University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Conference USA Adds Five Members
11/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Conference USA Adds Five Members
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? Marshall University, Rice University, Southern Methodist University (SMU), the University of Tulsa and the University of Central Florida (UCF), have officially entered into membership agreements with Conference USA, Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced today.
"We are really excited about the expansion of the five new members of Conference USA and feel like they will be an outstanding and competitive situation for Southern Miss," Southern Miss Director of Athletics Richard Giannini said. "It's nice geographically that we are getting closer together, and this will certainly help us develop strong rivalries in the future.
"I congratulate and applaud C-USA Commissioner Banowsky for the leadership he provided throughout the process. He was very proactive from day one, and he, along with Chuck Neinas, worked very hard to ensure the future of Conference USA. Although we wish the Universities well that are leaving the conference, more importantly, we welcome the new members."
Marshall has an enrollment of 16,551 and sponsors 16 sports. The football team has been to six consecutive bowl games and has won five straight - the longest active streak in the nation. Rice has an enrollment of 4,785 and sponsors 16 sports. The Owls won the 2003 NCAA baseball championship and had a school-record 10 CoSIDA Academic All-America selections last season. SMU, with an enrollment of 10,038, sponsors 20 sports. The Mustangs boast a well rounded athletic program, finishing third among Texas schools, eighth among private schools and 41st overall among 265 Division I-A programs in the final 2002-03 NACDA Cup. Tulsa men?s basketball has compiled 131 wins in the last five seasons, ranking sixth nationally. The Golden Hurricane has been to the NCAA Tournament eight of the last 10 years and won the NIT Championship in 2001. TU has an enrollment of 4,100 and sponsors 18 sports. UCF has an enrollment of 42,000 and sponsors 17 sports. UCF has earned 32 NCAA tournament berths in the past nine years, including eight different sports in the past five years.
"We are excited about the opportunities these five institutions will bring both academically and athletically to C-USA," Southern Miss President Shelby F. Thames said. "I am certain that strong and healthy rivalries will be quickly established, and we look forward to meeting our new conference members both in the sports arena and in the classroom."
"We are excited about adding new members and making structural improvements to Conference USA," Banowsky said. "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."
