To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NCAA moving its headquarters to Indianapolis, the national office presented a $25,000 check to Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation on Tuesday to fund self-development opportunities for more than 1,000 student-athletes at seven area middle schools.
In a ceremony outside the doors of the national office building that opened in July 1999, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett also presented NCAA President Charlie Baker with a mayoral proclamation, recognizing the silver anniversary of the national office's relocation from its previous headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, and declaring Tuesday "National Collegiate Athletic Association Day in the city of Indianapolis."
The NCAA headquarters, which first shared office space with the Big Ten Conference in a downtown hotel in Chicago, relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1952 and spent more than 40 years in and around the Kansas City area.
After a review of 10 metropolitan cities considered to become the NCAA's new home, Indianapolis was awarded the bid in May 1997 and opened its doors in White River State Park two years later.
"When we found out the NCAA was potentially moving its national office, we quickly recognized there is no better spot than Indianapolis," Indiana Sports Corp. President Patrick Talty said. "When the discussions with the NCAA happened, we focused on our shared values of positively impacting the lives of student-athletes. We brought together our university and college presidents from across the state and the business community to emphasize our commitment to the NCAA on our mission of education."
The NCAA's presence in downtown Indianapolis has impacted the local community on several fronts.
Indianapolis continues to host NCAA conventions and other conferences, as well other major college sports events, such as the College Football Playoff, Big Ten Championships and Horizon League Championships. These events, along with the 70 NCAA championships that have been hosted in the city, contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in growth to the economy and communities of Central Indiana nearly every year.
In the next few years, Indianapolis will host the 2026 Division I, II and III Men's Basketball Championships and host all three basketball championships on the women's side in 2028. In addition, nine NCAA championships will be conducted in Indianapolis during the 2024-25 season.
"It will come as no surprise when I say that these events bring tens of thousands of fans to host cities each year," Hogsett said. "And with this influx of visitors, comes a spike in support for local businesses, restaurants, hotels and more."
But the mayor was quick to point out that the NCAA has brought more to the city than just athletics events.
"(The NCAA) has supported the Indianapolis community in numerous ways over the years in building homes for people who are in need, bringing new exhibits to our children's museum — the world's greatest children's museum — and partnering with our schools to help further children's education."
When considering a contribution in honor of the NCAA's 25 years in Indianapolis, national office staff contacted IPS and inquired about new, unfunded programs the district was hoping to offer in the upcoming school year.
Felicia Martin, NCAA senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement, noted the decision was made based on the NCAA's core mission of supporting student-athletes' academics, encouraging athletics opportunities and prioritizing student-athlete well-being.
"We are thrilled that the NCAA's donation will create 20 new workshops for student-athletes at seven middle schools to focus on their social and emotional learning," Martin said.
The NCAA presented a check to the Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation that will help create 20 new workshops for student-athletes at seven middle schools to focus on social and emotional learning.
Accepting the contribution was IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, a former Division III volleyball student-athlete at Agnes Scott.
"This gift will directly impact more than 1,000 student-athletes during this upcoming school year, providing them with invaluable opportunities to grow, both on and off the field," said Johnson, who was joined at the event by IPS Foundation CEO Stephannie Bailey and IPS Athletics Director Darren Thomas. "Through this investment and partnership, IPS will be able to implement social and emotional learning workshops designed to foster a sense of belonging, enhance self-confidence and improve retention rates in both school and our athletic programs. This will equip our students with the mental tools they need for success in sports, academics and, most importantly, life."
During his time at the podium, Baker discussed the lifelong impact college sports can provide.
Baker, who acknowledged in the 25-year celebration ceremony that his tenure at the NCAA began just 18 months ago, opened his remarks noting that the groundwork to bring the national office to Indianapolis was laid by a number of people, including longtime Indianapolis civic and business leader Jim Morris, who died last month at the age of 81.
"I really can't tell you how much I wish he was here today to be a part of this because he would have been the last to take credit for any of it, (but probably) the guy who had the most to do with it," Baker said.
In addition to Morris, Baker also recognized 30 current employees who were on staff in Overland Park and made the move to Indianapolis 25 years ago.
"That's 700 years of service from 30 people over the course of the past 25 years," he said.
And while Baker noted that staff had grown from 300 employees in 1999 to more than 500 today, he called Indianapolis the "perfect place for us to convene the masses" when referring to the thousands within the membership who take part in attending more than 200 committee meetings at the national office annually.
On the heels of the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, Baker lauded the city for hosting the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in June.
"Watching this city host the Olympic trials, put a pool in a football stadium and fill it with water from the White River," he paused, "if the NCAA wasn't here, it should be here because the creativity and clarity and sense of purpose and belief in the power of sports that this community brings to everything it does is really special."
Touting the recent Olympic success in Paris, Baker noted 272 current and former student-athletes earned 330 medals in 21 sports and represented 22 conferences across all three divisions, 90 schools and 26 countries.
"The impact that collegiate sports has on sports worldwide is very rarely fully appreciated, but it was on constant display over the course of the past two weeks," he said. "And that is just one more of the ancillary benefits, of which there are many, that come from the collaboration and the spirit that's part of what this community, and this organization and our membership, and everybody who's a part of it, is all about."
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett (left) presents NCAA President Charlie Baker with a mayoral proclamation, announcing Tuesday as National Collegiate Athletic Association Day in the city of Indianapolis.
