>FYI only, I saw this on the CNN homepage (posted without permission but with
appreciation)  I would imaging this could affect college hockey in some
way or another.
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Report: Big Ten wooing Notre Dame 
 
              Posted: Wednesday June 03, 1998 05:42 PM
 
              SOUTH BEND, Indiana (AP) -- The Big
              Ten, which has long coveted Notre Dame as
              a member, may be making another bid to
              bring the Irish into the fold.
 
              A newspaper in Michigan reported
              Wednesday that commissioner Jim Delany and several Big Ten
              presidents have talked about making Notre Dame the 12th
              member of the conference. The Irish turned down an
invitation
              to join the conference in 1993 and instead joined the Big
East,
              remaining independent only in football, its biggest
moneymaker.
 
              Notre Dame officials could not be reached for comment
              Wednesday, although the Rev. E. William Beauchamp, Notre
              Dame's executive vice president, released a statement
saying
              the university is "very pleased with our athletic
positioning, both
              as an independent in football and as a member of the Big
East
              Conference in most other sports."
 
              Delany told The Associated Press on Wednesday, "Our
              presidents approved a strategic plan last summer. This is
sort of
              the second time in the '90s they asked us to look at
expansion."
 
              But, he added, "We are not in expansion discussions with
any
              institutions. We have had some preliminary exchange of
              information with a number of schools, and I'm not going to
say
              who they are, where they are, but we have an awful lot of
              respect for Notre Dame."
 
              The newspaper, however, reported that a source close to
the
              discussions said the talks are "more than just
preliminary."
 
              The source, who asked not to be identified, told the
newspaper
              that Notre Dame sees "tremendous advantages to being in
the
              Big Ten. And they are the one school the conference has
              always wanted."
 
              The Big Ten has acknowledged it is looking into possible
              expansion to 12 schools, which would allow it to create
two
              six-team divisions and a lucrative conference championship
              football game.
 
              NBC paid Notre Dame $35 million for its first five-year
              television deal, which expired in 1995. The network is in
the
              third year of a five-year extension, worth about $40
million,
              and last year agreed to another extension through 2005
              estimated to be worth as much as $45 million.
 
              John Heisler, Notre Dame sports information director and
              assistant athletic director, told the newspaper on
Tuesday, "We
              never said that we wouldn't listen to any [overtures] any
              differently than when we explored things with basketball
[in the
              Big East].
 
              "But football is a different animal," he said. "Our
football
              program is still in a position where we feel like there
are some
              solid things about it. I know that we're a lone ranger
here, but
              we've been a major proponent of staying independent. A lot
of
              things would have to go south for us, and there would have
to
              be some real compelling reasons to get into a situation in
a
              league involving football."
 
              The Big Ten has always insisted that football be a part of
the
              mix. However, Delany told the Ann Arbor paper the
conference
              might be willing to admit Notre Dame in all sports except
              football and then add football in later years.
 
              "I've always been impressed with Notre Dame as an
institution,
              the way they do business, the integrity of the program,
the
              regard for the student-athlete, and their competitive
success,"
              Delany said. "They have a great program, and people in the
Big
              Ten have great respect for Notre Dame. But they also have
a
              great tradition for independence, and that has to be
respected as
              well."
 
                
 
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