Post by elp525 on Oct 29, 2011 12:07:50 GMT -5
October 28, 2011
Conference invites Mountaineers to play next season
By Dave Hickman & Mitch Vingle
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University President Jim Clements sent out a text message around 2 p.m. Friday.
It simply said: "It is a great day to be a Mountaineer!!"
That day was originally planned to be Wednesday, but after a few days of concern and consternation, WVU sealed its deal to leave the Big East Conference and become a member of the Big 12 in July 2012.
The Big 12 Board of Directors, meeting via conference call early Friday, officially voted to invite the Mountaineers, and the school accepted.
"It's a real privilege to be invited," said Clements via a Friday evening conference call. "No doubt, we are in great company. It's a long, long-term investment . . . We are very, very excited."
The Big 12 board met by phone at 7 a.m. EST and selected the Mountaineers over Louisville. Both schools were informed shortly thereafter.
"Their record speaks for itself," Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas said of the Mountaineers.
West Virginia officials informed the Big East of its intentions Friday morning. That was critical, in that the school will owe only a $5 million exit fee and not $10 million. The amount will double when and if the Big East begins adding new members, which could happen any day now.
Clements said $2.5 million was wired to the Big East on Friday and the remaining $2.5 million would be paid next year, as per conference bylaws.
The question of when WVU will join the Big 12 lingered for much of Friday, even after the conference officially announced the move. In addition to paying the $5 million exit fee over a two-year period, the school was obligated to give 27 months notice. The Big East has been adamant about holding exiting members (Pitt and Syracuse are leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference) to that 27-month wait and issued a statement Friday morning saying it will do so with WVU, as well.
"This move by West Virginia does not come as a surprise," said Big East commissioner John Marinatto via the release. "League officials, members of our conference and the candidate schools to whom we have been talking were aware of this possibility. We have taken West Virginia's possible departure into account as we have moved forward with our own realignment plans.
"West Virginia is fully aware that the Big East Conference is committed to enforcing the 27-month notification period for members who choose to leave the conference. We are confident that in the coming weeks we will complete our own realignment program, adding a number of high-quality members to remain among the top conferences in both football and basketball."
The Big 12, however, issued a release announcing the move, and indicated otherwise.
"The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012," said that release. "The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season."
WVU athletic director Oliver Luck and Clements reiterated that the school will join next summer.
"We're excited and look forward to joining on July 1, 2012," Luck said during the teleconference.
Clements said, "Our team is working with their team. We're confident, come 2012, we'll be a full member of the Big 12."
When pressed on the issue and asked about a settlement or withstanding a lawsuit, Clements said WVU has "been a good member of the Big East and we've been in discussions with them. I'll leave it at that for now."
West Virginia is the second new member to join the Big 12 since it began in 1996 after the addition of Texas Christian University earlier this month. Lost of late, however, have been Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M and, soon, Missouri. WVU will be the easternmost member, by far, joining Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, TCU and Iowa State. Ames, Iowa, is the closest conference city to Morgantown, at 870 miles away.
"The Big 12 presidents and chancellors are excited to welcome another outstanding institution to the conference," said Burns Hargis, chairman of the Big 12 Board of Directors and president of Oklahoma State University, via the release. "The addition of West Virginia, while expanding the reach of the Big 12, brings an impressive institution with esteemed academics and a proud athletic tradition into the conference. This is another step in building a strong foundation for the future of the Big 12."
Pitt and Syracuse last month announced their intentions to leave the Big East for the ACC and those schools have been told they will have to wait the 27 months.
If WVU were to wait that long, it wouldn't begin competition in the Big 12 until the 2014-15 school year. The Big 12 television contract, however, stipulates the league have 10 members.
As the Big East begins adding new members, there exists the possibility the league might wish to jettison its former members in order to move forward.
The decision by the Big 12 Friday morning ended a turbulent week in which that same Big 12 board on Monday agreed to invite WVU to join the league, but never voted formally to do so. At that time, the conference was preparing a news release and making plans to travel to Morgantown on Wednesday for a news conference.
The deal hit a snag, though, with lobbying to make Louisville the new member of the conference instead of West Virginia. That ignited two days of political battles in the media involving West Virginia's U.S. Senate delegation after it was learned that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had stepped in on behalf of Louisville.
Neinas gave a difference account of what he called the "hiccup."
"We were moving forward and came across the fact that, if Missouri remained or had a delayed departure, we would be at 11," Neinas said. "We had to make sure we could accommodate 11 teams. We determined we could."
"I wouldn't be honest if I said there wasn't some nervousness," Luck said, "but I felt comfortable with our talks with Commissioner Neinas and others."
Friday morning's vote by the Big 12 board will keep the Big 12 at 10 teams. There had been speculation the league might invite both West Virginia and Louisville -- as well as Notre Dame as a nonfootball member -- but those plans are on hold.
"Expansion is not on the horizon at this time," Neinas said.
West Virginia will replace Missouri in the Big 12. Missouri has not officially left the conference, but is widely expected to do so soon to join the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers were not among the 10 schools listed Friday by the Big 12 as participating in the league for 2012-13.
In April, the Big 12 signed a 13-year deal with Fox worth $1.7 billion that kicks in next year. That was based on the league having 10 members.
WVU was one of the founding members of the Big East football conference, which branched out from a basketball league, in 1991. Among the original football members, only Rutgers remains.
Conference invites Mountaineers to play next season
By Dave Hickman & Mitch Vingle
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University President Jim Clements sent out a text message around 2 p.m. Friday.
It simply said: "It is a great day to be a Mountaineer!!"
That day was originally planned to be Wednesday, but after a few days of concern and consternation, WVU sealed its deal to leave the Big East Conference and become a member of the Big 12 in July 2012.
The Big 12 Board of Directors, meeting via conference call early Friday, officially voted to invite the Mountaineers, and the school accepted.
"It's a real privilege to be invited," said Clements via a Friday evening conference call. "No doubt, we are in great company. It's a long, long-term investment . . . We are very, very excited."
The Big 12 board met by phone at 7 a.m. EST and selected the Mountaineers over Louisville. Both schools were informed shortly thereafter.
"Their record speaks for itself," Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas said of the Mountaineers.
West Virginia officials informed the Big East of its intentions Friday morning. That was critical, in that the school will owe only a $5 million exit fee and not $10 million. The amount will double when and if the Big East begins adding new members, which could happen any day now.
Clements said $2.5 million was wired to the Big East on Friday and the remaining $2.5 million would be paid next year, as per conference bylaws.
The question of when WVU will join the Big 12 lingered for much of Friday, even after the conference officially announced the move. In addition to paying the $5 million exit fee over a two-year period, the school was obligated to give 27 months notice. The Big East has been adamant about holding exiting members (Pitt and Syracuse are leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference) to that 27-month wait and issued a statement Friday morning saying it will do so with WVU, as well.
"This move by West Virginia does not come as a surprise," said Big East commissioner John Marinatto via the release. "League officials, members of our conference and the candidate schools to whom we have been talking were aware of this possibility. We have taken West Virginia's possible departure into account as we have moved forward with our own realignment plans.
"West Virginia is fully aware that the Big East Conference is committed to enforcing the 27-month notification period for members who choose to leave the conference. We are confident that in the coming weeks we will complete our own realignment program, adding a number of high-quality members to remain among the top conferences in both football and basketball."
The Big 12, however, issued a release announcing the move, and indicated otherwise.
"The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012," said that release. "The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season."
WVU athletic director Oliver Luck and Clements reiterated that the school will join next summer.
"We're excited and look forward to joining on July 1, 2012," Luck said during the teleconference.
Clements said, "Our team is working with their team. We're confident, come 2012, we'll be a full member of the Big 12."
When pressed on the issue and asked about a settlement or withstanding a lawsuit, Clements said WVU has "been a good member of the Big East and we've been in discussions with them. I'll leave it at that for now."
West Virginia is the second new member to join the Big 12 since it began in 1996 after the addition of Texas Christian University earlier this month. Lost of late, however, have been Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M and, soon, Missouri. WVU will be the easternmost member, by far, joining Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, TCU and Iowa State. Ames, Iowa, is the closest conference city to Morgantown, at 870 miles away.
"The Big 12 presidents and chancellors are excited to welcome another outstanding institution to the conference," said Burns Hargis, chairman of the Big 12 Board of Directors and president of Oklahoma State University, via the release. "The addition of West Virginia, while expanding the reach of the Big 12, brings an impressive institution with esteemed academics and a proud athletic tradition into the conference. This is another step in building a strong foundation for the future of the Big 12."
Pitt and Syracuse last month announced their intentions to leave the Big East for the ACC and those schools have been told they will have to wait the 27 months.
If WVU were to wait that long, it wouldn't begin competition in the Big 12 until the 2014-15 school year. The Big 12 television contract, however, stipulates the league have 10 members.
As the Big East begins adding new members, there exists the possibility the league might wish to jettison its former members in order to move forward.
The decision by the Big 12 Friday morning ended a turbulent week in which that same Big 12 board on Monday agreed to invite WVU to join the league, but never voted formally to do so. At that time, the conference was preparing a news release and making plans to travel to Morgantown on Wednesday for a news conference.
The deal hit a snag, though, with lobbying to make Louisville the new member of the conference instead of West Virginia. That ignited two days of political battles in the media involving West Virginia's U.S. Senate delegation after it was learned that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had stepped in on behalf of Louisville.
Neinas gave a difference account of what he called the "hiccup."
"We were moving forward and came across the fact that, if Missouri remained or had a delayed departure, we would be at 11," Neinas said. "We had to make sure we could accommodate 11 teams. We determined we could."
"I wouldn't be honest if I said there wasn't some nervousness," Luck said, "but I felt comfortable with our talks with Commissioner Neinas and others."
Friday morning's vote by the Big 12 board will keep the Big 12 at 10 teams. There had been speculation the league might invite both West Virginia and Louisville -- as well as Notre Dame as a nonfootball member -- but those plans are on hold.
"Expansion is not on the horizon at this time," Neinas said.
West Virginia will replace Missouri in the Big 12. Missouri has not officially left the conference, but is widely expected to do so soon to join the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers were not among the 10 schools listed Friday by the Big 12 as participating in the league for 2012-13.
In April, the Big 12 signed a 13-year deal with Fox worth $1.7 billion that kicks in next year. That was based on the league having 10 members.
WVU was one of the founding members of the Big East football conference, which branched out from a basketball league, in 1991. Among the original football members, only Rutgers remains.
