Episode 7: NIL, UNLV, and the Historical Antecedents of Recruiting College Football Chaos

In this episode I look at a few historic antecedents to the chaos in college sports under the NIL system. I discuss postwar recruiting and the development of booster clubs and slush-fund recruitment. I share the story of how OU tried to “ransom” a recruit from a rival and discuss the similarity to our current moment. The NCAA stepped in becoming a regulatory body in the mid-1950s, resulting in amateur hypocrisy (sorry SMU) until recent lawsuits have opened the gates for paying players. I suggest that after these losses the NCAA now seems reluctant to involve itself, resulting in a confusing and chaotic landscape today.Note: I incorrectly say that Missouri and Iowa Pre-Flight Coach Don Faurot’s name is Jim.Books I mention:Randy Roberts, A Team For America: the Army-Navy Game That Rallied the Nation, (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011).Wilbur D. Jones, Jr. “Football! Navy! War!” How Military “Lend-Lease” Players Saved the College Game and Helped Win World War II, (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2009).David Whitfield, A Payroll To Meet: A Story of Greed, Corruption, and Football at SMU, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2013). “THE LEAD1 ANGLE” EPISODE 14: DR. ANDREW MCGREGOR: https://lead1association.com/the-lead1-angle-episode-14-dr-andrew-mcgregor-dallas-college/ Get full access to History + Sport at amcgregor.substack.com/subscribe