Lehigh Football Nation
June 30th, 2013, 12:26 PM
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/06/lot-work-not-much-time-odus-big-move
Pretty extraordinary reporting.
Athletic Director Wood Selig and his counterpart at Virginia Commonwealth, Norwood Teague, were in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel between rounds of the men's basketball Final Four when Teague's face suddenly grew serious. He leaned toward Selig and hit him with the news: VCU would likely be leaving the Colonial Athletic Association to join the Atlantic 10, and so might George Mason. "I didn't want you to be blindsided."
Selig gave Broderick and Dave Harnage, ODU's chief operating officer, the news about VCU shortly after returning from the Final Four.
Broderick wasn't surprised. He had listened six months earlier when VCU President Michael Rao expressed dissatisfaction with the CAA's efforts to strengthen men's basketball, VCU's marquee sport.
Wow.
Banowsky said that when MacLeod returned to conference headquarters in Irving, Texas, she was enthusiastic: "ODU is pretty cool," he said she told him.
That was a far different reaction than Selig had received elsewhere. He had met with Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher while in New Orleans, then had a meeting on April 12 in Newport News with the A-10's Bernadette McGlade. Both expressed high regard for ODU, but had little interest in adding the school.
Timelines are important here. Almost immediately after hearing from VCU - Selig had med with three different conferences about membership, including Jon Steinbrecher of the MAC the same weekend he had heard that VCU was "likely" moving. The word "hell-bent" leaps to mind here.
Three days after MacLeod's visit, Selig and Harnage traveled to Fredericksburg to meet with the athletic directors and chief financial officers from James Madison and Delaware - the CAA's two traditional football powers. ODU wanted to see if they had an interest in joining it in moving up. Neither would commit.
No two ways about it: Selig tried to poach Delaware and JMU, which would have effectively dissolved the CAA. Both said no.
On May 1, 2012, CBSSports.com reported that C-USA would grow by six - with ODU joining Florida International, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Texas-San Antonio and UNC Charlotte.
On May 4, five schools announced they were headed to C-USA. ODU wasn't ready to commit and said nothing.
CBSSports.com perhaps were only acting as agents, but they were certainly one of the levers pushing against ODU to make a decision. No decision was made yet, though it was reported as a fait accompli.
"Each league we looked at had some intriguing possibilities," Broderick said. "But it eventually came down to, Do we want to stay in the CAA or make the move to Conference USA?"
Frank Batten Jr., chairman and CEO of Landmark Media Enterprises, which owns The Virginian-Pilot, began the board's discussion. He endorsed Conference USA.
Batten doesn't recall exactly what he said, but he said he had confidence that Broderick, Selig and Wilder would be successful in Conference USA. And he was swayed when he learned the school could move up without raising student fees.
"That was important to everybody, given the concerns so many people have about rising college costs and student loans," Batten said.
That's an awful interesting relationship there.
There's loads more in the article.
Pretty extraordinary reporting.
Athletic Director Wood Selig and his counterpart at Virginia Commonwealth, Norwood Teague, were in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel between rounds of the men's basketball Final Four when Teague's face suddenly grew serious. He leaned toward Selig and hit him with the news: VCU would likely be leaving the Colonial Athletic Association to join the Atlantic 10, and so might George Mason. "I didn't want you to be blindsided."
Selig gave Broderick and Dave Harnage, ODU's chief operating officer, the news about VCU shortly after returning from the Final Four.
Broderick wasn't surprised. He had listened six months earlier when VCU President Michael Rao expressed dissatisfaction with the CAA's efforts to strengthen men's basketball, VCU's marquee sport.
Wow.
Banowsky said that when MacLeod returned to conference headquarters in Irving, Texas, she was enthusiastic: "ODU is pretty cool," he said she told him.
That was a far different reaction than Selig had received elsewhere. He had met with Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher while in New Orleans, then had a meeting on April 12 in Newport News with the A-10's Bernadette McGlade. Both expressed high regard for ODU, but had little interest in adding the school.
Timelines are important here. Almost immediately after hearing from VCU - Selig had med with three different conferences about membership, including Jon Steinbrecher of the MAC the same weekend he had heard that VCU was "likely" moving. The word "hell-bent" leaps to mind here.
Three days after MacLeod's visit, Selig and Harnage traveled to Fredericksburg to meet with the athletic directors and chief financial officers from James Madison and Delaware - the CAA's two traditional football powers. ODU wanted to see if they had an interest in joining it in moving up. Neither would commit.
No two ways about it: Selig tried to poach Delaware and JMU, which would have effectively dissolved the CAA. Both said no.
On May 1, 2012, CBSSports.com reported that C-USA would grow by six - with ODU joining Florida International, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Texas-San Antonio and UNC Charlotte.
On May 4, five schools announced they were headed to C-USA. ODU wasn't ready to commit and said nothing.
CBSSports.com perhaps were only acting as agents, but they were certainly one of the levers pushing against ODU to make a decision. No decision was made yet, though it was reported as a fait accompli.
"Each league we looked at had some intriguing possibilities," Broderick said. "But it eventually came down to, Do we want to stay in the CAA or make the move to Conference USA?"
Frank Batten Jr., chairman and CEO of Landmark Media Enterprises, which owns The Virginian-Pilot, began the board's discussion. He endorsed Conference USA.
Batten doesn't recall exactly what he said, but he said he had confidence that Broderick, Selig and Wilder would be successful in Conference USA. And he was swayed when he learned the school could move up without raising student fees.
"That was important to everybody, given the concerns so many people have about rising college costs and student loans," Batten said.
That's an awful interesting relationship there.
There's loads more in the article.