Q&A Commish boasts about Sun Belt

MeanGreen61 · July 25, 2005

Off the Muts board. Article from Lafayette paper.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../507250323/1006

Q&A: Commissioner boasts about Sun Belt

Conference has earned increased TV exposure since 1999.

Wright Waters was named the fourth commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference on Dec. 15, 1998. He spearheaded the addition of football as a conference sport in 2001 and helped found the New Orleans Bowl with the Sun Belt champion as the event's host. Sun Belt Football Media Days will be held today and Tuesday in New Orleans. Waters talked to Advertiser Senior Sports Writer Bruce Brown.

Q: North Texas has been the football champion of the Sun Belt Conference ever since the sport was included in 2001. Is there a problem with the perception of the Sun Belt as the Mean Green, surrounded by lesser programs?

A: I don't get paid to deal in perception. I look at things differently than the public does. What I really like is having a balanced league. What I look at are the margins and what I see is the other teams getting closer to North Texas. I think we need to say 'thank you' to North Texas for telling us what the standard is, and now I think it's up to the rest of the schools to catch up.

I remember when Jack Nicklaus built a golf course in North Carolina, and he heard complaining that (playing from) the members' tees was too hard. He told them there are old-timers' tees, and that they could move up.

Q: The Sun Belt is receiving increased attention with television exposure for games in 2005. What do you think of the progress in that area?

A: Probably the easiest way I can talk about it is to say that when I got here in February of 1999, we had two regional TV games and our basketball championship on national TV. This year we have more national TV exposure for football than we had in all sports combined in 1999. In addition, we've got an extensive regional package.

We are also cashing in a little bit on ESPN-U, although I'm trying to resist playing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday. I have no problem with Thursdays. We (college football programs) have been doing that for 25 years now.

Q: Are you amazed that you were able to put together a bowl game tie-in in the first year of football for the Sun Belt in 2001?

A: I think a lot of that was being in the right place at the right time. From the seat I sit in, I know about the good staff we had and I know that the schools understood the importance of having a bowl game. They had been drifting in the wilderness, and they knew there were a lot of advantages in going for it, too. Another advantage we had was (former UNO A.D.) Ron Maestri. It has made a big difference to have him as our executive director.

Q: The Sun Belt is an 8-team football league for 2005, with Western Kentucky's program remaining in Division 1-AA. What do you think of that number at this point in the league's development?

A: People have been too worried about conference realignments. Now I think we're entering a period of stability, and we'll see more movement at the double-A and triple-A levels. If you had nine teams, the advantage from a scheduling standpoint is that you could have four (home) and four (away). Another advantage to where we are is that it is very limited. Now, being able to count 1-AA opponents on home schedules and for bowls, less may be better.

A bunch of leagues have operated with eight teams. Guys get extra games, and our athletic directors have done a good job of getting high-profile people (foes) on campus. Missouri went to Troy last year, Oklahoma State is at Florida Atlantic this year and you (Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns) have had Texas A&M and Alabama in the past. I think we're going to be OK.

Now, in three, four or five years, I don't think we'll be the Big 12 or the SEC, because their schools have "University of" in front of their names and they have a 100-year head start on us. But we can be that next rung of schools, and we can be a pain in the butt for them on the field.

I think we'll continue to play solid defense, and have a fast brand of offense that can give them trouble. The margins are getting smaller, and the trend continues of us getting upset wins like Troy over Missouri last year.

Q: Success on the field can be matched or exceeded by success in the classroom. Where is the Sun Belt on academic progress?

A: I've been asked what is the most significant event in our 30-year history, and having Charlotte in the Final Four our first year is certainly one of them. We've had national champions in cross country and women's basketball.

But, the most significant may have been two years ago, when we won our first bowl and had a tremendous about of success in baseball and other sports. That year, every (member) school had graduation rates that were higher than the student body.

I think we've got our morals in the right place. We're trying to get our kids graduated. If we can win, put people in the stands and do it all with class, I think we'll be all right.

Originally published July 25, 2005