Fall 1956: When he enrolls at Oklahoma and joins the football team, Prentice Gautt becomes the first Black student-athlete to play for a member school in the Jim Crow states of the South and Southwest. Gautt later becomes the NCAA’s secretary-treasurer in 1994. September 1, 1956 40
Oct. 1, 1951: Walter Byers becomes the first full-time executive director of the NCAA after serving since 1947 as part-time executive assistant. October 1, 1951 42
March 27, 1939: The first National Collegiate Basketball Championship is conducted at Northwestern. The University of Oregon wins the first title. March 27, 1939 42
May 25, 1935: Ohio State’s Jesse Owens breaks four world records at the Big Ten Conference track championships. A month later, he becomes the first athlete to win four individual titles in one year at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, a feat he repeats the following year. May 25, 1935 49
June 17-18, 1921: Sixty-two teams participate in the first NCAA-sponsored championship, the National Collegiate Track and Field Championships, at the University of Chicago. Among the champions is Leonard Paulu of Grinnell, a veteran who lost an eye in World War I. June 17, 1921 38
1906: Palmer Pierce becomes the Association’s first president, holding office from 1906 to 1913 and from 1917 to 1929. January 1, 1906 45
