Tuesday, August 31, 1999
Tulsa looks at
leaving the WAC
The Hurricane will join
Staff and wire reports
Conference USA if it expands
its membershipThe University of Tulsa would explore joining Conference USA if it expands football membership from nine to 12 schools, athletic director Judy MacLeod said today.
Presidents of C-USA schools discussed specific institutions for expansion goals last night, conference commissioner Mike Slive said. But he declined to say which locations were listed.
Media reports said that C-USA would extend invitations to Texas Christian and Southern Methodist. But leaders at those schools say they are not on the invitation list.
Like Tulsa, those schools are members of the Western Athletic Conference.
MacLeod said Tulsa would consider submitting an application if C-USA expands.
"Yes, we would explore," she told the Tulsa World for a story today. "I think we have explored."
These recent developments have kept WAC commissioner Karl Benson on the hot seat. He flatly denied that TCU and SMU were seeking membership into C-USA, despite reports from USA Today and ESPN that the two Texas schools would not only be asked to join the league, but would accept the invitations.
"I'm getting tired of all the rumors and the speculation," Benson said of the TCU-SMU situation. "To the best of my knowledge, they are not pursuing membership into Conference USA."
Reports out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area back that sentiment.
"At this point, all I can tell you is that TCU does not have an invitation from Conference USA to consider," TCU president Michael Ferrari told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We'd certainly have to consider it (if offered)."
The Star-Bulletin's Paul Arnett contributed to this report.
