There’s no doubt that NCAA sports are immensely popular here in the United States. Kids grow up playing sports and dream that one day they will play for their favorite big schools and end up on ESPN. Unfortunately, many of these kids won’t end up at big schools and playing games on TV. Many may not even make it to an NCAA school.
There are thousands of student-athletes who have the talents and ability to play college sports but they don’t recognize the opportunities available in NAIA sports. The NAIA is an organization similar to the NCAA with different member schools. And the NAIA is just as much of a stepping stone into professional sports as any other division.
The NAIA is the governing body for collegiate sports at almost 300 schools in the U.S and Canada. There are 60,000 student-athletes participating in 13 different NAIA sports. The NAIA takes pride in their commitment to their student-athletes to ensure the best college experience through both academics and athletics. The NAIA also has an Eligibility Center that helps establish an athlete’s eligibility to compete in college.
Since the NAIA isn’t as glamorized as the NCAA, there many people who have never even heard of it before. But the NAIA has had great success in its history and offers great opportunities to student-athletes. The competition level in the NAIA is just as high, comparable to Division II athletics. The NAIA has different academic requirements that are less restrictive, so more students are eligible to play NAIA sports. These opportunities in NAIA don’t just stop at the college level. There are many athletes who competed at NAIA schools and went on to pursue professional sports careers.
Tramaine Brock signed on as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers following the 2010 NFL Draft. Brock was a former Belhaven football player and was very successful at the NAIA level. He was named to the All-Conference Team in 2009, and tied the Belhaven single season record for the most interceptions and compiled 51 total tackles with 2.5 sacks, and 13.5 tackles for a loss. Brock is just one of many football players who have been able to work their way into the NFL.
Another NAIA athlete who has made great success in the pros is Freddy Sanchez from Dallas Baptist University. Sanchez was a JC baseball transfer before he played in the NAIA College World Series in 1999. He transferred again to Oklahoma City University in 2000, and was later honored as a NAIA All-Star. After some time at the Red Sox and Pirates, Sanchez currently plays for the Giants as a second baseman. The NAIA has a long list of baseball players who have made their way to the pros.
While your dreams may have always involved an NCAA scholarship to your favorite school, it’s important to consider all of your options and what school might be the best fit for you. You need to be realistic about your talents and figure out what exactly you want when you move on to college. For many student-athletes, the NAIA is exactly what they wanted for their college experience. The NAIA has a strong history in developing successful student-athletes, even if they don’t go pro. Their dedication to academic and character achievement proves to be a winning combination for any student-athlete.
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Good morning Mr. Allen. My nephew has a full athletic scholarship to a Division I school. He was recruited by the Head Coach and the Asst Coach but when he started school in August the Head Coach was replaced. Since day 1 the Head coach has been nothing but negative and riding on him. At the first team meeting he announced that my nephew was going to be the last full Athletic scholarship because with his full ride he could have gotten 2 players. He also says to him that he doesn’t have what it takes, he leaves him behind when they go to play other schools, he sits him out during practice and continues to antagonize him and taunt him with stupid comments -waiting for my nephew to react negatively so that he can use this against him. He tells him he is not hungry and that he is out of shape. He keeps up with everyone else and doesn’t lag behind and actually stays ahead of some of the other players. Just yesterday he called him into his office and told him he was cut from the team. He told him he has great technique and talent but was not mentally ready because he is homesick (which he has never shown) and that he will try to find him another school for next semester because he likes him . Should we bring this to the Athletic Director’s attention. It seems to us like he wants my nephew to leave so that he can get more players with his scholarship (this was said by another coach to him). What can we do and what should he do? Stay at the school for 2 semesters and then leave or is there another option? Thanks in advance.
Unfortunately, this is one of the things that happens with coaching changes. Many times new coaches come in a cut scholarships from current players in an effort to bring in their own athletes. If your nephew truly feels he has been discriminated against he can contact the athletic department. However, he best course of action will be to seek a transfer as soon as possible.
Pete, Were you on a baseball scholarship or were you recruited by your NAIA school? If the answer to both is No, you could transfer to a Div. I program and be immediately eligible if you can take the remaining courses you need and graduate this summer, so that you can transfer to the Div. I university at the start of the academic year.Your other option is to have the Div. I program submit a waiver to the NCAA on your behalf and request that the NCAA allow you to be immediately eligible at midyear because you have earned your bachelor’s degree and transferred to the Div. I for an academic program that your NAIA school doesn’t offer. There are no assurances that the NCAA would approve the waiver request. In addition, it would be the choice of the Div. I program whether to submit the waiver, and they may elect not to do so, because they are selective about how often they submit such request. They also weigh the likelihood of a successful waiver before they choose to submit, and to be quite honest assess whether the waiver is worth it. Because you haven’t played baseball in a year, they would take into consideration how much contribution you can make to the team.Good luck!Rick
I’m a 5’9 (180lb) point guard currently in my junior year of HS. My accumulative gpa is 3.3 so far. I plan on attending a NAIA college/university for my first two years. I feel that I have what it takes to be a pg in the division I level. My problem is that the HS I attend doesn’t face any “real” competition and I’m afraid that coaches (in div. 1 & 2) will not give me a chance as a result of that. Do you have any suggestions?
Play travel ball and get in the big showcases against top competition. At 5’9″ coaches are going to have serious questions about your ability to play against DI PG so you need to play against DI prospects and show an ability to produce against taller competition. Without that, it will be very difficult to get a coach to take a chance on you. Best of luck.