bucrosx.blogg.se - Sec conference hat

I am confident that we could rely upon their standing by any agreements which might be reached.” “The University of Georgia has taken steps to raise its standards of admission, which I think are in advance of universities in other states in the South. “So far as we are concerned here, we would be delighted to have the University of Georgia to be a member of a new association if such should be formed,” he wrote. But in that case, the Yellow Jackets did not join another conference, instead going independent. That may seem inconsistent with Georgia Tech leaving the SEC without Georgia less than two years later. In fact, I don’t believe we could do so at this time.” “We feel that the University of Georgia has undertaken an ask upgrading of its entrance requirements to a degree that it could logically be included in such a new conference,” wrote Harrison, adding that he had not spoken to Georgia’s president about it yet, but felt “it would be most unfavorably received in our state should we withdraw and affiliate with a conference to which the University of Georgia did not belong. Harrison wrote Branscomb back two weeks later.Īfter saying he had been able to talk “confidentially” with his people, Harrison told Branscomb, “We are generally favorable to your suggestion.” But with one hitch: Its in-state rival probably would have to be part of the plan. It was clear none of them wanted to leave the conference, but some urged Branscomb to put together the new league and believed they could arrange a deal to play in the Cotton Bowl.

Northwestern also expressed interest, Branscomb wrote, “but I do not think they are really serious about it.”įinally, Branscomb said he had spoken weeks before with presidents of “several” of the Southwest Conference schools and asked in general terms about joining forces.

They are presently playing both Army and Navy, I believe, and if Navy were in the conference they might very much like to be a member also.”

Notre Dame, of course, although Branscomb knew it wasn’t a slam dunk: “From time to time, blows hot and cold on this idea.

Pittsburgh, which he added “has been interested for some time, though I am not sure that we would want to play ball with them.”.

The SEC was sitting at 12 members, the ACC at eight.īut there were more who could be brought in. The Athletic Association of Western Universities (now the Pac-12) had only six members at the time, Branscomb pointed out, and the Southwest Conference “until recently” had only seven. If North Carolina is interested, we would have a group of six institutions. And while I have not heard directly, there is evidence that the University of North Carolina might also be interested.

“From the information I have in hand, there is some interest in the possibility of a new structure on the part of the following institutions: Tulane, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Duke and the University of Virginia.

“Since my talk with you last month, I have had several communications from other institutions, and it is quite clear that a number of us are not satisfied with our present athletic arrangements,” Branscomb wrote Harrison in a letter dated March 20, 1962. The discussions that took place are found in Georgia Tech archives, in the presidential papers of then-Georgia Tech president Edwin Harrison.īranscomb and Harrison exchanged at least three letters in March and April 1962, which showed both were interested in the idea and claimed that others were as well. A scan of newspaper records at the time shows the specific talks may have evaded public knowledge. Nothing ever came of it - spoiler alert - and the fact discussions even took place does not appear widely known.