How The WAC Almost Came Back To Life

[JCorona]

Good read with some interesting behind the scene quotes from Benson.


http://www.forgotten5.com/2018/07/2...athletic-conference-almost-came-back-to-life/

 

[Minerforlife]

The really interesting thing is that BYU was set to join the WAC in every sport besides football. Benson calls Stull tells him BYU is coming back. The WAC wants UTEP and La Tech. Stull rebuffs Benson flatly turns him down, then call Thompson the MWC commissioner and Davalos the UNM AD and Byu's stealth plan was out in the open. As a result BYU gets a waiver from the WCC and joins. Stull killed BYU to the WAC single handedly.

 

[JCorona]

The really interesting thing is that BYU was set to join the WAC in every sport besides football. Benson calls Stull tells him BYU is coming back. The WAC wants UTEP and La Tech. Stull rebuffs Benson flatly turns him down, then call Thompson the MWC commissioner and Davalos the UNM AD and Byu's stealth plan was out in the open. As a result BYU gets a waiver from the WCC and joins. Stull killed BYU to the WAC single handedly.

He basically killed the entire WAC then. Why backstab a conference that was good to us in favor of a conference that left us behind? Did he do it to earn brownie points and build a path to future membership?

 

[Minerforlife]

He basically killed the entire WAC then. Why backstab a conference that was good to us in favor of a conference that left us behind? Did he do it to earn brownie points and build a path to future membership?

It's two fold really. This was in the aftermath of the forming of the AAC. Stull and Natalicio had hitched their wagons being in a conference with UH and SMU. When the AAC was formed and UH and SMU left. Stull and Natalicio were stunned and caught completely flat footed. They totally misread their relationships those two schools particularly UH who didnt want to be in a conference with UTEP. The AAC forms now UTEP is basically in the Sun Belt. At this point they have egg all their their face and dont want to admit their choice to join C-USA was a mistake.The last thing Stull wants is the conference he left to get new life to make his decision look any worse. He also realizes UTEP's only way out of The Sun Belt 2.0 was to get into the MWC this was a way to get into their good graces.

 

[utep2step]

He basically killed the entire WAC then. Why backstab a conference that was good to us in favor of a conference that left us behind? Did he do it to earn brownie points and build a path to future membership?

Perhaps. Life does have some access to some UTEP behind the scene's shannigans so I believe it to a certain degree without having actual "Cohen like stealth tapes".

IMO, you have to take history into account. BYU was not a team player, conference affiliation speaking, and thought "they were all that and a bag of chips" for over two decades. They wanted in the PAC 10 (what is was back then) and the Big XII and never made it out of serious conference committee discussion but the college sports media kept their "we want in" story on life support. Now fast forward and you have this alleged saga told by Minerforlife, and if true, I personally would give Uncle Bob an "Atta Boy!" Bozo the Clown button for killing the deal.

Now Montana State and Montana would have been interesting and very intriguing but they don't help UTEP as far as national exposure, however Montana State has a strong football program.

Benson is not a good commish. He purposely left UTEP out in the cold and as an AD, why would you work with someone on a professional level who doesn't have your program at heart? Stull went CUSA and Benson was "Wha...? Wha..." "You're leaving me?!" "I thought we had something special?!". Yes I realize the recent CUSA weakness in both revenue programs as a conference but at that time, things were much different.

Winning cures all ills. The article is a damn licking of the prom wounds when you find out you got dumped at the last minute. UTEP needs to start winning or they will wind up asking the WAC if they still want them back.

 

[KaneFan29]

Did you read the same article as me? There’s no quotes from Stull and nowhere does it say UTEP killed this.

Fresno St’s AD went and told the MWC what was happening.

 

[JCorona]

Did you read the same article as me? There’s no quotes from Stull and nowhere does it say UTEP killed this.

Fresno St’s AD went and told the MWC what was happening.

That’s inside information from MinerforLife. I’ve heard that same rumor before when it was occurring. I remember reading something along those lines in the El Paso times many years ago.

 

[KaneFan29]

That timeline makes no sense. As BYU was joining the WAC and UTEP and others would possibly down the line.

Fresno killed the WAC project, not Bob Stull.

 

[Minerforlife]

That timeline makes no sense. As BYU was joining the WAC and UTEP and others would possibly down the line.

Fresno killed the WAC project, not Bob Stull.

The MWC was totally in the dark about BYU. Stull brought it to light and within and a hour of talking with Benson called Craig Thompson and Rudy Davalos.

 

[jdubb66]

That timeline makes no sense. As BYU was joining the WAC and UTEP and others would possibly down the line.

Fresno killed the WAC project, not Bob Stull.

The post doesn't say anything about Fresno St. being the mole. Bob Kustra called both Utah St. and Fresno St. after the MWC had learned of the plan to add BYU. UTEP would not have wanted to join either conference in 2010 and if contacted by anyone would not have hesitated to throw a wrench into BYUs plans. Remember, BYUs non-football sports were in real danger at that time before the found a home with WCC.

 

[JCorona]

The old El Paso Times article I remember reading is no where to be found. I do recall it saying how Stull called the MW commissioner with the move BYU and the WAC were trying to do. Here’s an old Miner Rush article on the subject.

https://www.minerrush.com/2010/8/29/1657749/report-the-wac-tried-to-trade-for