The story begins 2 ½ years ago during the latest round of conference realignment. Pittsburgh and Syracuse had just announced they were leaving the Big East for the ACC. The Big East, at that point, was hanging by a thread. It was a Big East that TCU was also scheduled to join.
But a Big East without powerhouses Syracuse and Pittsburgh was not worth joining. As we found out, the league not only split into basketball and football factions but the FBS remainders of the Big East – the American Athletic Conference – lost its BCS conference designation. Next season the AAC is not contracted to a major bowl in the College Football Playoff era.
“Syracuse and Pitt announced they were leaving and shocked everybody ...", Del Conte said. “Mack Brown and DeLoss Dodds came out and said, ‘We're going to stay [in the Big 12].'
“Once I heard that I said, ‘OK, boy, let's go.' We had two weeks to make this work.”
Del Conte admitted, “the pressure of the entire institution was on my shoulders” to join the Big 12. He worked the phones, calling every Big 12 contact he knew. Support within the Big 12 was growing, including at Oklahoma where good friend Joe Castiglione had been encouraging. But Del Conte knew if he didn't have Texas, he didn't have a chance.
“I've got one shot,” he recounted, “to go see DeLoss.”
It was a quite a visit. Del Conte grabbed a car, a driver and a bunch of reference material, binders, extolling the advantages of TCU and Fort Worth.
“I get up at 8 o'clock in the morning and drive to Darrell K. Royal Stadium. I get to [Dodds'] office. Nine comes around, 10 comes around. I've got a GA [graduate assistant] outside waiting for me, by the way. I tell him, ‘Just wait 10 minutes I'll be back.' Pretty soon it's 3:30.
“[DeLoss] comes out and says, ‘Who are you?' Chris Del Conte, Texas Christian U. He doesn't hear ‘Chris.' he hears ‘Del'. ‘Del, let's go get ourselves a drink and discuss it.'
“We went to a restaurant and had a little libation at 3:30. By the time 8:30 rolls around, we were [into it] pretty good but we got ourselves in a situation. I kept trying to give him my [binders]. He said, ‘I've heard enough, Del' and just walked away.”
The Big 12 ADs had a conference call the next day.
“The next morning I got up. Joe [Castiglione] goes, ‘I don't know what you did but it worked.' We got the vote. The Frogs are in,' Del Conte said.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...xas-venerable-ad-to-thank-for-being-in-big-12
But a Big East without powerhouses Syracuse and Pittsburgh was not worth joining. As we found out, the league not only split into basketball and football factions but the FBS remainders of the Big East – the American Athletic Conference – lost its BCS conference designation. Next season the AAC is not contracted to a major bowl in the College Football Playoff era.
“Syracuse and Pitt announced they were leaving and shocked everybody ...", Del Conte said. “Mack Brown and DeLoss Dodds came out and said, ‘We're going to stay [in the Big 12].'
“Once I heard that I said, ‘OK, boy, let's go.' We had two weeks to make this work.”
Del Conte admitted, “the pressure of the entire institution was on my shoulders” to join the Big 12. He worked the phones, calling every Big 12 contact he knew. Support within the Big 12 was growing, including at Oklahoma where good friend Joe Castiglione had been encouraging. But Del Conte knew if he didn't have Texas, he didn't have a chance.
“I've got one shot,” he recounted, “to go see DeLoss.”
It was a quite a visit. Del Conte grabbed a car, a driver and a bunch of reference material, binders, extolling the advantages of TCU and Fort Worth.
“I get up at 8 o'clock in the morning and drive to Darrell K. Royal Stadium. I get to [Dodds'] office. Nine comes around, 10 comes around. I've got a GA [graduate assistant] outside waiting for me, by the way. I tell him, ‘Just wait 10 minutes I'll be back.' Pretty soon it's 3:30.
“[DeLoss] comes out and says, ‘Who are you?' Chris Del Conte, Texas Christian U. He doesn't hear ‘Chris.' he hears ‘Del'. ‘Del, let's go get ourselves a drink and discuss it.'
“We went to a restaurant and had a little libation at 3:30. By the time 8:30 rolls around, we were [into it] pretty good but we got ourselves in a situation. I kept trying to give him my [binders]. He said, ‘I've heard enough, Del' and just walked away.”
The Big 12 ADs had a conference call the next day.
“The next morning I got up. Joe [Castiglione] goes, ‘I don't know what you did but it worked.' We got the vote. The Frogs are in,' Del Conte said.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...xas-venerable-ad-to-thank-for-being-in-big-12
