Austin, Texas ? College World Series champion Texas was put on two years’ probation by the NCAA on Wednesday for illegal job benefits given to a former volunteer assistant coach.

The NCAA determined that assistant Richard Couch took a $40,000-a year marketing job at a beer distributorship owned by former university regent Lowell Lebermann but never did any work. Instead, Couch spent all his time working on activities related to the baseball team, especially recruiting.

NCAA rules prohibit volunteer coaches from being on an athletic department’s payroll or receiving preferential treatment in an outside job arranged by the department.

Tom Yeager, chairman of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions and chairman of the Colonial Athletic Association, said the violation was considered “major.”

The NCAA accepted Texas’ self-imposed penalty to prohibit head coach Augie Garrido from recruiting off campus until August 2003.

The team also will have one fewer scholarship for the 2003-04 school year, and only one assistant coach will be allowed to recruit off campus until next August.

The penalties do not keep Texas from playing in postseason championships.