The idea for the NJCAA was conceived in 1937 at Fresno, California. A handful of junior college representatives met to organize an association that would promote and supervise a national program of junior college sports and activities consistent with the educational objectives of junior colleges.

The constitution presented at the charter meeting in Fresno on May 14, 1938, was accepted and the National Junior College Athletic Association became a functioning organization.

Colleges represented at the charter meeting were Bakersfield, Chaffey, Compton, Fullerton, Glendale, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernadino, San Mateo, Santa Monica, and Visalia.

The initial activity sponsored by the NJCAA was track and field. Sacramento played host to the first National Junior College Track and Field Meet in 1939, which started a series of annual meets, unbroken except for three years during World War II. While the first meet drew only California schools, the second, in Modesto, in 1940, assumed a wider scope with participants from Phoenix, Arizona and Trinidad, Colorado, in addition to the Californians.

While founded by California men, there was no intention for the NJCAA to be just a "West Coast Organization". This became apparent when Trinidad College's invitation to sponsor the 1941 Track meet at Denver, Colorado, was accepted.

The NJCAA was fast gaining national recognition. At the 1941 meet in Denver, teams representing colleges from east of the Mississippi, joined southern and west coast members.

After Pearl Harbor, only one more meet was held during the war years. This was staged at Visalia, California, and was the last sponsored activity by the NJCAA until the spring of 1946 when the fifth National Junior College Track and Field Meet was held at Phoenix, Arizona.

In 1945, the NJCAA, weakened by the war and not yet ready to renew activities, had given its blessings to an invitational basketball tournament at Compton. The tournament mushroomed into a national activity by 1947, with teams participating from as far away as Washington and Louisiana. Other schools from the Great Lakes area, the middle west, and the east coast clamored for invitations that could not be provided. Clearly, a nationwide basketball program, sponsored by the NJCAA, was a necessity.

Compton invited the NJCAA to call a special meeting in connection with its 1947 tournament, to consider a national basketball program, from which grew the present regional and national tourney plan.

Attempts were made to carry on this extensive program of national competition, but lack of entries and financial hardships caused the curtailment of golf, tennis, boxing, gymnastics, and swimming after a three year trial. However, these events could be conducted at anytime in the future when requests from five or more regions were filed.

In 1949, the NJCAA was reorganized by dividing the nation into sixteen regions. The officers of the association were the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, public relations director, and the sixteen regional vice presidents. The NJCAA Bulletin was authorized and published as the official organ of the Association. Among other official acts, policies for conducting regional and national events were written, the constitution was revised, the organization was incorporated as a non-profit corporation, and the first NJCAA Handbook was published. This booklet gave status and stability to the organization that it had lacked in previous years.

Hutchinson, Kansas, became the site for the NJCAA Championship Basketball Tournament. Co-sponsors, the Lysle Rishel Post, American Legion, and the Hutchinson Junior College hosted this event in 1949.

The growth of the organization and the work of the committees outmoded the 1950 Handbook, necessitating a second edition in 1952.

The NJCAA, working with the American Association of Junior Colleges Sub Committee on Athletics, wrote and adopted the "Statement of Guiding Principles for Conducting Junior College Athletics" in 1953. The Statistics Bureau, at this time was concerned with regional and national records only. In 1954, it expanded its scope to include individual and team scores of all member colleges.

Steps were taken to obtain low cost and reliable insurance for the NJCAA members. The Insurance Committee was responsible for obtaining the NJCAA Insurance Plan from the Associated Agencies. The plan, as adopted, covered major and catastrophic accidents with a minimum cost to each member school.

The NJCAA obtained representation on various national rules committees during 1954. Also, the name, NJCAA BULLETIN, was changed to the JUCO REVIEW.

The Statistics Bureau became the Service Bureau in 1955 and began to compile and release weekly ratings of member college basketball teams. For the first time, the official All-American Junior College Basketball Teams were selected by the Bureau. Previous to this time, the All-Region and All-NJCAA tournament teams were considered to be the All-American Teams.

The important contributions to the NJCAA program in 1956 included the addition of football statistics and rankings to the Service Bureau program. The adoption of policies for conducting the National Football Championship and awarding the contract to the West Hollywood Kiwanis Club was culminated in the initial game played at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Coffeyville, Kansas, defeated Grand Rapids, Michigan, for this first NJCAA Football Championship.

In 1957 another important step was taken by the NJCAA. An affiliation with the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations (NFSHSAA), and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) was formed to work together on many common interests. The primary emphasis, in the initial state, was placed on jointly producing playing rules in football, six-man football, soccer and baseball, and the continued use of common codes in basketball, track and other major sports. This affiliation was christened the National Alliance.

By 1958, the scope of the NJCAA had been recognized by other national organizations and the association was asked to participate in various national projects. These included (1) the People to People Sports Committee, a foundation to promote international goodwill through sports, (2) President Eisenhower's Physical Fitness Commission, (3) a study on equipment and supplies for physical education, athletics and recreation, sponsored by the Athletic Institute and the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and (4) the publication for the first edition of the Blue Book of Junior College Athletics by McNitt, Inc.

Baseball entered the national program during this year when the NJCAA Invitational Tournament was held at Northeastern Oklahoma A & M College, Miami, Oklahoma.

The legislative assembly of 1959 approved a National Championship Baseball Tournament, with the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce and Mesa College of Grand Junction Colorado, as the first co- sponsors of the event. Authorization was also granted to conduct National Invitational tournaments in golf, tennis, wrestling and cross country. Odessa, Texas; Rochester, Minnesota; Farmingdale, New York; and Alfred, New York, were chosen as the sites for these events.

National Invitational Meets in swimming and rifle were sanctioned in 1960. These and other recent additions to the national program pointed to a need for a revised handbook. Money was allocated for its printing in 1961.

In addition to the printing and distribution of the new handbook in 1961, the JUCO REVIEW publication site was changed from Ogden, Utah, to Buffalo, New York. A newspaper known as "Junior College Sports" was published in Grand Junction, Colorado, and the NJCAA played an important supporting role in this new venture. The year 1961 was also the first NJCAA Invitational Soccer Tournament in Middletown, New York.

All-American awards in soccer were approved by the 1962 legislative assembly. This year marked the entrance of the NJCAA into the Basketball Federation of the United States of America, the United States Gymnastics Federation and the United States Track and Field Federation.

In 1963, the NJCAA became a member of the United States Olympic Committee and was granted ten (10) votes on the committee and one representative on the forty-six (46) member Board of Directors. Representation on the NCAA Rules Committee in Track and Field, Wrestling, and Basketball was obtained during this period.

An agreement was reached with the Alee Shrine Temple of Savannah, Georgia to bring the NJCAA Championship Football Game back into the national program in 1964 after a lapse of four years. This game was named the NJCAA Shrine Bowl.

The Chamber of Commerce and Mesa College of Grand Junction, Colorado were awarded a new five-year contract in 1965 to conduct the NJCAA Championship Baseball Tournament. Also, in 1965, the NJCAA was given a voice on various U.S. Olympic Games Committees and our representatives were active in formulating plans for their sports in the overall Olympic program.

The rapid growth of wrestling in the junior colleges and the resulting increase in the number of teams coming to the National Invitational Wrestling Tournament warranted the establishment of a national championship event in this sport in 1966.

Negotiations were completed for two post-season football games. One sponsored by the Southwest Grid Classic, Inc., was called the Wool Bowl, and was played at Roswell, New Mexico. The second, named the Silver Bowl, was sponsored by Sterling College and the Sterling Rotary Club in Sterling, Kansas. Both bowl games were played for the first time in the Fall of 1966. This same year a new ten year contract was closed with the Lysle Rishel Post 68, American Legion, and Hutchinson Community Junior College of Hutchinson, Kansas, to continue to conduct the NJCAA Basketball Tournament at its present site.

The American Medical Association Committee on the Medical Aspects of Sports invited the organization to participate in their activities in this field. Also a liaison committee between the AAJC and the NJCAA was formed .

The year 1967-68 was one of many changes in the NJCAA. Membership stood at 391 colleges. The 1967 legislative assembly approved a grant-in-aid to Michael Mould, Keystone Junior College, LaPlume, Pennsylvania, to write a complete history of the NJCAA to fulfill a requirement for the completion of his doctorate degree at Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts.

In 1968 the legislative assembly reorganized the administrative structure for the 16 regions established in 1949 to 19 regions. This was accomplished by dividing Region VIII, Region I, and Region XV to form three new regions. Membership had now reached 419 colleges.

The NJCAA, for the first time, conducted its own Olympic Trials in basketball. A squad of ten players competed in the final trials in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Athletes of member colleges also competed in Olympic Trials for wrestling and track and field.

A third post-season football game, sponsored by the El Toro Foundation of Yuma, Arizona, was added to the football program. Called the El Toro Bowl, its first competition came in 1968.

Membership in the United States Collegiate Sports Council, the United States Baseball Federation and the United States Wrestling Federation were accepted by the NJCAA in 1968, and a National Invitational Gymnastics Meet was added to the program.

In 1969 the appointment of George E. Killian as full-time Executive Director was approved by the legislative assembly, and the new office was officially opened August l, 1969, in the Hilton Inn, Hutchinson, Kansas.

At the time of the 1970 legislative assembly, membership had increased to 476 colleges. A National Invitational Bowling Tournament was added to the program. Also, a Scholarship and Grant-in-Aid Committee was established to study existing practices and to make recommendations for future appropriate actions.

Two post-season football games, the Mid-American JUCO Bowl and the Green Country Shrine Bowl were added in 1971, along with National Invitational Championships in Ice Hockey and Judo. The membership reached an all time high of 501 members.

The year 1972 saw the addition of decathlon, fencing, and indoor track to the growing Invitational Championship scene. The Championship football game was moved to Yuma, Arizona, from Savannah, Georgia, and became known as the Sunkist El Toro Bowl. The membership climbed to 513 members for the 1971-72 college year.

In 1973 the legislative assembly reorganized the administrative structure from 19 regions, established in 1968, to 21 regions. This was accomplished by dividing Region III and Region XIX to form two new regions. Membership reached a record 533.

1974 saw the addition of the three invitational championships in volleyball, basketball, and tennis for women. The Men's Division began hosting a National Invitational Marathon Championship. The NJCAA "amateur rule" was completely rewritten by the Board of Directors. Membership climbed to a record high of 547.

A major change in the structure of the NJCAA occurred in 1975 when the Board of Directors approved a Women's Division. National Championships for women were approved in volleyball, basketball and tennis. National Invitational Championships for women were slated in field hockey, skiing, gymnastics, track and field, softball, and swimming and diving. Membership climbed to a record 563.

The year 1976 saw the membership of the NJCAA reach 296 for its Women's Division and 586 for its Men's Division. The Board of Directors reorganized the administrative structure from 21 regions to 22 regions by dividing Region XVII.

In 1976-77 the Women's Division sponsored four championship tournaments and eight invitational championships, while its membership grew to 345. Twenty-one sporting events were offered to the 580 members of the Men's Division, including the revival of the Junior Rose Bowl. The Board of Directors approved the concept of divisional play in the sports of cross country, tennis and golf for the 1978-79 college year.

In 1977-78 the membership of the Women's Division soared to a high of 434; the Men's Division stood at 564. Five football bowl games highlighted the Men's Division program.

In 1978-79 the membership in the Women's Division reached 471 while the Men's Division climbed back to 574. The Rodeo Bowl was added to the men's football program. The women's championship basketball and volleyball teams went to Mexico City for competition with the Mexican National Institute of Sport.

The year 1979 saw the addition of the Eastern Bowl to the list of sponsored NJCAA football bowl games, as well as the first Invitational Fall Golf Championship. The Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship moved from an invitational status to national championship status.

The year 1980-81 saw the Women's Division membership reach 490 members. Extensive changes were made in the Handbook and Casebook to bring about a more uniform interpretation of NJCAA Policy for the membership.

The year 1982-83 saw the advent of reorganization as the Board of Directors voted to increase the number of regions from twenty-two to twenty-four. Region IV (Illinois) was divided into Region IV and Region XXIV. Kentucky and Tennessee became the new Region VII, while former member Mississippi joined Louisiana to form the new Region XXIII. Authorization was also granted to employ a new Administrative Assistant with primary responsibilities in the Women's Division.

Even though there were severe budget concerns among the nation's junior colleges, the membership of the NJCAA remained near normal in 1983-84. The addition of the Women's Invitational Soccer tournament was further evidence of the continued growth in this division. Patricia Walden was added to the staff as the new women's administrative assistant.

1983-84 was highlighted by the addition of Nancy Lazenby to the NJCAA staff, replacing Patricia Walden, who resigned to join the staff of the NCAA. A major revision of the NJCAA Eligibility Rules was made at the Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Membership remained constant in both divisions.

Our first year with the assistance of the new computer at the National Office, 1984-85, moved fast and furiously as activity within the NJCAA continued to grow and expand. The first year of implementing the major eligibility revisions passed at the previous annual meeting, did not proceed without any bumps but overall was weathered without any major crises. The Legislative Body voted by an overwhelming majority to relocate the National Office Headquarters from Hutchinson, Kansas, to Colorado Springs, Colorado. The issue of men and women playing on the same teams was called to the forefront during the year and a change in NJCAA policy resulted. Membership remained relatively stable in the Men's and Women's Division.

The year 1985-86 was highlighted by the move of the National Headquarters from Hutchinson, Kansas, to Colorado Springs. The move went smoothly, and brought with it the addition of a new Eligibility Administrator, W. Wayne Baker, as well as a complete new staff of secretarial help. The office relocation went smoothly. Other highlights during the year included the expansion of the computer system in the National Office, with an Open House to celebrate the move including guests from the USOC and the other 38 National Governing Bodies located in Colorado Springs. The Annual Meeting was held in Colorado Springs. It being an eligibility year, the major change in the rules included the adoption of a full year's eligibility standard; a dues increase of $50 plus $5 per sport participated in; and the election of a new President, Oscar "Swede" Erickson. Membership remained relatively stable in the Men's and Women's Division.

1986-87 brought a major change in the governance structure of the NJCAA. At the 1987 Annual Meeting held in Dallas, Texas, the Board voted to add four college presidents selected by the AACJC to the NJCAA Board of Directors beginning August 1, 1987. A Strategic Planning Committee chaired by Dr. Henry Witt was named to study the future of the NJCAA over the next decade. The Eligibility Committee was expanded and held a special meeting to closely study and monitor over the next year the eligibility issues facing the NJCAA. At the Annual Meeting the Eligibility Committee proposed, and the board accepted, a new time-line for submission of proposals. Also each sport committee was directed by President Erickson to respond to a variety of questions posed by the Eligibility Committee regarding recruiting regulations, season length, etc., by November of 1987. Extensive study of these and other critical eligibility issues continue to be studied throughout the year. Membership remained stable in both divisions.

1987-88 was highlighted by the addition of four college presidents to the Board as appointed by AACJC. Presidential participation and the ensuing discussion in raising academic requirements for athletes made the annual meeting one of the most important in the history of the organization. The board voted to return to semester-based accountability for our student-athletes beginning on August 1, 1988.

The board will continue to study the subject of athletic scholarships, number of games, length of season, etc., throughout the year, with a final decision to be enacted in March, 1989.

A change in staff also took place in 1987, as Lori DeGarmo was hired as Assistant to the Executive Director to replace Nancy Lazenby, who resigned to take a position with the California Interscholastic Federation, Central Coast Section. The board also voted to hire additional staff to support the increased demands of the National office by the membership. Membership increased slightly in 1987-88.

1988-89 proved to be a landmark year for the NJCAA, as the long- awaited National Letter of Intent and Scholarship Agreement/Policies & Procedures was adopted at the Annual Legislative Assembly. Along with these changes came the establishment of a Division III for Men's Basket-ball to become effective in 1990-91 and the establishment of Division II in Men's Golf and Men's Tennis effective in 1989-90, with additional sports divisions to be reviewed in the year ahead.

The office was moved to a new building during the year, proof of the continued growth of the NJCAA. A new administrative staff member will come on board in the coming year to handle the duties involved with the Letter of Intent. Membership remained stable in 1988-89.

The NJCAA elected Lea Plarski as president at it's annual meeting in Colorado Springs. Plarski becomes the first woman to head the NJCAA since it's founding in 1938. Plarski has headed the Women's Division of the NJCAA since its inception in 1975. The divisional format continues to grow with divisional champions to be crowned in men's basketball and golf and men's and women's tennis in 1990- 91.

The NJCAA was proud to begin the 1990-91 academic year by selecting three new posters. One highlighting drug awareness, the second for academic excellence, and the third to celebrate the basketball centennial. The artwork for these posters was submitted by Labette Community College (KS) students.

In the fall of 1990 a newly formed committee, the Championship Events Committee, met in Colorado Springs, Colorado to set down the framework for their duties. They will be involved in reviewing each championship bid/annual meeting bid to insure that it meets the specific requirements necessary for the event.

At the annual meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, the sports committees continued to look at divisional play. It was approved that Men's Baseball would offer a Division III for the 1991-92 season and Men's & Women's Cross Country and Women's Basketball also opted for Divisions (I, II, & III) for the fall of '91.

The academic year 1991-92 proved to be one filled with excitement and controversy.

The excitement was over the addition of Division II Men's Baseball and the creation of a brochure addressing Steriods, developed by the Substance Abuse Education/Testing Committee.

The controversy began with the discussion of eligibility proposals at the annual meeting in Colorado Springs, particularly the sports procedures. In an effort to shorten the length of seasons and practice time to keep student-athletes more focused academically, no majority decision could be met. The NJCAA National Office will be doing further research in each sport so that realistic dates and length of seasons will be approved next year.

As we continue to strive for academic/athletic excellence, membership remains constant at approximately 550 institutions.

After five years of indepth research the NJCAA adopted a new set of Sport Procedures at the 1993 Annual Meeting. The new procedures place the NJCAA in line with other major intercollegiate sport organizations operating within the United States.

Lea Plarski, the first woman to head the NJCAA was re-elected for a second term.

The membership during the 1992-93 college year remained constant at approximately 550 institutions, most all fielding both men's and women's programs.

Division II baseball was the only new NJCAA championship contested during the 1992-93 college year.

As the NJCAA looks toward the future, the year 1993-94 saw continued growth in education and academics as well as athletics. The strategic Planning Committee released the NJCAA "Guide to Gender Equity and Title IX" and for the second year, awards were presented for NJCAA Academic-Team-of-the-Year for men and women.

The men's division continues to expand as Division III is added for men's soccer.I

The hot topic for 1994-95 proved to be the NJCAA All-American Award. In efforts to recognize the most outstanding student- athletes, regardless of geographical location, and to enhance the image of all NJCAA programs and our student-athletes, the membership adopted new selection procedures and in most cases, amended the number of NJCAA All-Americans that will be honored.

The 1995 Annual meeting was held in Orlando, Florida, with the theme being: Promoting Integrity Through Sportsmanship, Fair Play All The Way! The topic of sportsmanship was prevalent in each committee discussion. We saw many new faces/guests and it was also a time for change among NJCAA leadership. We said good-bye to seven women's regional directors/officer and three men's regional directors, each having served between three and eighteen years.

The 1995-96 year saw the emergence of more divisional play, as the NJCAA Board of Directors approved the addition of Division III Women's Volleyball, Division III Women's Fast Pitch Softball and Division III Men and Women's Tennis for 1996-97. Also, Division III Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field was approved for 1997- 98.

The Fifty-Fifth Annual Meeting was held at the Red Lion Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mr. Norris Stevenson of St. Louis CC/Florissant Valley was the Keynote speaker. His address highlighted this year's theme, "Promoting Diversity through Sports". A report was presented by William Wirtanen on the possibility of using weighted voting in the NJCAA. No action was taken at this time.

As the annual meeting came to a close, William Wirtanen was elected as the new NJCAA President. He was passed the gavel from outgoing President, Lea Plarski, who has served her six-year term as the associations first woman president, and as one of the founding members of the NJCAA Women's Division.

The 1996-97 academic year was one filled with change. The NJCAA elected two new officers at the annual meeting in Mesa, Arizona. Karen Sykes, Dean College was re-elected as Vice President for Women and Thomas LaPuma, Herkimer County Community College, will serve as the new Secretary-Treasurer for Men. We wished six men's and two women's regional directors well as they left the board for retirement.

The theme for the year was "Citizenship Through Sports" and we were honored to have Robert Kanaby, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations give the Keynote address. He inspired the board through his message and a video presentation. The NJCAA hopes to produce a similar video in the future using National Championship highlights. Additionally, the NJCAA joined a coalition this year called "Citizenship Through Sports Alliance". The eight other groups participating are the United States Olympic Committee, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Federation of State High School Association, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The organizations' goals are to promote a sports culture of sportsmanship, work ethic, teamwork and respect.

1997-98 was highlighted by the renewal of the women's golf championship after a lapse of fourteen years. The 1998 championship was held in Baird, Texas.

The NJCAA sent two representatives from the women's division to the FISU Forum in Sweden. The Forum is affiliated with the International Federation of University Students.

This year we witnessed the end of the NJCAA Service Bureau that has been in existence since 1951. We will now have access to our new Service Bureau through our NJCAA Web Site (http://www.njcaa.org).

The NJCAA has been blessed with increased attendance at all of our national championships, in both our Women's and Men's Divisions.