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DALLAS (SMU) - President R. Gerald Turner has accepted an invitation for SMU to join Conference USA effective July 1, 2005, the University announced today.
"We're very excited about this tremendous boost to our athletics program," said Turner. "Our University community, alumni, and other fans will enjoy the vitality of traditional rivalries as SMU plays comparable schools in our region. Conference USA membership will usher in a new era of spirited competition and accomplishment for SMU, and we look forward to beginning our membership."
The SMU Board of Trustees had approved a change in conference affiliation at a meeting on Oct. 17 and had authorized Dr. Turner to make such a move on behalf of the University.
SMU administrators, coaches and student-athletes echoed Dr. Turner's excitement.
"We are very excited to be a part of Conference USA," said SMU Athletic Director Jim Copeland. "Our goal from the beginning has been to put SMU Athletics in the very best position to allow our student-athletes and fans to experience competition at the highest level. I believe we have done that. The new affiliation allows us to be a part of a more regional league and also aligns us with several schools with similar academic and athletic goals. Conference USA's divisional membership arrangement will be fan-friendly, allowing our fans to more easily travel to away contests while also encouraging visiting fans to travel to Dallas. We will be able to continue our long-standing rivalries with regional colleges and universities and our increased presence in Houston and New Orleans will provide even more exposure for our University and its athletic programs. I truly believe this increase in fan and alumni involvement will give added momentum to the outreach of the University as a whole."
Lisa Seifert, SMU head volleyball coach, said, "This is an outstanding move for our entire department. With shorter road trips, our student-athletes will have to miss fewer classes and from a budgetary standpoint, we will save a substantial amount on our travel costs."
"The new regional alignment will be great," said sophomore basketball standout Sarah Davis. "Being from Houston, I'll now get to play two games every season in my hometown. My family will also get to see me play more because most of our games will just be a short drive or flight away whether we're playing at home or on the road. I think the move to Conference USA is a great move for all our athletic teams."
Central Florida, Marshall, Rice, Tulsa and SMU were the five schools added to the league on Tuesday. The new Conference USA will be divided into two divisions for football, with SMU, TCU, Houston, Rice, Tulsa and Tulane in the Western Division and East Carolina, Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB, Marshall and Central Florida in the Eastern Division. St. Louis and Charlotte are also members of C-USA, but do not field football teams.
"We are excited about adding new members and making structural improvements to Conference USA," said C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky. "This is an opportunity for us to tighten our geography, group similar institutions together, create a divisional model, and possibly stage a football championship game. It will be very exciting to watch this league grow and develop."
Conference USA sponsors 19 sports - baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, and track & field for men and basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball for women. The league's championship competition is enhanced by NCAA automatic bids in volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and baseball. Seventeen of SMU's 20 sports will compete under the C-USA banner. Men's swimming will continue to be a part of the National Independent Conference, while Equestrian and Rowing will remain independent.
Among C-USA's 5,000 student-athletes, there are champions off the playing field as well. In eight years, 68 student-athletes earned national Verizon Academic All-America honors, while 162 were named All-District. In addition, more than 7,500 student-athletes have been named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll or received the Commissioner's Academic Medal, indicative of outstanding achievement in the classroom. The conference annually awards six postgraduate scholarships, along with the Sport Academic Award, Scholar Athletes of the Year and the Institutional Academic Excellence Award.
ESPN, Inc. and C-USA entered into an exclusive eight-year agreement, beginning with the 2001 season. The multi-faceted agreement, which incorporates ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Regional Television, ABC Sports, ESPN.com and ESPN Classic, is highlighted by: ESPN/ESPN2's coverage of C-USA football featuring weeknight games; televising possible future C-USA Football Championship Games on ABC; men's basketball coverage; syndication and network rights for the conference's football and basketball coverage through ERT; continued exposure for women's basketball, along with volleyball, baseball, soccer and softball, as well as marketing rights. The league also provides exposure for women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball through the Conference USA Television Network.
"The Presidents and Chancellors of Conference USA universities are pleased to announce these five distinguished institutions have joined C-USA," Dr. Shirley Raines chair of Conference USA's Board of Directors said. "Known as a conference with exciting competition and nationally-recognized coaches, five new universities are joining other institutions committed to development of their student-athletes, athletic programs, facilities and competition at the highest levels."
Former ?Pony Express? standout Craig James will return to the Hilltop to celebrate SMU?s Conference USA membership along with President Turner, Jim Copeland, administrators, staff and student-athletes at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 5, in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Commons on the SMU campus. Media and fans alike are welcome to attend.
