Oklahoma City |
| 2000–2001 | Simon Fraser | Oklahoma City | Azusa Pacific | Lindenwood | Cumberland |
| 2001–2002 | Oklahoma City | Lindenwood | Simon Fraser | Azusa Pacific | Malone |
| 2002–2003 | Lindenwood | Simon Fraser | Azusa Pacific | Mary | Oklahoma City |
| 2003–2004 | Simon Fraser | Azusa Pacific | Lindenwood | Oklahoma City | (tie) Mary; Dickinson State |
| 2004–2005 | Azusa Pacific | Lindenwood | Simon Fraser | Point Loma Nazarene | Mary |
| 2005–2006 | Azusa Pacific | Lindenwood | Lindsey Wilson | Oklahoma Baptist | Simon Fraser |
| 2006–2007 | Azusa Pacific | Lindenwood | Concordia (CA) | Cedarville | Oklahoma Baptist |
| 2007–2008 | Azusa Pacific | Simon Fraser | Embry-Riddle | Fresno Pacific | Concordia (CA) |
| 2008–2009 | Azusa Pacific | Concordia (CA) | Lindenwood | Fresno Pacific | California Baptist |
| 2009–2010 | Azusa Pacific | Simon Fraser | Fresno Pacific | Concordia (CA) | Lindenwood |
| 2010–2011 | Azusa Pacific | Embry-Riddle | Shorter (GA) | Fresno Pacific | Lindenwood |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)