WAC votes to add Idaho
Advertiser Staff
Yesterday's addition of Idaho as the Western Athletic Conference's ninth member for 2005-06 will help strengthen the conference while cutting travel costs, officials said.
The WAC's Board of Directors voted unanimously for the Vandals, who played football in the Sun Belt Conference and competed in the Big West in other sports, to join New Mexico State and Utah State, as new members July 1, 2005.
They will replace Rice, Southern Methodist, Texas-El Paso and Tulsa, who are leaving to join Conference USA.
University of Hawai'i-Manoa Chancellor Peter Englert said the board reached agreement on "rebuilding the WAC. If we pull together, we can be a strong athletic conference, I'm convinced of that."
Englert said he and the presidents liked the idea of the conference being composed entirely of public institutions for the first time in its 43 years.
Idaho officials said they will save $175,000 a year just on football travel costs by switching to the WAC, where traveling to Honolulu will be cheaper than commuting to Arkansas State or Troy State (Ala.).
"If they are saving that, we'd save more," said Herman Frazier, UH athletic director. "For football, we'll probably take a charter into Lewiston, Idaho, and then come down the hill. For the other sports, it is a flight to Spokane, Wash. I think that will be cheaper than flying all the way to Houston."
UH coaches generally were happy with the addition. "They bring a lot to the league," Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji said. "I'm just glad to see that we're being proactive."
"Obviously having nine teams is very good (for scheduling)," said June Jones, UH football coach. "Plus, you'd just as soon have (another school) toward the West Coast."
Track coach Carmyn James said Idaho "has a strong program." Men's basketball coach Riley Wallace said: "I think they'll be good for the WAC. We can catch them on the same trip with Boise State."
In other news, Englert lauded Benson's leadership and said the board extended the commissioner's contract. The one-year extension is believed to take Benson's contract through 2007.
