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| Awarded for | The most successful overall athletic program in each division of collegiate sports. |
|---|---|
| Presented by | National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics |
| History | |
| Most wins | NCAA Division I: Stanford Cardinal (26) NCAA Division II: Grand Valley State Lakers (15) NCAA Division III: Williams Ephs (22) NAIA: Azusa Pacific Cougars (8) NJCAA: Iowa Central Tritons (5) |
| Most recent | NCAA Division I: Stanford Cardinal NCAA Division II: Grand Valley State Lakers NCAA Division III: Johns Hopkins Blue Jays NAIA: Indiana Tech Warriors NJCAA: Iowa Western Reivers |
| Website | https://thedirectorscup.com/ |
The NACDA Directors' Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the NACDA Learfield Directors' Cup or simply as the Directors' Cup, is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the colleges and universities in the United States[a] with the most success in collegiate athletics. Points for the NACDA Directors' Cup are based on order of finish in various championships sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) or, in the case of Division I Football, media-based polls. A first-place finish in a sport earns 100 points, second place 90 points, third place 85 points, fourth place 80 points, and lesser values for lower finishes (exact numbers beyond fourth place depend on the sport and division; see chart).[1] The award originated in 1993 and was presented to NCAA Division I schools only. In 1995 it was extended to Division II, Division III, and NAIA schools as well, then extended further to junior colleges in 2011 based on standings from the NATYCAA Cup.[2][3] Each division receives its own award.
The physical award is a Waterford Crystal trophy. Prior to 2003, the sponsor of the NACDA Directors' Cup was retail merchandiser Sears, and the award was known as the Sears Cup. Beginning in the 2003–04 season, the sponsor was the United States Sports Academy. In 2007–08, Learfield Sports assumed the sponsorship of the Directors' Cup. Learfield Sports rebranded to Learfield IMG College in 2016 and to simply Learfield in 2021.
- ^ The three Canadian universities which compete in the NCAA or NAIA (Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, and University of Victoria) are also eligible for the award.
- ^ "Directors' Cup Bracket and Non-Bracket Sports Scoring (PDF)" (PDF). National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
- ^ "About". Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup. 2008-09-29. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
- ^ "Daktronics Cup Past Winners". National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Retrieved 2021-08-06.