ATTITUDES OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES REGARDING NCAA MOUTHGUARD REGULATIONS AND PLAYER COMPLIANCE

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes of D ivision I-A college head football coaches regarding the NCAA mouthguar d regulations, current patterns of use by players, and responsibility for enforcement,. and to compare the coaches' responses with those of officials studied previously. Methods: A 15-item questionnaire was mai led to all 106 Division 1-A football coaches to assess their attitudes . Percent frequency distributions of coaches' responses to each item w ere computed and compared to the officials' responses. Results: Respon ses were received from 98 coaches (92.45%). While 87 percent of coache s reported having a team dentist the majority reported that the team t rainer was responsible for selecting the type of mouthguard used. Most coaches (53%) reported that all players wore mouthguards, but that qu arterbacks were least compliant. Most coaches reported that mouthguard rules were beneficial in determining player compliance and resulted i n more frequent use. Seventy-four percent would warn the player of a V iolation themselves, yet only 26 percent felt the coach had the greate st influence on players wearing mouthguards. Seventy-six percent felt the current enforcement of the rules is appropriate. Coaches opinions varied from those of officials. Conclusions: Coaches view themselves, the players, or the trainer as most responsible for players wearing mo uthguards, not referees. This finding coincides with the officials' op inion that the coaches should be accountable.