INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NCAA is requiring bowl games to ban the “hostile” or “abusive” use of American Indian nicknames, mascots and logos beginning next year.

On Tuesday, the NCAA announced it’s extending its prohibition to include bowl games. The decision was made after Bowl Championship Series officials sought a ruling after determining it could not impose the prohibition, NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said.

Only one Division I-A school, the University of Illinois, will be affected.

“We received a written request from the BCS to take appropriate action as it related to bowl games,” Williams said.

. “The BCS didn’t feel it had the governance structure to do what was necessary.”

In August, the NCAA released a list of 18 “offenders,” four of which play Division I-A football. But three, Florida State, Central Michigan and the University of Utah, have already been granted extensions, dropping the number of schools to 15. The University of North Dakota also has filed an appeal, the NCAA said earlier this week.

NCAA Divisions I-AA, II and III were already included in the ban because they have a playoff system. The NCAA announced in August that the ban would be imposed at all NCAA championships. That is scheduled take effect in February.

Although the NCAA does not run bowl games, it does sanction them. So the governing body agreed to add the mascot ban to its list of requirements to be licensed. The prohibition will extend beyond the five BCS bowl games and include all of the postseason games.

“NCAA bylaws require that all licensed bowls must comply with the NCAAs principles for the conduct of intercollegiate athletics,’ as set forth in the NCAA Constitution, which contains basic principles for the value of cultural diversity and forms the basis for the mascot policy,” the NCAA said in a written statement.

AP-ES-09-20-05 1933EDT

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