The recent media frenzy about NCAA investigators asking questions about Auburn’s football program prompted the repeated chorus of “Auburn is the cheatingest bunch of cheaters in college football” from around the region. As we pointed out last year after Auburn was cleared in the Cam Newton investigation, Auburn is not a frequently punished cheater in the modern era. Auburn has not been found guilty of a major NCAA violation since 1993 – since the Eric Ramsey case at the end of the Pat Dye era.
This website [https://web1.ncaa.org/LSDBi/exec/miSearch ] is the NCAA Major Penalty Infractions Database. It is easily searchable and provides all the details of NCAA investigations and penalties. Since current high school seniors were born in 1995, we searched from 1995 to now, for all SEC football teams. The results are detailed below.
So if you disagree with the data below, that is fine – just know that it is fact. It is not opinion or internet rumor or “I heard on the radio” garbage. These are the real cases where the NCAA has conducted investigations and found schools guilty. You can draw your own conclusions.
Current SEC Football teams on probation: Tennessee and South Carolina.
Number of Times SEC Schools have been Given Major NCAA Penalties Since 1995:
Alabama – 3 (2009, 2002, 1995)
Mississippi State – 2 (2004, 1996)
South Carolina – 2 (2012, 2005)
Tennessee – 1 (2012)
LSU – 1 (2011)
Arkansas -1 (2003)
Kentucky – 1 (2002)
Georgia – 1 (1997)
Auburn – ZERO
Number of Years on NCAA Probation Since 1995 (includes future years for penalties ongoing)
Alabama – 7 years
South Carolina – 6 years
Mississippi State – 5 years
Kentucky – 3 years
Arkansas – 3 years
Tennessee – 2 years
Georgia – 2 years
LSU – 1 year
Auburn – ZERO
You can download the list of NCCA Penalties for SEC teams 1995-current here.
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Van Allen Plexico managed to attend Auburn (and score student football tickets) for some portion of every year between 1986 and 1996. He realizes that’s probably not something one should brag about, but hey. He teaches college near St Louis (because ten years as a student was somehow just not enough time to spend at school) and writes and edits for a variety of publishers. Find links to his various projects at www.plexico.net.
John Ringer graduated from Auburn in 1991 (which may be the greatest time ever to be an Auburn student – SEC titles in 1987, 88 and 89 and the 1989 Iron Bowl). His family has had season tickets every year since well before he was born and he grew up wandering around Jordan-Hare on game days. He currently lives in Richmond, Virginia where he spends way too much time reading about college football on the internet and teaching his children to love Auburn football.
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Be sure to click on the link at the end of the article and see the details. Don’t take my word for it – read the NCAA findings about the other SEC schools. Do not believe the radio and internet hype about Auburn cheating.
this will only “prove” the bammer talking point of how we’ve got inside people with the NCAA who protect us no matter what. Oh, and the FBI, and the CIA, and the KGB….
UA is actually 10 years on probation. Don’t forget in ’09 it was 3 years.
Whatever makes you sleep better. Auburn got away with mega payments to the Newton family. And Trooper is the money man.
Your list is deceptive, btw. Redo the list according to football programs, not athletic programs. And nice piece of editing by choosing according to “todays high school seniors” what does that even mean. How bout the entire history of the individual football programs.
But PAAAWWWWWLLLLL! Dem Awbarn cheaters is usin’ real facts and common sense. Make ’em stop PAAAAWWWWWLLLL.
So, War Eagle Reader, I took your advice and looked it up for myself. And I understood why you started in 1995. There’s no need to go back in time and see where a University actually has a history in something.
Auburn leads the SEC with 5 Major Infractions in it’s history.
Auburn is also one of only 3 SEC schools to also be found guilty of both “Lack of of Institutional Control” AND “Unethical Conduct”. A designation they share with Ole Miss & Miss State.
Your entire article is rubbish.
Music City Dawg. Ha, mad much? Coming up short for 30 years is getting to you, calm down and step away for a bit.
Anyone else find it weird that someone from ThugU is talking about AU’s penalties so far back in the past he was probably in Kindergarten at the time? Glass houses and all…..
Music City Dawg:
Please provide a link or reference to any reputable source that identifies Trooper as the bag man or explains how the deal went down. (Dawg Vent research and Danny Sheridan’s homepage not accepted.)
Unfortunately people believe perception more than reality
What about aTm and Mizzou?
Facts? How dare you!
Question from a data nerd: How many total number of games has each of the SEC teams been forced to vacate? Is that data available?
Why this 1995 date? Does this “history” assist you with your point of view? Auburn University is number 3 on the NCAA webiste for their cheating past. The entire nation knows that Cam Newton was purchased. Cam’s dad admitted to shopping him to MSU for $180,000! He did not attend Auburn University for free. Click here (http://www.ncaagridirongab.com/2011/03/09/10-most-corrupt-ncaa-athletic-programs/) for actual history, not just post 1995. Lord have mercy this school and their twist on “history”.
Furthermore: Thanks to Music City Dawg
November 28, 2012 at 12:22 pm So, War Eagle Reader, I took your advice and looked it up for myself. And I understood why you started in 1995. There’s no need to go back in time and see where a University actually has a history in something.
Auburn leads the SEC with 5 Major Infractions in it’s history.
Auburn is also one of only 3 SEC schools to also be found guilty of both “Lack of of Institutional Control” AND “Unethical Conduct”. A designation they share with Ole Miss & Miss State.
Your entire article is rubbish.
Since 2009, Auburn University has won 33% of all National Championships in college football! This is also an amazing stat! Just pick your date and Bam, any school can look great!
Luke,
We are so glad you enjoyed the facts. They are all true.
We picked 1995 on purpose – because the college football recruits that will sign in February 2013 were born then. While you think it is arbitrary, it is important – kids know what they witness firsthand.
In the lifetime of today’s high school recruits, the schools above are proven cheaters. Auburn is not. I understand that you won’t like that fact, but it is a fact.
The NCAA disagrees with you about Cam Newton, and since they are judge and jury on this issue and you are just a random guy on the internet, their verdict matters and your opinion does not.
And we wrote this for people like you Luke, who cannot seem to separate the reality of today in college football from how you want the world to be. The reality is that Auburn has not been found guilty of cheating since 1993. Eight other schools have been found guilty since then and Alabama has been found guilty three times.
Why would bama meltdown ? we have won 2 out of three national titles and about to play for the right to play for it again And we just beat u 49 to 0 we seem to be doing fine without yall being in trouble lol
And we have won 4 out of five and 3 of those games was not even close lol to be honest lsu has become the most hated rival because its only a rival if the games are close and right now these iron bowls are not even worth watching
In a recent study, 76% of bammers said they would allow their significant other to have “relations” with Nick Saban. The remaining 24% responded “ain’t no damn body touchin’ MY sister.”…lolz
Here’s the top 10 all time list for those curious. (Not counting Cam either guys, we’re playing by OJ rules here. No conviction = no crime).
College Football (FBS) Programs That Have Been Sanctioned the Most
Note: The count includes seasons not yet completed (i.e. USC 2012-2013).
Rk School Seasons Sanctioned
1 Southern Methodist (TX) 17 7
2 Southern California 15 6
3 Auburn (AL) 11 4
4t Alabama 10 3
4t Michigan St. 10 3
4t Oklahoma 10 5
7t Colorado 9 5
7t Illinois 9 5
7t Texas A&M 9 4
7t Wisconsin 9 4