THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407240198
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TAMPA, FLA. LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The ACC does not subscribe to the theory that bigger is better.
Commissioner Gene Corrigan, an advocate of further expansion, said Saturday league officials have firmly told him that they do not wish to expand beyond the present nine schools.
``I have been a big expansion pusher,'' Corrigan said during a ``state of the conference'' meeting with media members attending this weekend's ACC Football Kickoff '94 at Saddlebrook Resort.
``We talked about it Friday, but for the first time everyone said, `hey, we ought to stay just where we are . . . you ought to just give it up.' They told me to mind my own business.''
Corrigan admitted at one time some ACC athletic directors expressed interest in taking Notre Dame as a non-football member - the same condition under which the Big East Conference recently admitted the Irish.
``We talked to Notre Dame, and we had some of our ADs who were very interested in doing something with Notre Dame,'' Corrigan said.
According to league sources, Notre Dame agreed to play four ACC football games a season if allowed to be accepted as in all other sports.
The sources said the ACC may have been more willing to accept Notre Dame's deal if the league had not signed a lucrative football television contract with ABC and ESPN last February.
Corrigan, a former Notre Dame athletic director, said the proposal never came to a vote among league members.
``Basically, everybody decided that if (Notre Dame) was going to be a member, you got to be a (full) member, and that really is where it came down.''
Corrigan said Notre Dame's partial membership in the Big East will be ``good for Notre Dame and decent for the Big East, as well.''
``I am glad for Notre Dame because I know its basketball has suffered by not being affiliated with a conference,'' he said.
The ACC's last expansion was to add Florida State as a ninth member three years ago.
The Seminoles have won the ACC football title both years since becoming a member and are 16-0 against league teams.
They also won the national championship last year, but currently face the threat NCAA sanctions because of alleged rules violations.
Florida State currently is conducting its own investigation of the the allegations and is preparing a report for the NCAA with the help of an independent law firm.
Corrigan said the ACC will not take action unless the NCAA conducts an investigation and makes a ruling.
``If the NCAA comes down on one of our schools, we might decide to add more penalties, but not before then,'' Corrigan said. by CNB