DATE: Wednesday, August 27, 1997            TAG: 9708270752

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM,STAFF WRITER

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:  110 lines

PRICE OF MOVING UP WILL BE COSTLY FANS ARE SPLIT ON THE MOVE TO THE MORE EXPENSIVE DIVISION I.

Mildred Murphy worked 32 years at Norfolk State University before retirement, joined the school's booster club decades ago and for more years than she can recall, has made the trek each winter to the CIAA basketball tournament.

But like thousands of NSU followers, Murphy's sports universe is changing this season as the Spartans move into Division I and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Murphy has mixed emotions about the move. She's proud the Spartans will be knocking heads with more formidable teams - but she will miss the CIAA tournament.

``It was something like a winter vacation,'' said Murphy, a Virginia Beach resident. ``You saw old friends every year, you made new ones.

``It's more than just a basketball tournament. It's a social event. But I know (moving up) is for the betterment of the young men. . . . It will give us a chance to show we can go up against anybody.''

Former NSU and NBA basketball star Bobby Dandridge says alumni are split down the middle on the move.

``The progressive half wants to venture into Division I,'' said Dandridge, an associate director of player programs for the NBA Players Association. ``But history and legacy and the feeling of comfort with the known is holding some back.

``They are uncomfortable with the unknown and they have a hesitancy as to whether the school will put out the resources necessary and have the mindset to recruit the top athletes.''

Even Willie Brown, head of the school's alumni association, is having trouble letting go. He has attended the CIAA basketball tournament each year for more than a decade. It's a habit he says he can't break.

``I'm still going to the tournament,'' said Brown, a Chesapeake resident whose company, Quick Shop Concessions, won the concessions rights at Dick Price Stadium. ``I wouldn't miss it.

``But as much as I will miss our rivalries in the CIAA, I'm glad we're moving up. It's the right move.''

Dr. Marie V. McDemmond, who became NSU's president only last month, says she's been hearing from the pro-CIAA faction since her first day on campus.

``A lot of our fans want us to go back into the CIAA,'' she says. ``I hear it every day.''

But she says there's no going back. The school is in Division I and the MEAC to stay.

As the Spartans prepare for their Division I football opener Saturday against Virginia State at Dick Price Stadium, some questions and answers about how the move up will affect fans:

Have ticket prices increased?

Yes, and considerably so in football. General admission to a football game will jump from $10 to $13, and reserved seats from $12 to $18. High school students, seniors and retired military will pay $8, up $2 from last year.

Why are prices going up so much?

In part because of the increased cost of playing in Division I. NSU has to fund more scholarships to meet Division I standards. Part of the reason is a $1.2 million athletic department debt carried over from past seasons. But the major reason is the new, 28,088-seat Dick Price Stadium. The school must raise nearly $800,000 per year for 15 years to pay off revenue bonds used to build the stadium.

How do prices compare elsewhere?

NSU football will be a little more expensive than its other two Division I-AA competitors in Hampton Roads. William and Mary charges $8 and $15 for home games. Hampton University charges $10, $13 and $20 with students paying $5 and children $3.

Will NSU students still be admitted to athletic events free?

Theoretically, yes. Full-time students are admitted to NSU football games by showing their student ID. But athletic student fees, which are included in tuition, were raised by about $80 per student per year last March in large part to help pay for athletics, McDemmond said.

Will ticket prices for basketball also increase?

Probably, but prices haven't yet been set, says ticket manager Orville Harris.

What will football fans get for their money?

Price Stadium will offer more amenities than did Foreman Field, where the Spartans have played since the 1960s. More concession stands, better food, more restrooms, better sight lines. The football will also be better. Division I-AA football is a cut above Division II.

Will the MEAC tournament replace the CIAA tournament in the hearts and minds of NSU fans?

Maybe, but not for a while. Because of NCAA rules, NSU won't compete in the MEAC tournament for eight years. NSU officials hope the rules are changed, but even basketball coach Mike Bernard acknowledges that probably won't happen. For now, it appears there will be no postseason for NSU basketball until 2005. The women's team, however, will be eligible for the MEAC tourney in 1998-99.

Which MEAC teams are most likely to become NSU's new rivals?

Hampton, which made the move to Division I two years ago, was NSU's biggest rival in the CIAA. Florida A&M, Howard and South Carolina State have storied athletic reputations. And old CIAA rivals Virginia Union and North Carolina Central might jump to the MEAC.

Are there some fans glad to be leaving the CIAA?

At least one - James Wilson, a retired Norfolk fireman, who's been following NSU football and basketball for four decades.

``I think it should have been done years ago,'' Wilson said. ``I won't miss the CIAA one bit. We've always been a big fish in a small pond. Now we'll compete with schools closer to our own population.

``Besides, the bands in the MEAC are something else. They put a little more into them than the CIAA schools.'' MEMO: Thursday: A look at the money involved in Norfolk State's move to

Division I. ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Mildred Murphy, who worked 32 years at Norfolk State, says she's

proud the Spartans will be moving up, but she will miss the CIAA

tournament.

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