El Paso Times

[50's PONY]

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/b ... 2485.shtml
Borderland Saturday, May 1, 2004

UTEP leaves WAC
Miners to join Conference USA

Darren Hunt
El Paso Times

"When SMU, Rice and Tulsa left the conference, that was certainly a sobering bit of news for us."
Diana Natalicio, UTEP president



"It took a lot to leave. But we feel it was in our best interest at this time to point ourselves east instead of west."
Bob Stull, UTEP athletic director



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Conference USA Web site
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UTEP chose east over west Friday, leaving the Western Athletic Conference after nearly four decades of membership for Eastern-based Conference USA.

"The pull from Conference USA was far more powerful than the push from the WAC," UTEP President Diana Natalicio said. She pointed to the recent volatility of the WAC, including the defection of 12 schools in the past five years that has caused major changes in league membership.

"It was hard to leave a conference we've been a part of since 1967," Natalicio added. "But when SMU, Rice and Tulsa left the conference, that was certainly a sobering bit of news for us."

One of the major factors in the decision -- effective July 1, 2005, pending the approval of the University of Texas Board of Regents in two weeks -- was UTEP's chance to stay tied to other Texas schools.

"Our alumni concentration in Dallas and Houston is as large as anywhere in the country, except for here," Natalicio said. "And I received a number of e-mail messages from alumni in those areas urging us to do this. I've also been in contact with other members of the (University of Texas) board of regents, and they're all supportive of this."

Conference USA, which also considered adding Louisiana Tech as its 12th member, made an invitation to UTEP official Friday afternoon through a conference call vote by its board of directors. UTEP officials immediately accepted the invitation.

"It wasn't an easy decision for us," said Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky, who visited UTEP last week for the first time. "It's a great institution. I saw UTEP's facilities and the fact there was great support in the community for football and basketball. It's also a great market. They're a terrific asset to the league from that standpoint. I'd say that all those things combined really persuaded us in that direction."

Tulane President Scott Cowen called it "a very difficult decision." "UTEP and Louisiana Tech were both very attractive candidates for Conference USA," he said.

But Cowen said numbers, including UTEP's ability to draw 40,000 for football and 10,000 for basketball, became major factors.

"It came down to a data-based decision," Cowen said. "Too bad we couldn't take them both."

At least eight of 11 votes were needed for a school to be added, according to C-USA officials. Banowsky said UTEP's basketball tradition and return to the NCAA tournament this season also played a big part in the decision.

"I think that's fair to say," he said. "I can't tell you what (the vote) was. But it wasn't unanimous. That's all I can say."

Unanimous or not, the vote left UTEP feeling wanted for the first time in years and jumping at the opportunity to join C-USA.

"We were a member of the WAC for a long, long time," UTEP Athletic Director Bob Stull said. "It took a lot to leave. But we feel it was in our best interest at this time to point ourselves east instead of west."

UTEP Associate Athletic Director Mack Rhoades added: "Currently, our exposure has been El Paso -- west. This was a chance for us to gain exposure El Paso -- east. And it was certainly important for us to be affiliated with other Texas schools."

Conference USA, whose annual meetings are in mid-May, is expected to divide into two six-team divisions. The West Division will be made up of UTEP, SMU, Rice, Tulsa, Houston and Tulane. The East Division will comprise Central Florida, East Carolina, Memphis, Southern Mississippi, Alabama-Birmingham and Marshall.

UTEP now will have exposure in three time zones and in major markets, including Orlando, New Orleans and Memphis -- something fans of the school are excited about.

"It's certainly something that sounds better overall for UTEP, so I support it," said Miner fan Gabriel Martinez of West El Paso. "I think it's a great decision."

Alumni in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were extremely supportive of UTEP's move.

"Now we'll be able to follow the Miners," said a 1994 UTEP graduate, Tony Elguea, 33, who lives in the Dallas suburb of Richardson. "I counted six schools in Conference USA within driving distance of Dallas. A lot of us are already talking about making road trips."

Paul Jimenez, 32, a 1995 graduate of UTEP who lives in Frisco, just outside Dallas, said he already makes an annual donation to the school. But because UTEP factored alumni in the area into its decision to join Conference USA, he said, he's likely to give even more now.

"I've already decided I'm going to buy football season tickets for next year," Jimenez said, "despite the fact I probably won't make it to a home game."

Several other considerations, other than a large Texas alumni base and the potential for more financial support of athletics, played into UTEP's decision to leave the WAC.

The possibility of reducing travel costs, especially while playing within the proposed C-USA Western Division, was one of them. Another major motivation was the opportunity in C-USA for more television exposure and revenue.

The WAC recently came to a six-year, approximately $6 million agreement with ESPN but remains largely underexposed. The new package is expected to include eight WAC football games and about four league basketball games a year.

Conference USA is in the fifth year of an eight-year, approximately $80 million contract with ESPN. The league's package calls for televising 10 football and at least 17 basketball games a season, but that's expected to change due to the departure of nine schools from the league, including many of its better basketball-playing institutions.

Of C-USA's 34 national television basketball broadcasts last season, 27 involved schools that are leaving the league next year.

"We'd expect a reduction in that number," Stull said. "But we still expect a good package, and many more exposures (than the WAC) in basketball."

Stull said UTEP will pay Conference USA a buy-in fee of $1 million over the next three years. Another $1 million ($200,000 a year) will be deducted from revenues the first five years in the league.

"But with the revenue increase we expect from joining Conference USA," Stull said, "it should offset that cost."


Darren Hunt may be reached at dhunt@elpasotimes.com; 546-6168.


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