Presidents moving at snail’s pace on WAC decision

Steve Carp

Tuesday, June 2, 1998 | 11 a.m.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Their league is still in its infancy, and the presidents of the eight schools that have decided to leave the Western Athletic Conference aren't quite ready to run, let alone walk.

So the yet-to-be-named league which plans to begin operations at the end of June 1999 will not make its most important decisions hastily. It may have emerged from the womb quickly, but it will take its first steps tentatively.

That was clearly evident Monday when the eight schools -- UNLV, Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming -- announced they have yet to decide whether to add a ninth school to their ranks.

"We began discussion on whether to stay at eight or expand to nine and we weren't able to come to a conclusion on that matter," Colorado State president Al Yates said. "We do need to do that while we are here and I expect by noon (today) we'll have a decision."

That will be good news for everyone concerned, especially Hawaii and Fresno State, the schools that are reportedly interested in joining with the eight that have broken away.

Hawaii and FSU can remain in the WAC along with the six other members who decided to close ranks and stay together. Right now, they are in limbo.

Even if the departing schools opt to add a ninth team, an invitation may not be extended today or Wednesday, when these meetings are scheduled to conclude at The Inn at Spanish Bay.

"I can't say which way it's going to go," UNLV president Dr. Carol Harter said. "We just didn't close it. There were a lot of good points to be made for either case.

"For instance, I didn't know that with scheduling, nine isn't a bad number. Nine sounds like an asymetrical number but it's actually even for football and for basketball."

Harter said she has not made up her mind, and she talked to UNLV athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro Monday night about the matter.

Harter was part of one of the decisions made Monday. She and Brigham Young president Merrill Bateman will team with Yates to form an executive council to help expedite decisions.

Other matters, such as a name for the conference and appointing an interim commissioner, a headquarters site and a set of bylaws, are not likely to be determined in the next couple of days.

"We'd love to report we have a great name to give you, but we don't," Yates said. "The main thing we tried to do was get an understanding on the NCAA issues, organizational issues, and trying to come up with a preliminary organizational structure.

"There's a lot of work to be done here. It's about objectives. What is it we want? We want to be regarded as one of the premier athletic conferences in this country. We're trying to decide how we go about that."

Former College Football Association director Chuck Neinas attended the Monday afternoon meeting to discuss organizational matters. Neinas, a close friend of Cavagnaro's, helped create Conference USA three years ago and is an experienced hand at starting up new leagues.

As for a possible headquarters for the new league, there is debate as to whether to locate it in one of the eight cities or choose a neutral site. According to Harter, Las Vegas did not come up in the conversation.

Things were a bit awkward Monday as the 16 presidents met for the first time since the bombshell announcement a week ago that split the WAC in half. While many presidents said things were handled in a professional manner, Harter sensed some animosity.

"It was grim," she said of the atmosphere surrounding the Monday morning meeting. "There was tension in the air and that was too bad. I have some dear friends among those who are remaining."

How much gets decided in the next 48 hours is hard to say.

"I think it's going to take several meetings over the next few months to deal with all the issues," Wyoming president Philip Dubois said.

San Diego State president Dr. Stephen Weber added: "We've got to go about the serious business of developing an athletic conference. That's not something you do in a day.

"The bottom line is you bring in some very knowledgeable people, sit down and think through some very serious issues."

The most pressing issue is how big the new league should be. Harter said delaying it 24 hours won't hurt the process. However, Weber added that it must be addressed quickly.

"Our intent is that we need to resolve this soon and Tuesday is soon enough," he said.