30 Years Ago: Referendum Advanced Athletics into Division I
11/18/2021 8:59:00 AM | General
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly's 17,500 students in the fall of 1991 were asked to determine the direction of their athletics department.
There were two choices:
1. Retain a small, eight-team Division II program without football.
2. Build a broad-based Division I program with football.
Dr. Ken Walker"We knew for over a year that athletics could not sustain the financial losses it incurred given the virtual death of Division II football in California and the West Coast in general," said Dr. Ken Walker, then the director of athletics. "Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's and Cal State Northridge had either dropped football or would do so within a year, so we faced the expenses of traveling our football team out of state to fill a 10-game schedule, and that broke our bank.
"With no financial relief in sight and with no possibility of limiting travel and, hence, cost, we began to look to various alternatives, only two of which appeared realistic," Walker added.
After consulting with other colleges and universities with modest athletics budgets and with various conferences asking if they would accept an application from Cal Poly to join should the Mustangs move to Division I, Walker submitted his findings to the President's Council.
"President (Warren) Baker endorsed my recommendation and the referendum was born," said Walker. "We then announced to the student body in the spring of 1991 that a referendum on athletics would be held that coming fall. The Athletics Department supported the move to Division I."
In the biggest turnout in state college history, more than 10,000 Cal Poly students voted Nov. 20-21 on whether to tax themselves on a graduating scale from $8 prior to the election to $31 in the fall of 1992 up to $43 a student per quarter by 1994 to support the school's sports teams.
The results of the election 30 years ago this week: Out of 10,369 votes (a staggering 59 percent of the student body), 5,307 voted yes and 5,062 said no. The students chose to elevate all 17 NCAA sports teams at the time (since increased to 21 intercollegiate teams in the years to follow) from Division II of the NCAA to Division I by the 1994-95 school year.
Announcement of the final tally was made on Nov. 22 at 12:30 a.m. in front of about 150 athletes, coaches and administrators inside the University Union and were made official on Dec. 3, 1991.
"This is truly a great moment and certainly something to savor," said Walker
"Students who voted for the measure believe athletics is an important component of the overall educational experience," added Baker after the election results were announced. "Ultimately, our athletic program will be stronger and more vital as a result of students' long-term investment in athletics."
"I am relieved, definitely relieved, especially for my family," said then-Cal Poly wrestling coach Lennis Cowell. "These kids worked hard and they did what was necessary to win it."
"I'm relieved. A tremendous amount of pressure was put on me and my family and the players and their families," said former Mustang baseball coach Steve McFarland. "I'm just thankful we have a program and I have a job and I don't have to make any great adjustments in my life."
Richard Andrews"There was a great deal of negative feeling from students (which I did not concur with), but the student-athletes did a great job of getting the referendum passed, thankfully," said Richard Andrews, a 1956 Cal Poly graduate and a strong supporter of Cal Poly and a loyal Mustang fan for over 60 years. "In spite of all the land mines along the way, we have muddled through rather well with not too many breaks, bruises and concussions."
Students added an estimated $2.3 million to the athletic budget the following academic year (1992-93). Cal Poly began its four-year transition to Division I in the fall of 1992, officially beginning competition at the top NCAA level in the fall of 1994.
During the 1990-91 recession, the athletic department faced a $381,000 deficit prior to the election, including $95,000 in losses during the 1990-91 school year alone, and then-California governor Pete Wilson had proposed a 15.5-percent cut in the state budget, forcing Cal Poly administrators to make some hard decisions.
In addition to football, the sports considered to be cut if the referendum failed were baseball, softball, men's and women's swimming, gymnastics, wrestling and men's and women's tennis. The baseball team had won the NCAA Division II national championship just two years prior to the election.
"We knew in the weeks and days prior to the vote the risk we faced and, given the heated and heightened political atmosphere the vote created on campus, we knew the vote would be close," said Walker. "We were confident only of the effort the student-athletes put into the referendum, the rallies they attended, the posters they made, the talks they gave in classrooms, the alliances they developed with clubs and other natural campus allies, the plans they made to transport friends to the polls, and on and on.
"We knew that if we won, it would be because of the work the athletes put into it, but if we failed, it wouldn't be for lack of effort," Walker added. "The students favoring Division I were wildly enthusiastic, and their enthusiasm won the day. As it turned out, the issue was the issue, and students decided it at the ballot box. Credit to the students."
Dr. Warren J. BakerAdded Baker, "Division I athletics brings increased media exposure to Cal Poly on a local, statewide, regional, and national basis, and we attract more interest from our alumni and supporters throughout the state and from potential students. Division I athletics give us additional opportunities to tell the Cal Poly story to a growing audience."
Thirty years later, the turnout of 10,369 students (59 percent) is still believed to be the highest for an election at a college or university in California. The margin of victory was just 245 votes.
"Like democratic elections in general, turnout is key and that was true of the referendum," said Walker. "Initially, we thought a low turnout would benefit us, since we thought we knew within reason the number of pro votes we could count on. But as it turned out, we were wrong, if only because of the sheer size of the vote.
"When we saw on voting day the long lines at the polling sites and felt the electricity in the air, we knew there'd be a far larger vote count than we expected," Walker added. "So we knew throughout the day that we'd need significantly more pro votes than we'd counted on. As the votes were counted that night, we knew the vote count was large, but we didn't know then that the count was by far the largest in CSU history, both by absolute number but also by percentage of the student body as well.
"Passage of the referendum provided funding for vast improvements in the support Cal Poly could provide for its athletes, from academic advising, to facilities, to health professionals, to equipment, to game management, to marketing and promotions, not to mention a higher level of competition and an administrative staff to provide leadership and oversight," Walker continued.
"One area that hasn't changed: Excellent students and high graduation rates."
