[Vision2020] Idaho Vandals and the WAC

[Jon Kimberling]

A memo I received from Interim Athletic Director Rob Spear today
communicates the same message but adds that he and Interim President Gary
Michael are in contact with many people at other institutions working to
strengthen our position to gain entrance into the WAC. I further understand
that UI had a pact with Utah State & New Mexico State to go as a group but
when Utah State and NMS got their offer they felt they would be in a better
position to help us if they were at the table. I'm keeping my fingers
crossed that we will receive an offer. If so, I believe that confirms that
UI leadership was on the right track to keep moving up through the 1A ranks
to put us in a position to be a viable candidate for the WAC. If we were
still a 1 AA school, that would not be the case.

Over 20 of the living past presidents of the Vandal Scholarship
Fund(formerly Vandal Boosters) met Saturday morning and heard presentations
from athletic department staff and President Michael. The report included
information from a recent NCAA study that revealed that the average 1 AA
school loses 1.8 million annually. People keep asking why we don't go back
to 1 AA. Money is obviously a big part of it.

If we get an invitation, we will be back in a conference in the west with
schools who make more natural rivals. This will increase interest in all
sports and should help reduce travel costs. One of the other points made by
President Michael Saturday is that much of the money the University receives
for academic purposes is cultivated by athletics. Plus athletics today
supports our local economy by over $23 millions dollars. There are 112 UI
athletes in the College of Letters and Science alone.

Lastly, a rumor I heard but can't substantial is that Boise State is doing
nothing to help our efforts to move up. No surprise there.

Jon Kimberling


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carl Westberg" <carlwestberg846@hotmail.com>
To: <vision2020@moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2003 12:23 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] Idaho Vandals and the WAC


> So as not to offend anyone by using the Idaho Statesman as a source, I got
> this info from ESPN.  As Jack Van Deventer posted earlier, Utah State and
> New Mexico State will leave the Sun Belt for the WAC in time for the 2005
> season.  The WAC is waiting to see if it will lose Louisiana Tech . If
that
> school leaves, any further WAC expansion won't include the Central Time
> Zone.  If they stay, the WAC will probably add North Texas.  What the
> Vandals pretty much have to hope for is BSU, Fresno State, or Hawaii
moving
> to the Mountain West Conference.  Then, according to ESPN, the WAC would
add
> Idaho.  Is this confusing enough?  A lot of dominoes have to fall
correctly
> for the U of I to get an invitation.
>
>
>
>          Carl Westberg Jr.
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Send instant messages to anyone on your contact list with  MSN Messenger
> 6.0.  Try it now FREE!  http://msnmessenger-download.com
>
> _____________________________________________________
>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>                http://www.fsr.net
>           mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
> ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
>