February 26, 200521 yr http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review...e/s_307414.html Big East considered adding Penn State, Notre Dame TRIBUNE-REVIEW By Rob Biertempfel The Big East two years ago strongly considered a makeover that would have meant abandoning its basketball-only members and adding Penn State and Notre Dame. The plan to split the league along football and non-football lines was discussed in meetings in July and October 2003. Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg and athletic director Jeff Long attended the July meeting, along with representatives from West Virginia, Syracuse, Rutgers, Connecticut and Boston College. The proposed shakeup of the Big East was devised after Miami and Virginia Tech bolted the league to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. Minutes of the meeting turned up this week on the Internet, and a source close to the Big East confirmed their authenticity. Long and Nordenberg declined to comment. John Paquette, Big East associate commisioner for communications, also refused to comment, citing current lawsuits against the Miami and the ACC and against Boston College (which joins the ACC this fall). The Big East eventually opted to expand to 16 teams -- an affiliation of non-football schools such as Georgetown, Marquette, DePaul and Providence and full members such as Pitt, UConn and WVU. In the 2003 meetings, however, the Big East powers discussed three plans -- the 16-school grouping, an eight- or nine-school all-sports conference, or a merger of the Big East and Conference USA. According to the documents, Syracuse athletic director Jack Crouthamel, who helped construct the original Big East, insisted he would resign if the 16-school plan was adopted. Boston College AD Gene DeFlippo said he would do the same. The six presidents attending the meeting voted unanimously against the 16-school plan, and began to map out a future without the non-football schools. The documents contained talking points for discussions about the league's reformation: "We as a group genuinely believe that the breakup of the Big East Conference is inevitable -- and probably the best overall scenario for all parties concerned. Toward that end, we suggest that a small group of football representatives meet with a small group of basketball representatives in order to discuss the potential fallout issues associated with this." If the breakup would have occurred, the five non-football schools would have lost their automatic NCAA postseason bids in other sports. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese was assigned with approaching Notre Dame officials about joining the new Big East. Syracuse chancellor Kenneth Shaw said he would speak with Penn State president Graham Spanier about leaving the Big Ten. "Mark Nordenberg will provide his home phone number," according to the documents. Spanier did not immediately respond to a interview request from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Near the end of the meeting, Tranghese, citing a potential conflict of interest, said he felt "he cannot continue as commissioner ... either with the basketball or the football schools."
February 26, 200521 yr Penn State hasn't really had the impact on the Big Ten that everyone thought they would. The league thought it was adding a football powerhouse, but they have yet to win a Big Ten title. They've never really fit into the Big Ten that well. I think that the BCS committee/NCAA might eventually force that move in order to legitimize the football end of that conference and to keep their automatic BCS bid secure.
February 26, 200521 yr QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Feb 26, 2005 -> 04:53 PM) Penn State hasn't really had the impact on the Big Ten that everyone thought they would. The league thought it was adding a football powerhouse, but they have yet to win a Big Ten title. They've never really fit into the Big Ten that well. I think that the BCS committee/NCAA might eventually force that move in order to legitimize the football end of that conference and to keep their automatic BCS bid secure. Yeh they did, 1994.
February 26, 200521 yr QUOTE(Spiff @ Feb 26, 2005 -> 04:06 PM) Yeh they did, 1994. My mistake, thought they joined in 1995.
February 27, 200521 yr Penn State has done nothing to make the big ten better. They are a joke. Sorry to offend any penn state fans but its the truth.
February 27, 200521 yr the big ten is supposed to be a midwest conference. penn state is in the east. it doesnt belong wiht us
February 27, 200521 yr they're a sleeping giant. once they come to their senses and make JoePA retire, expect a full return to top 25 glory.
February 27, 200521 yr I do think that 11 is pretty cool. Too bad we couldn't add an extra team and become the Big 12 since that name is already taken.
February 27, 200521 yr it'll be interesting to see if Williams and King can have the impact that program needs to bring it back towards the top
February 27, 200521 yr i dont mind penn state but this year they just been sitting at the bottom, how many confrence wins do they have? 1?
February 28, 200521 yr QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Feb 26, 2005 -> 11:50 PM) We could get rid of that 11 in the logo... I never noticed that 11.
February 28, 200521 yr QUOTE(whitesoxin' @ Feb 27, 2005 -> 09:22 PM) I never noticed that 11. its common. now whenever you see that logo, the 11 will be the first thing you'll see.
February 28, 200521 yr QUOTE(Soxnbears01 @ Feb 27, 2005 -> 09:37 PM) its common. now whenever you see that logo, the 11 will be the first thing you'll see. The Big 10 and FedEx have the best hidden logos ever.
February 28, 200521 yr QUOTE(Purdue129 @ Feb 27, 2005 -> 11:02 PM) The Big 10 and FedEx have the best hidden logos ever. Agreed, it took a while for me to notice the 11, but it is the first thing I see when it see the logo.
February 28, 200521 yr QUOTE(Purdue129 @ Feb 27, 2005 -> 11:02 PM) The Big 10 and FedEx have the best hidden logos ever. Wait. FedEx has a hidden logo???
February 28, 200521 yr QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Feb 27, 2005 -> 11:04 PM) Agreed, it took a while for me to notice the 11, but it is the first thing I see when it see the logo. I never noticed it either until I went to this basketball camp a few years back and the guy who ran the camp pointed it out to everyone and now it's definitely the first thing I notice. And I 2nd wite's response, FedEx has a hidden logo?
February 28, 200521 yr QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 12:11 AM) Wait. FedEx has a hidden logo??? look for the arrow between the E and the X
March 1, 200521 yr QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 04:58 PM) I like the old Brewers logo the best. The M and the B. Well I'll be damned. Never noticed that one either.
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