Sure it was deeply flawed in many ways and ultimately could not compete with the super regional, multi-state model of other conferences, but like a classic car it will always remain timeless for those of us who experienced it.

No other conference had the sheer amount of pride on the line every single weekend because everyone you knew in your family, at your job, at your church etc had an opponent team they rooted for through degree, blood or region and winning meant bragging rights over them for an entire year or ridicule if you lost.

The old Girl is gone forever but on this day, those of us who knew her can raise a glass and say "Here's to you SWC, thanks for all the memories!"

I was sad to see it go, but it was time.

I watched Texas beat Texas A&M on TV to win the last SWC championship (and head to the Sugar Bowl with the win-an oddity of the final year), then headed over to Rice Stadium watch the last half of what actually was the final SWC game, Rice vs. Houston, as the Owls fell short 18-17.

I'm just disappointed the Big 8 wasn't more proactive. If they had grabbed Arkansas (along w/ Texas, TAMU, and probably TTech at the time) the conferences would be much better, and keeping w/ history.

RIP

I don't think anyone misses the SWC as much as Rice fans. We've been on the short end of three conference implosions in the past 20 years.

(12-08-2014 09:30 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  Sure it was deeply flawed in many ways and ultimately could not compete with the super regional, multi-state model of other conferences, but like a classic car it will always remain timeless for those of us who experienced it.

No other conference had the sheer amount of pride on the line every single weekend because everyone you knew in your family, at your job, at your church etc had an opponent team they rooted for through degree, blood or region and winning meant bragging rights over them for an entire year or ridicule if you lost.

The old Girl is gone forever but on this day, those of us who knew her can raise a glass and say "Here's to you SWC, thanks for all the memories!"

Loved those big games on New Years Day in the old Cotton Bowl too 10th. Like everything else, money was the root of all evil in their demise... Sure was fun football, and usually feared by others in the country. What was ever wrong with a regional conference? I always thought that was how a conference was supposed to be. I wish the Big XII merger had included the ones left behind.

Quote:RIP

I don't think anyone misses the SWC as much as Rice fans. We've been on the short end of three conference implosions in the past 20 years.

Rice has the academics and the location to be a Northwestern/Vanderbilt/Duke/Stanford type program but to me it seemed like after the 1950s, the Rice administration just gave up on athletics completely (and football especially) until baseball started winning big in the late 90s

Good memories

^

IIRC (and I could be very off) Rice had a written policy, perhaps in its charter, of not admitting black students and even had to sue itself to unblock that. They actually had a spark just after the end of the SWC (aided by their 19-17 upset of Texas in 1994) and drew 50,000+ sometimes but was always just one game away. Add in that their tiny enrollment and alumni base scared off bowl promoters and the spark Rice had left as a legit major program ended.

As for UH, it came in like gangbusters, winning 3/4 conference championships in the late 70's before the cheati--err, I mean, "recruiting" wars heated up and evened the playing field. This not to mention the iconic Phi Slama Jama era. Then the fan support and play on the field tailed off at exactly the right time for politics to exclude UH from a major conference. Had the breakup occurred 5-10 years earlier, UH almost for certain would have been in the Big 12 or even SEC.

(12-08-2014 09:30 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  Sure it was deeply flawed in many ways and ultimately could not compete with the super regional, multi-state model of other conferences, but like a classic car it will always remain timeless for those of us who experienced it.

No other conference had the sheer amount of pride on the line every single weekend because everyone you knew in your family, at your job, at your church etc had an opponent team they rooted for through degree, blood or region and winning meant bragging rights over them for an entire year or ridicule if you lost.

The old Girl is gone forever but on this day, those of us who knew her can raise a glass and say "Here's to you SWC, thanks for all the memories!"

Loved that conference. For me, college football has always been something less than it was since the SWC demise. For my school, it's been nearly 20 years of constantly changing far away opponents. I miss playing schools that friends and co-workers graduated from. That's part of the fun in college football.

UH did have some kick ass teams but the problem was that the Coog's success was sustained almost exclusively by having tremendous, legendary athletes like Andre Ware and Hakeem Olajuwon playing for them which allowed them to compete and win even though they never had the administrative support, fan base or the infrastructure.

When they ran out of legendary athletes, they didn't have the bedrock of a major donor fan base positive administration and infrastructure to fall back on like other big programs do when they fall on hard times. UH literally couldn't sustain themselves as a program.

Jerome Solomon pointed out today in the Chronicle that while TDECU is nice, it's also 20 years too late, that it was what the Coogs should have been building in 1993, not 2013

I really wish some programs would get together and build a new version of the SWC.

(12-08-2014 11:52 AM)DrTorch Wrote:  I'm just disappointed the Big 8 wasn't more proactive. If they had grabbed Arkansas (along w/ Texas, TAMU, and probably TTech at the time) the conferences would be much better, and keeping w/ history.

We tried joining the Big 8 back in the 70's. But Nebraska did not want to expand. I find it amazing that today you will find the former members of the Big 8 in four different conferences.

(12-08-2014 03:06 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  UH did have some kick ass teams but the problem was that the Coog's success was sustained almost exclusively by having tremendous, legendary athletes like Andre Ware and Hakeem Olajuwon playing for them which allowed them to compete and win even though they never had the administrative support, fan base or the infrastructure.

When they ran out of legendary athletes, they didn't have the bedrock of a major donor fan base positive administration and infrastructure to fall back on like other big programs do when they fall on hard times. UH literally couldn't sustain themselves as a program.

Jerome Solomon pointed out today in the Chronicle that while TDECU is nice, it's also 20 years too late, that it was what the Coogs should have been building in 1993, not 2013

C'mon... Jerome Solomon is a rat... Not long ago he was also slinging shots at A&M.

(12-08-2014 02:11 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  ^

IIRC (and I could be very off) Rice had a written policy, perhaps in its charter, of not admitting black students and even had to sue itself to unblock that. They actually had a spark just after the end of the SWC (aided by their 19-17 upset of Texas in 1994) and drew 50,000+ sometimes but was always just one game away. Add in that their tiny enrollment and alumni base scared off bowl promoters and the spark Rice had left as a legit major program ended.

As for UH, it came in like gangbusters, winning 3/4 conference championships in the late 70's before the cheati--err, I mean, "recruiting" wars heated up and evened the playing field. This not to mention the iconic Phi Slama Jama era. Then the fan support and play on the field tailed off at exactly the right time for politics to exclude UH from a major conference. Had the breakup occurred 5-10 years earlier, UH almost for certain would have been in the Big 12 or even SEC.

There were no black football players in the SWC at all before 1965. It might have been 1970 or later before every SWC team had black players. According to this article about Jerry LeVias, it took permission from the governor to even have 3 black players on a Texas high-school all-star team in 1965.

The slowness of SWC integration probably indirectly helped Houston football when they first joined the league, because Houston had already had black players (i.e., they weren't limiting their talent pool to white players) for several years, right?

(12-08-2014 03:06 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  UH did have some kick ass teams but the problem was that the Coog's success was sustained almost exclusively by having tremendous, legendary athletes like Andre Ware and Hakeem Olajuwon playing for them which allowed them to compete and win even though they never had the administrative support, fan base or the infrastructure.

When they ran out of legendary athletes, they didn't have the bedrock of a major donor fan base positive administration and infrastructure to fall back on like other big programs do when they fall on hard times. UH literally couldn't sustain themselves as a program.

Jerome Solomon pointed out today in the Chronicle that while TDECU is nice, it's also 20 years too late, that it was what the Coogs should have been building in 1993, not 2013

Bingo, UH always was a C-USA (now AAC) level program that was just good enough to compete nationally, on the field anyways.

Reminds me of Miami because while they have had on the field success, lots of it mind you, the glitter from that hides the fact that they in reality are more like Tulsa University in a fun tropical city. And the game-after-game photos of their 3/4 empty stadium proves it. A shake up in/collapse of the ACC could doom them like UH.

As for your other points, it was about timing, not about running out of legendary athletes. UH just as easily could have hit the jackpot and landed in the SEC as much what ultimately happened. You'll notice, as I just mentioned, Miami and Pitt also suffer from some of the same issues that UH did previously but they just happen to be on the right side of the rope...for now. Arizona State doesn't have near the history and is in a transient city but still look the part. And to counter that point again, what made Rutgers so attractive to first the Big East, then the B1G other than being less than an hour from Manhattan?

UH should have renovated Robertson in the 80's as was considered but it didn't really matter if all the other ducks weren't in a row, which is why the administration has learned from previous administration's mistakes.

(12-08-2014 11:52 AM)DrTorch Wrote:  I'm just disappointed the Big 8 wasn't more proactive. If they had grabbed Arkansas (along w/ Texas, TAMU, and probably TTech at the time) the conferences would be much better, and keeping w/ history.

Uh, Arkie left for the SEC before the SWC closed up shop and the Texas Four joined the Big 8 to form the Big XII.

(12-08-2014 05:16 PM)Wedge Wrote:  There were no black football players in the SWC at all before 1965. It might have been 1970 or later before every SWC team had black players. According to this article about Jerry LeVias, it took permission from the governor to even have 3 black players on a Texas high-school all-star team in 1965.

The slowness of SWC integration probably indirectly helped Houston football when they first joined the league, because Houston had already had black players (i.e., they weren't limiting their talent pool to white players) for several years, right?

Correct, UH integrated athletics in 1964 with the signing of Warren McVea, then Elvin Hayes and Don Cheaney. The teams garnered lots of national publicity in the late 60's, including college basketball's Game of the Century and other schools and conferences had to take note. I even remember seeing an old newspaper article (which I can't find anymore online) that the SEC, who was also interested in Florida State, sent feelers out on UH, which likely got Texas' attention since they didn't want for the state to open up to SEC for recruiting and Darrell Royal sponsored a UH invite-- granted with a five year waiting period.

(12-08-2014 07:02 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(12-08-2014 03:06 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  UH did have some kick ass teams but the problem was that the Coog's success was sustained almost exclusively by having tremendous, legendary athletes like Andre Ware and Hakeem Olajuwon playing for them which allowed them to compete and win even though they never had the administrative support, fan base or the infrastructure.

When they ran out of legendary athletes, they didn't have the bedrock of a major donor fan base positive administration and infrastructure to fall back on like other big programs do when they fall on hard times. UH literally couldn't sustain themselves as a program.

Jerome Solomon pointed out today in the Chronicle that while TDECU is nice, it's also 20 years too late, that it was what the Coogs should have been building in 1993, not 2013

Bingo, UH always was a C-USA (now AAC) level program that was just good enough to compete nationally, on the field anyways.

Reminds me of Miami because while they have had on the field success, lots of it mind you, the glitter from that hides the fact that they in reality are more like Tulsa University in a fun tropical city. And the game-after-game photos of their 3/4 empty stadium proves it. A shake up in/collapse of the ACC could doom them like UH.

As for your other points, it was about timing, not about running out of legendary athletes. UH just as easily could have hit the jackpot and landed in the SEC as much what ultimately happened. You'll notice, as I just mentioned, Miami and Pitt also suffer from some of the same issues that UH did previously but they just happen to be on the right side of the rope...for now. Arizona State doesn't have near the history and is in a transient city but still look the part. And to counter that point again, what made Rutgers so attractive to first the Big East, then the B1G other than being less than an hour from Manhattan?

UH should have renovated Robertson in the 80's as was considered but it didn't really matter if all the other ducks weren't in a row, which is why the administration has learned from previous administration's mistakes.

It wasn't players, it was coaches. Bill Yeoman, Guy Lewis-and their golf coach.

That as well. Still, UH could have gone through a down period just like any program and been okay had its major conference not imploded on it. The BCS dollars and status would have done wonders.

(12-08-2014 03:06 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  UH did have some kick ass teams but the problem was that the Coog's success was sustained almost exclusively by having tremendous, legendary athletes like Andre Ware and Hakeem Olajuwon playing for them which allowed them to compete and win even though they never had the administrative support, fan base or the infrastructure.

When they ran out of legendary athletes, they didn't have the bedrock of a major donor fan base positive administration and infrastructure to fall back on like other big programs do when they fall on hard times. UH literally couldn't sustain themselves as a program.

Jerome Solomon pointed out today in the Chronicle that while TDECU is nice, it's also 20 years too late, that it was what the Coogs should have been building in 1993, not 2013

Exactly. The school is doing the right things now---tons of on-campus dorms have led to close to 10K students living on-campus or just off campus. This has led to a totally different and vibrant campus life (these on-campus students are much more likely to be ticket buyers as alumni). Better academics and tier one status. Great athletic facilities (once the Hof remodel is done). But like you pointed out---it would have MUCH been better had these investments been made 10-20 years ago. Now, it may be too late.