SEC football's notable NCAA cases through the years

[jbcarol]

NCAA allegations against Ole Miss released Wednesday are some of the most explosive regarding an SEC school in many years.

The Rebels have already taken a one-year postseason ban, making them the first SEC football team to do so since Mississippi State in 2004. By the time the NCAA Committee on Infractions is done with Ole Miss, its program could be crippled in a similar way to how Alabama's was in the early 2000s.

However, there was a time that the NCAA was uncovering major violations by SEC programs on a regular basis. The NCAA enforcement staff was formed in 1952, just in time to give Kentucky basketball the death penalty the following year.

There have been a number of major NCAA cases involving other sports, including Kentucky basketball again in the late 1980s. However, as you would expect, most of the more noteworthy infractions by SEC schools have involved football.

Here's a look back at some of the more noteworthy cases over the years:

Auburn, 1956

The violations: Through Auburn assistant coach Hal Herring, a booster was found to have given $500 each to Harry and Robert Beaube, twin brothers from Emma Sansom High School in Gadsden, in order to induce them to play for the Tigers.

The sanctions: Auburn was hit with three years of probation, a two-year postseason ban and a two-year television ban through the 1957 season. The probation was the longest ever handed out by the NCAA at that time.

The aftermath: Auburn went 10-0 and claimed the Associated Press national championship in 1957, but was ineligible to play in a bowl game...

Auburn, 1958 ...

Mississippi State, 1975

The violations: Defensive tackle Larry Gillard received discounts at a clothing store owned by a Mississippi State alumnus. Gillard and defensive back Richard Blackmore were found to have taken small cash payments of less than $50 from coaches, in order to use for travel expenses during recruiting. Boosters were found to have provided improper transportation and meals to recruits.

The sanctions: The Bulldogs were hit with two years probation, 2-year postseason ban, 2-year television ban, dissociation of boosters and loss of five scholarships for 1976. Gillard was declared permanently ineligible.

The aftermath: Mississippi State chose to appeal Gillard's eligibility, and played him while appealing to the NCAA. After the NCAA denied the appeal, the Bulldogs were forced to forfeit 19 victories in which Gillard played from 1975-77, including nine in 1976.

Florida, 1985

The violations: The Gators were charged with 107 major violations, including 59 committed by head coach Charley Pell himself. Included among them were paying players for no-show jobs, athletes selling tickets to boosters at a heavy mark-up, non-scholarship players receiving free housing and meals, out-of-season practice and spying on opposing teams.

The sanctions: The Gators got two years of probation, the loss of 20 scholarships over a two-year period, a two-year postseason ban and a two-year television ban.

Ole Miss, 1986...

Florida, 1990...

Auburn, 1993

The violations: Auburn booster Corky Frost was found to have given more than $4,000 in cash and merchandise — including steaks and tires for a car —

Ole Miss, 1994

The violations: For the second time in eight years, the NCAA hammer fell on the Rebels...

Alabama, 1995

The violations: Alabama cornerback Antonio Langham took a small amount of money from and signed papers with an agent in the hours after the Crimson Tide won the 1993 Sugar Bowl, which should have rendered him immediately ineligible. When head coach Gene Stallings and athletic director Hootie Ingram learned of Langham's transgression, they chose to conduct their own investigation instead of reporting the matter to the SEC office as required...

Kentucky, 2002

The violations: Football operations director/recruiting coordinator Claude Bassett...

Alabama, 2002

The violations: In the words of Committee on Infractions chairman Thomas Yeager, Alabama was "staring down the barrel of a gun" of the NCAA's death penalty...

State, 2004

The violations: Mississippi State was charged with 13 violations during the tenure of head coach Jackie Sherrill...

Alabama, 2009

The violations: The NCAA found that Alabama athletes in several sports were using scholarship money to acquire textbooks...

It was a textbook case.