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mjfhokie

Joined: 09/15/2012 Posts: 164
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Formation of the ACC - 64 years ago


An interesting article on the initial formation of the ACC. As a Hokie fan, the highlight was the following 2 paragraphs. I have heard a lot of conspiracy theories of why VT was left out, but never this one. That said, it makes a lot of common sense.

Simply put, the trains did not go directly to Blacksburg in 1953 necessitating a much longer road trip in a non-Interstate era. The article says that both VT and WVU would likely have been included otherwise. (See quote from article below.)

Regardless it is an interesting historical take.

---------- From article by Barry Jacobs ----------
While rail travel was convenient and widespread – Smallwood was able to catch a round-trip train ride from Greensboro to Charlottesville, Va., to see a Saturday football game – it would be years before the interstate highway system Eisenhower championed began to take shape. Consequently, transportation options, or the lack thereof, affected which schools were invited to sign on with the ACC, according to Smallwood, a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

“A great thing that I kept hearing that was never really included in many assessments of what formed the conference, it was purely and simply travel,” he says. “I think that’s all that kept West Virginia out of it, and Virginia Tech. You had to pack a lunch to get to Morgantown, and the same thing with Virginia Tech.”

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/article148908824.html#storylink=cpy

Link: Formation of the ACC in 1953


Posted: 05/08/2017 at 10:01AM



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Current Thread:
 
  
Formation of the ACC - 64 years ago -- mjfhokie 05/08/2017 10:01AM
  The environment was so much different back then -- Mercury 05/09/2017 08:10AM
  Deeper deeper -- Mercury 05/09/2017 08:16AM
  Iirc, it was basically Dean Smith ** -- daveinop 05/09/2017 09:10AM
  Thanks for sharing -- Vippie1 05/08/2017 11:25AM

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