University Southern California Trojans
USC Finishes 10th in Final Sears Cup Standings
June 21, 1999 | USC Athletics
June 15, 1999
LOS ANGELES --USC placed 10th in the final 1998-99 NCAA Division I Sears Directors' Cup standings that were released today (June 15).
The Trojans have finished in the Top 10 in all 6 years of the competition, which is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to the best overall collegiate athletics program in the country.
USC won the National Collegiate All-Sports Championship, an annual ranking by USA Today (and previously by the Knoxville Journal) which was the predecessor to the Sears Directors' Cup, 6 times (1971-72-74-75-77-80) since its inception in 1971.
Troy finished the 1998-99 competition with 460 points.
For an unprecedented fifth consecutive year, Stanford finished atop the NCAA Division I standings, with 910 points (that score will climb following the College World Series; all other scores are final).
Georgia was second with 720 points, followed by Penn State at 600.
The 1998-99 Sears Directors' Cup winners, one awarded to the top institution in each of the NCAA Divisions -- I, II, and III, and the NAIA, were announced on June 15 at the NACDA Convention.
The Division I Top 10:
1. Stanford 910*
2. Georgia 720
3. Penn State 600
4. Florida 580
5. UCLA 570
6. Duke 510
Michigan 510
8. Virginia 490
9. Arizona 470
10. USC 460
(*Stanford baseball points to be added)
"Sears proudly supports participation and excellence in college athletics and believes competition in sports not only builds personal growth, but also fosters teamwork, sportsmanship and discipline," said Mark Cohen, Sears executive vice president of marketing. "On behalf of Sears and the Sears Directors' Cup, I congratulate all the institutions that finished in the Top 10 in their respective divisions of the Sears Directors' Cup standings."
Each year, the Sears Directors' Cup program, presented in partnership by Sears and NACDA, awards Waterford Crystal trophies to the top athletics programs in NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA and presents a total of $100,000 in postgraduate academic scholarships to students in all four collegiate divisions. The Sears Directors' Cup is the only national awards and academic scholarship program to recognize all NCAA and NAIA championship sports for both women's and men's athletics.
Developed as a joint effort between USA Today and NACDA, the Sears Directors' Cup program is the only all-sports competition that recognizes the institution in each of the four categories with the best overall athletics program. The Sears Directors' Cup is part of the Sears Collegiate Champions program which annually awards more than 2,200 conference and sport champion trophies and a quarter-of-a-million dollars in academic scholarships.
While Stanford took home the Sears Directors' Cup for NCAA Division I competition, the winners in the other categories include: Division II - Adams State College [Col.]; Division III - Williams College [Mass.]; NAIA-Simon Fraser University [B.C.].
Of the 310 eligible colleges and universities in the NCAA Division I, a total of 252 (81 percent) scored points in the Sears Directors' Cup competition. Complete final rankings on all of these institutions are available on NACDA's home page at www.nacda.com.
NACDA, now in its 34th year, serves as the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 collegiate athletics directors, associates, assistants and conference administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $41 billion. The company serves families throughout the country through 850 full-line department stores and more than 2,100 specialized retail locations nationwide. More information about the company is available on Sears Web site, www.sears.com.
