TCU Accepts Conference USA Invitation for Membership
8/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | General
FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 12) -- TCU Director of Athletics Eric Hyman held a media briefing Tuesday afternoon to address the school's acceptance of membership in Conference USA (C-USA).
TCU, currently a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), will begin its affiliation with C-USA during the 2001-2002 academic year. The Horned Frogs will compete in all sports in the league and be eligible for all conference championships.
TCU Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari was unable to be present at the briefing due to an out-of-town speaking engagement, but had a prepared statement concerning the institution's new conference affiliation.
"The decision to join Conference USA is an investment in the future and is consistent with other investments and plans we are making in strengthening the national distinction and prominence of TCU in other areas. I believe also that this move will bring added recognition to Fort Worth as it positions itself among the leading cities in the nation."
"This is a very exciting day for TCU," said Hyman. "We are looking enthusiastically to our affiliation as a member of Conference USA. We are joining a conference that is one of the most influential on the NCAA Management Council. C-USA has been ranked among the top five basketball leagues in the nation, rated seventh in football, a signatory of the Bowl Championship Series and a member of the BCS discusuions, and features a national television football game-of-the-week. The conference will have over 50 TV exposures during the regular season, and four of its teams are ranked among the nation's top 25 clubs entering this 1999-2000 season.
"TCU is accepting membership in Conference USA, not just for its athletics programs, but based on the good of the entire institution. Most of our out-of-state students come from the midwestern corridor of the country, and as a member of C-USA, TCU will gain exposure to an extremely high percentage of the nation's population, the media centers and large urban areas of the Central and Eastern time zones, with a newspaper circulation of more than 8 million. TCU has made and continues to make a tremendous investment in its athletics program, and one of the largest dividends is the media exposure. The exposure for the institution in a wider population base is a major component in this decision. I want to emphasize, as Chancellor Ferrari did in his statement, TCU will honor the duration of its five-year commitment to the WAC.
"The association with Conference USA enhances our brand identification and places TCU in a position to take advantage of the marketing of the entire institution. TCU's vision is to have a nationally-prominent athletics program, and that vision is the driving infuence behind our future membership in Conference USA."
Statement by TCU Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari
"It is a great pleasure to welcome you to today's press briefing This is an exciting day for TCU athletics, our University and our city. TCU has been invited this afternoon to join Conference USA in the summer of 2001, and we have accepted the invitation.
"Before I say more about Conference USA and what this means to TCU, I want to acknowledge the cooperation and patience we have received from colleagues in the Western Athletic Conference in recent weeks. While we have been exploring such a possibility. To be sure, TCU has benefited by our membership in the WAC for the past three years. Over these years, Bill Tucker, Frank Windegger, Eric Hyman and I have enjoyed the friendship and relationships with WAC presidents and athletic directors. Our coaches, student athletes, and athletic staff have enjoyed the spirited competition TCU has experienced in the WAC. And our fans have supported TCU's involvement in the WAC. I can assure you that TCU will continue to honor our commitment to the WAC as we complete the terms of our agreement through the remainder of this year and through next year as well.
"Looking ahead to the summer of 2001 when we join Conference USA, we look forward to building new relationships with the members of the Conference. The decision to join Conference USA was made after considering the long-term strength and promise of this league at the national level. As many of you know, we have stated on numerous occasions TCU's goal of becoming a nationally recognized and respected athletic program at the Division I level. Joining Conference USA is consistent with that goal.
"Anyone who has been following athletics at the national level in the past few years is aware that Conference L-SA is an athletic conference on the rise. It has dynamic and creative leadership. Its members are national doctoral universities located primarily in major cities in the center of the country and in selected areas to the east and south It is well recognized for strength in many sports, especially football and basketball.
"Conference USA provides TCU vith the opportunity to gain greater visibility in major media markets. This will benefit not only our athletie program but also will contribute to enhanced alumni relations as well as student recruiting in many of the cities and states where we have strong historical relationships. We will be able to reduce our travel costs and share in increased revenues that reflect the attractive television, bowl game commitments, and other benefits that have come to Conference USA in recent years.
"The decision to join Conference USA is an investment in the future and is consistent with other investments and plans we are making in strengthening the national distinction and prominence of TCU in other areas. I believe also that this move will bring added recognition to Fort Worth as it positions itself among the leading cities in the nation. There is no question that we would not have had the opportunity to consider membership in Conference USA without the support of our Board of Trustees, chaired by John Roach, the performance of our student athletes, coaches and athletic staff, and the loyal support of Horned Frogs in our community and throughout the state and country.
"And it is unlikely that we would have received this invitation without the leadership of Eric Hyman, the efforts of Provost Bill Koehler and the vision and support of our Athletic Committee chaired by Malcolm Louden.
"This is indeed a terrific day for TCU!"
Statements from TCU Director of Athletics Eric Hyman Regarding TCU's Decision to join Conference USA
"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag. It's a great afternoon. The invitation to become a member of Conference USA is a result of a team effort. With the vision of the board, with the leadership of Chancellor (Michael) Ferrari, and Dr. (William H.) Koehler, plus the combined effort of our coaches and our student athletes has positioned us for this wonderful opportunity.
"Unfortunately, Chancellor Ferrari could not be here. He is on his way back from a speaking engagement, and he has prepared some comments that I would like to read to you. (See attached release regarding Chancellor Ferrari's statement).
"I want to follow the Chancellor's comments by saying a few things. We are thrilled to no end. We are very, very excited about this opportunity. Athletically, Conference USA provides many things. Conference USA from a leadership standpoint has done some things in the last several years to position themselves in the management council of the NCAA, which is the governing body across the country.
"They are equated to and on the same level as some of the most powerful and influential conferences in the country. It is a top-five basketball league in the country. They have had well over 55 television experiences last year and 25 national exposures. They have four teams ranked in the top-25 going into this year. The basketball is very well known and it is highly respected around the country. It's going to be exciting for TCU fans to bring in some of the competition in the near future.
"The football is rated seventh in the country, the seventh rated football conference in the country. It's a signatory of the Bowl Championship Series, which if you follow college football, you know that this is huge. This is a major influence on what is taking place in the football landscape around the country. Conference USA is a member of the Bowl Championship Series discussions, so they are privy to the information and they are influential as far as the direction the Bowl Championship Series is going, which is a major component of college football. It has a national game of the week for 12 weeks, this is tremendous exposure for the football that is played in the league. We think that this would be an added advantage to our football program and our basketball program to get the kind of exposure that we would receive with Conference USA.
"Institutionally, we are making this move for many reasons. Our out of state students predominantly come from the Midwest corridor, which is where a lot of students our located. So where we draw our students from a recruitment standpoint comes from the heart of Conference USA. It has exposure to large media markets, large urban areas. The circulation from a newspaper standpoint is over eight million. This will give us tremendous influence on a different part of the country than what we've had in the past - Chicago, New York City, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Louisville, Charlotte. It will give us exposure to the eastern part of the United States - St. Louis, Memphis - large urban areas.
"TCU and Fort Worth fits this profile of what Conference USA is looking at. Its brand identity - what it's trying do - it's what we're trying to do from a visionary standpoint athletically. It is to give us brand identity to separate us from the competition. We want to be able to take advantage of this in Conference USA. Its exposure to the institution forms a wider base - population base - than we currently have. This is wonderful as far as the vision of the institution is concerned, and we think this will provide many, many benefits as far as the future.
"If you go back and you remember and if you have ever heard of Stephen Covey and he says, 'Begin with the end in sight.' When we started a year and half ago, the vision that has been articulated as far as the athletic program is concerned is to have a nationally-prominent program, and we think membership in Conference USA will be a huge benefit and help us tremendously to try to obtain the aspirations and meet the aspirations and the vision of the institution. We are absolutely ecstatic, we are happy.
"There was a lot of leg work that's gone into this. People have put in an extreme amount of time and effort into this. And the institution is benefiting and it goes back to what I said earlier. It's a TCU team effort, and the team effort is to reap the benefits that we are going to be now in one of the best conferences in the country. Athletically, I am ecstatic, I am absolutely happy about the direction we are going. I look forward to the association with the members. I look forward to developing rivalries with them, and I look forward to the future.
"The future is very promising for TCU athletics and there is a lot of hard work that has gone into this, so this is a benefit to everybody.
