With the spread of the "bigger-is-better" stereotype among collegiate athletes, drug use became a problem, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Oklahoma State University have taken measures to ensure that drugs are removed from sporting events.
The governing body that oversees the athletic programs of more than 900 institutions outlined a year-round drug-testing program in September 2001, although testing procedures actually began in 1990 for Division I and II football, and in 1992 for Division I track and field.
The NCAA spends $2.9 million annually to conduct random drug tests at each of its member institutions and at championship events, while OSU spends $25,000-$30,000 to test all of its athletes each year.
Terry Noonan, coordinator of athletic training and sports medicine at OSU, said the athletic department's policy requires each student athlete to undergo drug tests during preseason physicals.
Costs for the tests can vary depending on the substances being tested for. "General tests cost $25 per test, but if we want to test for steroids, the cost can rise to $80," Noonan said.
When Rashidi Wheeler, a football player at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., collapsed during a practice and died shortly afterward, a medical examiner reported ephedrine — a stimulant banned by the NCAA — was found in his system. That report has increased the search for ephedrine and similar drugs.
Frank Uryasz, president of the National Center for Drug-Free Sport, said ephedrine is a stimulant often found in nutritional supplements that, with heat and physical exertion, can be deadly.
"It's a banned substance, and the NCAA is considering the implementation of ephedrine-testing requirements," Uryasz said. Noonan said targeted searches such as those for ephedrine cost OSU $30 per test.
According to the NCAA Web site, urine tests are administered to each randomly selected athlete with the selection procedure being determined on the basis of any one or combination of categories, including position, athletics financial-aid status, playing time and an NCAA-approved random selection. Drug testing has been a major part of NCAA athletics since the organization began testing in 1986, Uryasz said.
Athletes that test positive for banned substances in NCAA-administered tests will be declared ineligible from competition for one year. According to the NCAA Web site, tests from 1999 to 2000 showed that out of 9,206 tests, 92 athletes tested positive for steroids and three for diuretics and urine manipulators. Though just under 10 percent tested positive, only six violated NCAA protocol.
Another stipulation of the NCAA is a newer requirement that institutions also provide drug-testing education for student athletes.
Mary Wilfert, health and safety program coordinator for the NCAA said, "NCAA institutions are required to provide drug-testing education that informs student athletes about the risks of performance enhancing substances, including products they can purchase over-the-counter that may cause them to test positive in NCAA drug testing."
"This is a fairly new requirement, and an institution can be cited for failing to do this if it comes up in a drug-test appeal."
Wilfert said the NCAA funds the drug testing it provides, but the individual institutions fund drug-testing education unless they apply for NCAA grants to help alleviate the costs.
"We encourage the institutions to take advantage of those specialists in their own area, but we do provide resources and directions for establishing accurate drug-testing education," she said.
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