age cap on ncaas?

umm, D1 does have an age limit, 25, I believe. There are some exceptions, I think, like going on missions or whatever the hell those bYu people do.

The other divisions I don't think have limits, and naia... I have no idea.

correct.

but you still see anomalies pop up like the BYU guys and Heinonen

Well if he is "correct," then you already knew the answer to your question, didn't you?

please............. give me a break, deal with it, cuz its goign to happen agaign just to let you know, JARED rohatinsky will come close to winning his senior year in 6 years.... plus BYU is just goign to get better as is SUU, Weber state, Utah state, Utah Valley state, all schools with missionaries gallore so stop crying and deal with it.

Is there really an exception for students who have taken time off to do missionary work?

Actually, you kids have it easy now. When I was in college, there was a 26-year-old guy named Henry Rono setting world records in NCAA competition.

. . . and Henry was only a sophomore that year. He later won the NCAA cross-country championship when he was 27. I believe Suleiman Nyambui won numerous NCAA championships up until the age of 29, a couple of years after he had already won an Olympic medal.

To some extent, the advent of overt professionalism in running during the 1980s has mitigated these problems, since truly world-class runners aren't going to mess around with NCAA competition when they could be making real money in the sport.

There is no age cap on NCAA participation. You have 5 years to compete in 4 seasons. This 5 years does not start until you first enroll in college. So if you do not start attending college until you are 30, you have 5 years to compete. Now there are ways to extend the 5 years; medical redshirt, missions trips, and knowing very important people.

I agree. Things were pretty tough in the mid 70's,

CA was loaded with talent, Guys like Hulst, Serna, Hunt, et al. However I remember alot of other guys were forced to split scholarships or walk on. The scholarship i thought i had went to a "freshman" in his mid 20's who made the Olympic Games final for Kenya. It's not fair, it sucks, but at least its better than it was

For d-1 once you are 25 years old you cannot compete. Unless you were in the military before college, mission trip,or got pregnant.

Tim, how long do we have to beat this horse? THERE IS NO AGE CAP IN DI!!!

for example, you are a high school phenom who plays both baseball and football. you are drafted into the minors straight out of high school. you then play 6 yrs in the minors but it just doesn't work out. you are now 23-24yrs old. you decide to go to college (for the first time, of course) and find a football coach who will take a chance on you (ala chris wienke). you start your college football career with 5yrs on your clock since you never started college in the past.

let me say it one more time, this time slower. there...is...no...age...cap...in...DI...athletics...

dude-

actually i was unsure.

but i'm pretty sure there is none now. how else do you explain chris weinke (28 years old, winning national title for FSU in FB) and guys like that, who went pro in something else and came back to college?

there needs to be some sort of cap on this.

A couple of years ago they amended the rule to either start when you enroll in college, or when you turn 21, meaning when you turn 26 you're done. Before this rule, Weinke and others were still able to come back to college after trying other sports. Now, not so.

El Hombre wrote:

A couple of years ago they amended the rule to either start when you enroll in college, or when you turn 21, meaning when you turn 26 you're done. Before this rule, Weinke and others were still able to come back to college after trying other sports. Now, not so.

While there is no age cap in DI athletics, there is the rule that Hombre stated here. To state it more clearly, for every year that you compete in your sport after age 21, you lose a year of eligibility in that sport only. Therefore, if you had someone who had been a runner through his early 20's and decided to go to college at age 25, he would have used up his four years of eligibility and would not be able to compete. This is why some people think there is an age rule. However, if someone never competed in running at all and at age 24 or 25 found out that they have some talent and never had attended school full time, they would be able to compete for four years. This would be a rare occurence, but it could happen.

does anyone know the procedures on walk-ons? does eligibilty start after they walk-on? or start right when they enroll in college?

Here is the rule as it is state on the NCAA web site under the frequently asked questions section. I was too lazy to find out which bylaw it is.

"21 Year Age Rule for Division I

In Division I only, if a student-athlete has participated as an individual or as a team representative in organized sports competition, that kind of participation during each 12-month period after his/her 21st birthday and prior to initial full-time collegiate enrollment will count as one year of varsity competition in that sport. Any participation in organized competition during time spent in the U.S. armed services will be excepted.

You may wish to consult with the student-athlete's current college's athletics director to determine exactly how many seasons of varsity competition he/she may have used. Please contact the NCAA membership services staff at 317/917-6222 should you have further questions.