Want to obtain public records about a Division I athletic department?

Scroll down for our most up-to-date directory showing where to send your request, how to execute it and other pertinent information about the process.

There are important differences between states’ public record laws that impact the transparency of these institutions. For example, there are seven states — Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Missouri, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Virginia — which assert (or imply) a residency requirement for records requestors, although this does not necessarily mean each (or any) of those states’ universities adhere to it (we’ve noted, accordingly). In some cases, schools whose states make residency requirements will still provide records to media outlets that circulate within their area.

Also worth noting:

• Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Temple are considered “state-related” universities in Pennsylvania and are therefore exempt under that state’s Right to Know Law. Because of this, we have not included them in the directory.
• Florida, Central Florida and Florida State all have established their athletic departments as separate, direct-support organizations, thereby claiming them to be exempt from The Florida Sunshine Law. However, on a case-by-case basis, those schools still respond to requests for athletic department records, which is why we’ve included them in the directory.
• University athletic departments in the state of Georgia are allowed up to 90 days to respond to public records requests, thanks to “Kirby’s Law,” an amendment to the Georgia Open Records Act, which UGA football coach Kirby Smart successfully lobbied for back in 2016. In so doing, Smart made the argument that the state’s public transparency requirements put his program at a competitive disadvantage when it came to recruiting.
• Delaware’s Freedom of Information Act exempts “activities” of the University of Delaware and Delaware State from public disclosure, but does require the release of “documents relating to the expenditure of public funds.”

Have any questions, corrections or updates for our list? Send an email to foiasaxa@theintercollegiate.com or leave a comment below. This page will be updated as new information warrants.

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*Schools’ conference affiliation identified by men’s basketball membership; “SID” refers to the athletic department’s sports information director or primary athletic communications contact; some links to online portals may require you to copy and paste the URL into your web browser.