When John Wiley took over as University of Wisconsin chancellor in 2001, one of his first public tasks was to deal with the fallout from the infamous scandal involving The Shoebox.

"It was a tough time," he said, recalling how one of his first out-of-town assignments was to Jackson Hole, Wyo., to be grilled by NCAA investigators. "It was embarrassing."

The NCAA ultimately put the school on probation for five years and administered a series of other sanctions to the school, all stemming from widespread extra benefits received by UW student-athletes at the retail shoe outlet in nearby Black Earth.

As Wiley prepares to step down as chancellor -- former Cornell provost Biddy Martin will take over in September -- he's well aware of the fact UW has not run afoul of the NCAA since then.

"That we take pride in," Wiley said.

The seven-year streak of no major rules violations at UW is one of the longest among Big Ten Conference schools. At least one league institution -- Indiana and its men's basketball program -- is known to be under investigation for major infractions.

A larger compliance staff, led by UW assistant athletic director Steve Waterfield, and more vigilant approach to education and monitoring has kept the school out of serious trouble.

While there have been self-reported secondary violations every year since 2001 -- including 35 between July 2007 and June 2008 -- they are considered a sign of quality institutional control.

Without identifying those involved, Waterfield offered a detailed explanation of all the violations and the corrective steps that were taken in the aftermath.

Fourteen of the 23 sports sponsored by UW committed at least one secondary violation during that 11-month period. Men's basketball and football led the way with five each, while women's rowing had four.

Thirteen of the violations involved recruiting, whether it was inadvertent contact with a prospect during a NCAA dead period (men's basketball, women's rowing), replying to a text message from a recruit (football), improper acknowledgement of unsigned prospects (men's basketball, volleyball), or the family member of a prospect not paying full price for a meal until after the official visit (men's basketball, women's basketball, men's hockey, women's rowing).

Three violations were acknowledged by UW administrators, including one where parents of a Badgers football player were allowed to purchase, at face value, a parking permit that wasn 't available to the general public.

Among the violations reported by football was one where the parents of a UW player received complimentary tickets to Busch Gardens-Tampa prior to the Outback Bowl.

Among the violations reported by men's basketball was one where a UW player received a discount, estimated at $7 to $8, for merchandise at Bucky's Lockerroom even though he hadn't signed up for the discount.

Among the violations reported by women's rowing was one where, due to an error in its computer database, recruiting correspondence was sent prematurely to high school sophomores and freshmen.

While a lot of NCAA bylaws are understandable, many are ambiguous and some are downright odd.

Like the violation for volleyball because one player in one match displayed an Adidas logo that was deemed too large.

Like the violation listed under UW administration because a high school hockey team, in Madison for the WIAA state tournament, was allowed to tour Camp Randall Stadium.

Speaking of odd, family members from different UW teams were involved in violations that reflect the out-of-the-way nature of some NCAA rules.

UW women's hockey coach Mark Johnson was recruiting in Minnesota when he did a TV interview about his role in the "Miracle On Ice" in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Because it was shown as part of the girls state tournament, it's against NCAA rules.

Meanwhile, Patrick Johnson, a member of the UW men's hockey team, briefly used a canister of protein powder as a prop in his video bio for the Kohl Center scoreboard. He was making light of his slight frame, but the NCAA interprets that as him promoting a commercial product.

The problems Waterfield dealt with during the 2007-08 school year are small compared to the firestorm at Indiana, where the men's basketball scandal has cost the coach, Kelvin Sampson, and the athletic director, Rick Greenspan, their jobs.

"I understand the challenges that all my Big Ten brethren in compliance face," Waterfield said. "I am happy it's not me and it's not the University of Wisconsin, but I do feel for them and what they're going through."