Post by lazarus on Jun 30, 2003 11:43:41 GMT -5
The New look of the ACC ... Louisville next?
FLORIDA ST
Miami
MARYLAND
VIRGINIA
NO CAROLINA ST
CLEMSON
GEORGIA TECH
WAKE FOREST
NORTH CAROLINA
DUKE
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Miami accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday, spurning a flurry of last-minute offers from Big East officials to remain aligned with their league, a source told The Associated Press.
The high-ranking ACC official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said ACC commissioner John Swofford sent an e-mail to presidents of schools in the conference telling them that Miami had accepted the league's offer.
Miami officials did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.
Big East spokesman John Paquette said the conference had not yet received word of any Miami decision.
University president Donna Shalala and athletic director Paul Dee were scheduled to make the formal announcement at a news conference Monday afternoon, ending a seven-week courtship between Miami and the ACC.
The ACC had originally sought to expand its membership to 12 schools. For now, they'll have to settle for only 11 — leaving them one short of being able to offer a conference championship game in football, an event that could have provided the ACC with an additional $12 million in annual revenue.
Virginia Tech president Charles Steger said last week that his school is also leaving the Big East and accepting an invitation to join the ACC.
Miami and Virginia Tech may begin playing in the ACC as soon as the 2004-05 season. Both remain Big East members for 2003-04, since schedules for the upcoming academic year have already been made.
Officials from both Boston College and Syracuse, as well as other Big East members, were in regular contact with Shalala and Dee all weekend, in an effort to convince the Hurricanes to stay put.
ACC officials, Swofford, were also believed to be holding regular conversations with Shalala and Dee in the final days leading up to Monday's announcement.
The school's executive board of trustees had been expected to vote on the affiliation issue Thursday, one day after the ACC formally invited the Hurricanes to join their conference. Instead, trustees asked Shalala and Dee to study the financial ramifications of joining an 11-team ACC.
Shalala said the vote was also delayed because she wanted time to consider a counteroffer from the Big East, which made a last-ditch plea Thursday to keep the Hurricanes in their membership. Previously, the league had guaranteed Miami $45 million over five years to stay in the Big East.
The counteroffer was led by Boston College and Syracuse, which were the other two schools the ACC originally targeted in its 12-team scenario. Despite going through all requirements of the expansion process, including site visits by ACC officials, both Boston College and Syracuse were told last week that they would not receive invitations.
Shalala said she was "deeply disappointed" by the ACC's decision to exclude Boston College and Syracuse from its plans, but ultimately, that wasn't enough to keep Miami from leaving these schools and the other Big East members behind.
FLORIDA ST
Miami
MARYLAND
VIRGINIA
NO CAROLINA ST
CLEMSON
GEORGIA TECH
WAKE FOREST
NORTH CAROLINA
DUKE
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Miami accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday, spurning a flurry of last-minute offers from Big East officials to remain aligned with their league, a source told The Associated Press.
The high-ranking ACC official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said ACC commissioner John Swofford sent an e-mail to presidents of schools in the conference telling them that Miami had accepted the league's offer.
Miami officials did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.
Big East spokesman John Paquette said the conference had not yet received word of any Miami decision.
University president Donna Shalala and athletic director Paul Dee were scheduled to make the formal announcement at a news conference Monday afternoon, ending a seven-week courtship between Miami and the ACC.
The ACC had originally sought to expand its membership to 12 schools. For now, they'll have to settle for only 11 — leaving them one short of being able to offer a conference championship game in football, an event that could have provided the ACC with an additional $12 million in annual revenue.
Virginia Tech president Charles Steger said last week that his school is also leaving the Big East and accepting an invitation to join the ACC.
Miami and Virginia Tech may begin playing in the ACC as soon as the 2004-05 season. Both remain Big East members for 2003-04, since schedules for the upcoming academic year have already been made.
Officials from both Boston College and Syracuse, as well as other Big East members, were in regular contact with Shalala and Dee all weekend, in an effort to convince the Hurricanes to stay put.
ACC officials, Swofford, were also believed to be holding regular conversations with Shalala and Dee in the final days leading up to Monday's announcement.
The school's executive board of trustees had been expected to vote on the affiliation issue Thursday, one day after the ACC formally invited the Hurricanes to join their conference. Instead, trustees asked Shalala and Dee to study the financial ramifications of joining an 11-team ACC.
Shalala said the vote was also delayed because she wanted time to consider a counteroffer from the Big East, which made a last-ditch plea Thursday to keep the Hurricanes in their membership. Previously, the league had guaranteed Miami $45 million over five years to stay in the Big East.
The counteroffer was led by Boston College and Syracuse, which were the other two schools the ACC originally targeted in its 12-team scenario. Despite going through all requirements of the expansion process, including site visits by ACC officials, both Boston College and Syracuse were told last week that they would not receive invitations.
Shalala said she was "deeply disappointed" by the ACC's decision to exclude Boston College and Syracuse from its plans, but ultimately, that wasn't enough to keep Miami from leaving these schools and the other Big East members behind.