TACOMA — The University of Puget Sound announced today that its athletic teams will participate in future events and tournaments of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Logger teams, in the past, have participated under the banner of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
UPS Athletic Director John Heinrick made the disclosure, noting that the university has been a member of both the NCAA and NAIA for many years. The decision means that Puget Sound no longer will compete in NAIA District One tournaments, playoffs or championship meets.
Notification of the change to NCAA competition has been given by UPS Vice-President Richard Dale Smith in letters to NAIA District Chairman Mark Salzman and NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. Earlier this year UPS notified Evergreen Conference officials of its withdrawal from the league effective January 1, 1967.
“In drawing up our future schedules as an athletic independent,” Smith commented on the move, “we will be associating with increasing numbers of colleges and universities who are active members of the NCAA. In addition, we necessarily must establish the set of regulations which we will abide by and the tournaments and other such events in which we desire to be considered possible participants.”
Heinrick praised the Evergreen Conference and the NAIA for a “most pleasant association” during the past 18 years but pointed out that “the enrollment trend at UPS toward ever increasing numbers of out-of-state students indicates that the athletic future of this university lies in a different direction.”
The Logger campaign toward NCAA events and tournaments is in effect immediately and UPS basketball and swimming turnouts will begin Monday (October 17) in accordance with NCAA rules.
UPS has notified NCAA officials of its willingness to participate in future Camellia Bowl football games which annually decide Pacific Coast supremacy among NCAA College Division schools at Sacramento, California. This year’s contest is scheduled for December 10.
In basketball the Loggers will join Seattle Pacific College and Portland State in the race for Pacific Northwest at-large berths in the NCAA College Division Regional Tournament for Pacific Coast and Southwest teams. This year’s regional event is slated for March 10–11 at a site to be determined. The national finals will be played at Evansville, Indiana, March 15–17.
UPS swimming, wrestling, track, golf and tennis players will be eligible for national championship events in their various specialties, and Logger baseball teams will be given opportunity to participate in either the College Division or University Division regional tournaments. Should the baseballers select the University Division, it would be possible to play in the NCAA World Series at Omaha, Nebraska, June 12–16.
The dates and sites of other NCAA events follow:
Swimming — National College Division Championships, Long Beach, California, March 17–18.
Wrestling — National College Division Championships, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, March 9–11.
Track — National College Division Championships, Ogden, Utah, June 9–10.
Tennis — National College Division Championships, Chicago, Illinois, June 6–10.
Golf — National College Division Championships, Paducah, Kentucky, June 12–16.
