Big 12 Update @Big12Update 17h17 hours ago
UNM makes pitch for Big 12 expansion in letter w full letter
Updated: UNM makes pitch for Big 12 expansion in letter (w/ full letter)
“Once they made it known that they were officially interested in expanding,” said UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs, “we expressed our interest in an official capacity, which was a notice from the university and President Frank.”
Included in the letter were nine bullet points expressing “some interesting facts that you may not have realized about UNM.” Among them included data about Albuquerque’s 48th-ranked television market size, the school’s success over the past five years in the classroom and on the field (36 conference championships), the millions of dollars of facility upgrades in recent years around the south campus and the cultural diversity of the school and region.
“Sports reporters, ESPN broadcasters, and all the other outlets are advancing many names for possible Big 12 expansion,” Frank wrote. “None of those universities or colleges can match the athletic and academic prowess of The University of New Mexico (UNM), a school which is not only within the Big 12’s regional footprint, but is a research institution with a diverse student population and a rich cultural history. UNM fits the core values of the conference’s peer institutions, and has a collegiate fan base and media base to match.”
“I really can’t say much more than there has been communication with the Big 12 office back and forth,” Krebs said. “… I think it’s safe to say that some of the conversations we’ve had with the Big 12 were held in confidence and they’ve given us a sense of their timetable, but beyond that, I’m really not at liberty to comment.”