Big 12 teams have some of the worst records with NCAA investigators, but not as members of the Big 12. Many of its current teams got in trouble when they belonged to the Southwest Conference, before that conference crashed in the mid-1990s due to persistent scandals and a changing television landscape.
Below is a list of programs cited for major violations since the NCAA made its strongest statement yet against cheating, the SMU "death penalty" case in 1987. ESPN.com rates the severity of those penalties on a 0-5 scale, with 5 as most severe.
Kansas State
Year: 1999
Violation: Running back Frank Murphy allegedly was given $200 during recruitment by booster who claimed he didn't know the Wildcats were interested in the player. Then that booster and six others allegedly gave $3,200 to the player once he enrolled.
Major penalties: None.
Severity of sanctions: 0
Notable: School was subject to "death penalty" for its third major violations case in six years, as a repeat offender. But NCAA, impressed with the quality of the school's self-investigation, didn't invoke any serious penalties. No fault was found on part of the school.
Texas Tech
Year: 1998
Violation: School cited for lack of institutional control for failing to fully investigate what were later found by NCAA to be major rules violations. Dozens of athletes participated while academically ineligible from 1990 to '97. Also, an assistant coach allegedly had improperly enrolled a defensive lineman for a correspondence course, committed academic fraud by completing the player's course work and provided him with cash.
Major penalties: Withdrawal from eligibility for Big 12 Championship game and postseason in 1997. Limited to signing 17 recruits in '98, 19 in '99 and 21 in '00 (down from the usual maximum of 25 recruits), with limit of 80 total team scholarships for the final two years (down from usual maximum of 85).
Severity of sanctions: 3
Notable: School self-imposed a postseason ban to gain leniency from the NCAA. Case was embarrassing for Tech and NCAA because chief fact-finder for school was faculty athletic representative Bob Sweazy, who also served as a NCAA vice president during time of violations. He failed to aggressively determine whether rules were being violated.
Texas A&M
Year: 1994
Violation: Booster allegedly paid $17,920 in unearned wages to nine players hired to work at apartments he owned in Dallas. School failed to properly monitor jobs program.
Major penalties: 1-year TV ban, 1-year bowl ban.
Severity of sanctions: 3
Notable: Aggies were subject to "death penalty" as repeat violators but avoided that punishment, as well as scholarship cuts, because violations were limited to one booster.
Oklahoma State
Year: 1989
Violation: Bulk of the widespread violations involved two assistant coaches, an administrative assistant and at least 14 boosters, one of whom was a former member of the school's board of regents. One athlete allegedly received $5,000 after signing with Cowboys and cash payments his first two years with the team. He also was given an "expensive and distinctive" sports car at no cost, with payments and insurance allegedly coming from three boosters.
Major penalties: 2-year TV ban, 3-year bowl ban, maximum of 20 new scholarship recruits for each of three years (down from the usual maximum of 25 recruits).
Severity of sanctions: 4
Notable: Cowboys coming off season in which Barry Sanders won Heisman Trophy as a junior. NCAA gave receiver Hart Lee Dykes immunity to in exchange for information about violations involving Oklahoma State, Illinois, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
Oklahoma
Year: 1988
Violation: Recruiting coordinator allegedly sold four players' complimentary season tickets for between $100 and $600 each and provided them with the cash. She also sold one player's ticket to the annually soldout Texas game. A round-trip airline ticket for an athlete was also arranged. One recruit was allegedly offered $1,000 to sign with Oklahoma.
Major penalties: 2-year bowl ban, 1-year TV ban, some limits on on-campus and off-campus recruiting, and maximum limit of 18 new recruits for each of two years.
Severity of sanctions: 4
Notable: Oklahoma's interim president at the time was David Swank, who regarded the penalties as too harsh. Swank later took leading role with the NCAA, as chair of its Committee on Infractions for most of the 1990s, and pushed for key reforms in enforcement structure.
Texas A&M
Year: 1988
Violation: NCAA criticized coach and athletic director Jackie Sherrill's control over assistant coaches, athletes and boosters who "had little knowledge of or regard for NCAA standards." Violations were in areas of improper employment, entertainment, financial aid and lodging, out-of-season practice, complimentary tickets, and improper recruiting contacts.
Major penalties: 1-year bowl ban, reduction by five in the number of new recruits that could be signed for one year, other recruiting limitations.
Severity of sanctions: 2
Notable: After receiving the penalties, Sherrill said, "I never told you that we were pure." He said the sanctions wouldn't hurt the three-time defending Southwest Conference champs.
Texas
Year: 1987
Violation: Allegations include excessive entertainment by a booster and other improper recruiting contacts, the sale of complimentary tickets by 10 players, comments to prospective recruits that they could expect special benefits, and loans and cash for athletes' personal use, including a car repair loan made by a former recruiting coordinator. Head coach David McWilliams, who at the time was an assistant, was accused of arranging for or providing small amounts of cash for players' personal use, as well as lending gas money for a player to go home.
Major penalties: Loss of 5 scholarships and 20 campus visits.
Severity of sanctions: 1
Notable: At the time Texas was penalized, all but two of the nine Southwest Conference schools -- Rice and Arkansas -- were either on probation or under NCAA investigation.
Texas Tech
Year: 1987
Violation: Allegations include various impermissible recruiting inducements by booster and coaches, ranging from providing $80 to $300 in cash and groceries, to an offer of a pair of ostrich-skin boots, to a trip to Las Vegas. Other violations included providing free meals and transportation to prospective players.
Major penalties: Loss of 3 scholarships for one year.
Severity of sanctions: 1
Notable: Coming a week after SMU's program was given its harshest-ever penalty, Tech coach Spike Dykes was relieved to learn of the minimal sanctions. The NCAA, which had fought SMU all the way, cited Tech's "cooperative, non-defensive attitude" during the investigation.
