This paper reviews the history of abuse and reform in intercollegiate athletics and the role of governing board members in encouraging reform. It reviews a 1929 report from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the 1991 report of the Knight Foundation Commission, which both note the systemic nature of abuses in college sports, and emphasize the need for higher education to take major corrective action. The paper also discusses the changes instituted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the 1980s including more meaningful academic requirements for freshmen, the establishment of the NCAA Presidents Commission, and a revision of NCAA requirements on violations, together with a call by the Executive Director for the development of a new model that would demonstrate the effective control of college sports. Court cases arising out of state law, fans' and alumni charges of bias in NCAA enforcement, and congressional interventions are seen as impediments to solutions, as is faculty reluctance to participate in governance. Trustees are urged to focus on the inculcation of ethical values in all students, and athletes in particular, as the first step in changing societal attitudes about the proper role of intercollegiate athletics in higher education. (BF)