Disgusted with the vileness of Southeastern Conference-type university athletics, and embarrassed for his alma mater, the University of Southern California (current target of one of the NCAA’s random sanctioning fits), a professor proposes a new league:
Stanford and Notre Dame could take the lead in establishing a national conference of first-rate academic institutions that offer athletic scholarships only to true student athletes, as defined, largely, by an iron-clad commitment to graduate with their classmates in four years. An invitation to join this conference could be extended to other private institutions with both high academic standards and proud athletic traditions – such as Northwestern, Duke, Boston College, Pittsburgh and Brigham Young (which could substitute a suitable variation on the four-year graduation policy to accommodate Mormon missions). The three United States service academies might also be asked to join.
June 21st, 2010 at 9:23AM
Pitt’s a public university. By charter it’s a quasi-public, like other Pennsylvania publics (Penn State and Temple). But it’s safe to say that Pitt considers itself a public. By the way, where’s the link on this one?
June 21st, 2010 at 9:46AM
The so-called BigTen had Pitt as one of their possible schools for addition. Unfortunately, Pitt would embarrass at least half the schools in the BigTen – academically – by outperforming them. We couldn’t have that, could we? Ergo, Nebraska.
June 21st, 2010 at 9:57AM
Before we get all gushy over Pitt…
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_446555.html
http://chronicle.com/article/Company-Says-Research-It/48319/
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/25/us/despite-scandal-research-trials-thrive.html
June 21st, 2010 at 10:05AM
anon: Thanks – link is now in.
June 21st, 2010 at 10:18AM
GTWMA – that would make Pitt fit right in with many BigTen Schools that have their own share of scandals.
Failure to disclose financial links to industry?
Faked data in papers?
Interference with the admission process for political donors?
I could go on, and on, and on and UD has already done serious spade work.
Academically, I am afraid Pitt still has a slight edge over Nebraska. And they usually have a competitive football team.
June 21st, 2010 at 1:12PM
I am second to none in my admiration for Pitt academics, however your views on their football team are misguided. In the last five years, Pitt finished with more wins than Nebraska a total of zero times. Over the last ten years, it was just two times. And that doesn’t even get us to the early 1990s, when Nebraska had two #1 rankings.
Maybe I just hit on the real reason 🙂
June 21st, 2010 at 4:06PM
My point is that Pitt usually has a competitive football team, not that they they are currently of the caliber of Nebraska.
As Wiki puts it:
“Pitt has claimed nine National Championships,[1] is among the top 20 college football programs in terms of all-time wins,[2] and its teams have featured many coaches and players notable throughout the history of college football, including, among all schools, the eleventh most College Football Hall of Fame inductees,[3] the eighth most consensus All-Americans,[4] and the seventh most Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.[5]”
Pitt has retired 8 jerseys of former outstanding football players
* #13 Dan Marino, Quarterback, 1979–1982
* #33 Tony Dorsett, Running Back, 1973–1976
* #42 Marshall Goldberg, Running Back, 1936–1938
* #65 Joe Schmidt, Linebacker, 1950–1952
* #73 Mark May, Offensive Tackle, 1977–1980
* #79 Bill Fralic, Offensive Tackle, 1981–1984
* #89 Mike Ditka, End, 1958–1960
* #99 Hugh Green, Defensive End, 1977–1980
Not chopped liver…
We’d best let this drop. UD will be pissed.
June 21st, 2010 at 6:36PM
Full disclosure:
I grew up in Pittsburgh. My first job was at Pitt as a lab tech. It was that or working in the analytical chemistry department of a coal mine. Niels Jerne was the chairman of the Microbiology Department. He later won a Nobel Prize. In this department, Jonas Salk did his outstanding work on the polio vaccine. Before Salk, polio was a terrible scourge and many of my friends wore arm (and leg) braces from its effects. Go PITT!
June 21st, 2010 at 9:53PM
I’ll risk her wrath.
Ancient history. You’ll notice those retired numbers end in 1982, and that’s when good Pitt football ended, too. Since 1981, they have a record of 141 and 123.
June 22nd, 2010 at 5:57AM
The Big 10’s fixation on Nebraska is evidently a desire to add a “marquee name” to the football schedule to get more money in the next TV contract (cf. Notre Dame). There are much better fits out there in terms of academics, overall athletic program, geography, etc. (I’d have gone for Maryland, as there are advantages to having games in the DC area). Since football reputations rise and (mostly) fall, and changing leagues can hurt as well as help, the Nebraska choice may prove short-sighted.
June 22nd, 2010 at 8:12AM
There is a potential natural rivalry between Nebraska and Iowa. The Cornhusker faithful are also known for being willing to travel a long way for away games, and some of the perennial weak sisters in the Big Ten with not-so-great attendance are also within a day’s driving distance: e.g., Minnesota, Illinois, Purdue, and Indiana.
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:09PM
Yes, indeed, Nebraska fans love to visit the U of M(innesota).
Think numbers like 84-13, 56-0 …