Directors' Cup Release with Complete Final Standings
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June 27, 2007

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has released the final Directors' Cup standings for 2006-07, and Purdue University finished 35th out of 300 Division I schools for the second straight year.

"We took another step forward this year, and we appreciate the hard work put in by the student-athletes, the coaches and our staff," Athletics Director Morgan J. Burke said. "While we remained in 35th, we did increase the number of points earned from 492 to 532.50 points. We are proud that our women's golf team finished in second place at the NCAA Championships, the highest yet for Purdue or any Big Ten women's golf program. Our women's basketball program advanced to the Elite Eight, our men's basketball team returned to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round, our volleyball team returned to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year and our football team played in a bowl game for the ninth time in 10 years. We have a lot to be proud of, but we are not satisfied."

The Directors' Cup is the only all-sports competition that recognizes the best overall athletics program. The winners were announced at NACDA's 42nd Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla., and presented to four winning institutions, one in each of the NCAA divisions (I, II, and III), and the NAIA.

For the 13th consecutive year, Stanford finished at the top of the list for NCAA Division I schools. The Cardinal completed the athletic season with two national championships and four runner-up finishes.

Rounding out the top five are UCLA, North Carolina, Michigan and University of Southern California.

"We made progress on many fronts in 2006-07 despite a few disappointments," Burke said. "The key is to keep your eye on the target and work to improve the teams, the staff and the facilities to close the gap. The prospects are encouraging, and we hope to have a few more teams emerge on the national front this coming year which should edge us closer to the target."

Purdue has gained ground in the 25/75 Club, a designation that refers to those institutions that finish in the top 25 for the Directors' Cup and graduate 75 percent of their student-athletes. The 35th-place finish in the Directors' Cup is combined with a 72 percent graduation rate in 2006-07. The composite rankings will not be released until the fall, but the Boilermakers 2 percent improvement in their graduation rate should improve upon a school-best 15th place ranking in 2005-06.

This season, Purdue was one of only six schools to have football participate in a bowl game along with men's and women's basketball and volleyball competing in the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers were one of only five schools, and the only one in the Big Ten, with football in a bowl game, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer and women's volleyball in the NCAA Tournament. This season's appearance in the Champs Sports Bowl was the ninth bowl game in 10 seasons for the Boilermakers. Purdue is one of only 16 teams to have competed in at least nine bowl games in last 10 years.

The Big Ten was represented in the top five of the Directors' Cup by Michigan. The final Big Ten standings are as follows: Michigan - fourth, Ohio State - 14th, Wisconsin - 16th, Minnesota - 20th, Penn State - 21st, Northwestern - 30th, Michigan State - 34th, Purdue - 35th, Illinois - 42nd, Indiana - 50th and Iowa - 68th.

The U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Ala., is the program's sponsor. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports, 10 women's and 10 men's.

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