
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 10, 1994                   TAG: 9404100078
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TECH NEEDS TO PORTRAY A NEW IMAGE

Virginia Tech's futile effort to gain full membership in the Big East Conference provides an excellent cause to study Tech's present situation and to suggest a needed change in the way it markets itself. Its problem may, as absurd as it seems, lie in its identity, particularly outside the boundaries of the Old Dominion.

Of the 107 colleges that play I-A football, 53 are state universities, i.e., they are the University of (state), (State) University or (state) State University. A number of states, such as North Carolina and Michigan, have two state universities. So does Virginia. When we look at Tech in this light we find an interesting situation.

With the exception of Arkansas State, which recently upgraded its football program to I-A, the Hokies are the only state university competing at this level that does not belong to an all-sports conference. Further, they are one of only five state universities east of the Rocky Mountains that are not part of a football conference in which there are at least four other state universities (three of the five are in the Big East). This really speaks volumes.

In a recent report in your newspaper (3/14/94), ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan said that Tech would be a tough sell for conference affiliation. Perhaps Virginia Tech would be. But what of Tech - the State University of the 12th most populous state in the nation?

With its competitiveness, student and alumni base, state-wide support, media coverage and markets, it has a lot to bring to the table in discussions with any conference about affiliation. When you are one of the two state universities in a state that has the Washington, D.C., and Tidewater markets, and in a position to bring conferences like the SEC or Big Ten with their network affiliations into the populous Old Dominion, you don't need to come to the table with your hat in your hand looking for a handout. JAMES M. WRIGHT KNOXVILLE, TENN.

by CNB