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Show THE WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WAC AREA COLORA0O STATE C R k | DENVER (Heodquartot) MEMBERS ARIZONA-Located in Tucson with metropolitan area of 420,000 people . . . enrollment 30,000 . . . Arizona Stadium seats 58,000 . . . McKale Memorial Center seats 14,438 for basketball. ARIZONA STATE-Located in Tempe, five minutes from Phoenix . . . enrollment 35,- 000 . . . Sun Devil Stadium seats 50,660 . . . University Activity Center seats 14,227 for basketball. BRIGHAM YOUNC - Located in Provo, Utah, an hour's drive southeast of Salt Lake City . . . enrollment 30,000 . . . Cougar Stadium seats 30,000 for football . . . Marriott Activities Center seats 22,768 for basketball. COLORADO STATE-Located in Ft. Collins, 60 miles north of Denver . . . enrollment 17,000 . . . Hughes Stadium seats 30,000 for football . . . CSU Auditorium seats 9,520 for basketball. NEW MEXICO-Located in Albuquerque, state's largest city . . . enrollment 20,000 . . . University Stadium seats 30,000 for football . . . University Arena seats 17,121 for basketball. TEXAS-EL PASO-Located in El Paso . . . enrollment 12,500 . . . Sun Bowl seats 30,000 for football . . . Special Events Center seats 12,000 for basketball. UTAH-Located in Salt Lake City, capital of Utah . . . enrollment 22,000 . . . Rice Stadium seats 30,000 for football . . . Special Events Center Arena seats 15,000 for basketball. WYOMING-Located in Laramie, 130 miles north of Denver . . . enrollment 8,300 . . . Memorial Stadium seats 27,000 for football . . . Memorial Fieldhouse seats 11,000 for basketball. THE NEW WAC The fast-growing, ever-changing Western Athletic Conference enters its 16th year of existence with a major switch in emphasis just down the road. Beginning with the 1978-79 academic year, the conference most considered "the quickest maturing intercollegiate athletic league nationally" will say goodby to charter members Arizona and Arizona State and welcome aboard the first of three new institutions - San Diego State U. The WAC's expansion timetable then calls for the addition of the University of Hawaii on July 1, 1979 and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas on July 1, 1980. All three newcomers possess well rounded athletic programs and represent three of the fastest growing areas in the country. At that point in time, the WAC will stretch from the pine tree forests of Utah, Colorado and Wyoming to the desert southwest of West Texas, New Mexico and Nevada to the surf of California and Hawaii. Founded on July 1, 1962, the charter members included Arizona, Arizona State, Brigham Young, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. In September, 1967, Colorado State and Texas-El Paso were added to make the WAC an eight team league. Based in Denver, Colorado, the WAC is led by Commissioner Stan Bates who assumed his current position in 1971. Bates, former athletic director at Washington State University, is the conference's third commissioner. He's assisted by Nordy Jensen, director of information; John Adams, supervisor of football officials, and Stan Watts, supervisor of basketball officials. The office is located at 1515 Cleveland Place, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80202. On August T, the phone changed to AC 303 - 534-0217. |
