So long WAC

[MDZip]

One of the little discussed by-products of all of the conference movement is the demise of the WAC in football. This was their last season and here was a pretty good article on their final season. Lots of references to the MAC.

[Dave in Green]

Thanks for that. I'm a Louisiana Tech grad. I was there for the Terry Bradshaw golden era and have many fond memories. Amazing how much offense they put up this season and how close they came to beating the only team to beat Alabama. But I'm a total Zips convert now. If UA ever plays La Tech in any sport, I'll be cheering for the Zips.

[a-zip]

Bitter dude that wrote that and obviously has it out for the MAC. Funny thing is all he talks about is football, is his blessed WAC viable in any other sports?

[LZIp]

I had no idea this was the last year for the WAC in football.

[Spin]

So he's mad that nobody covered the WAC and he missed a good season. Being a writer/blogger, doesn't that make him mad at himself?

[PB1719]

I don't like seeing conferences fold, and do feel bad for the teams left behind. However, the way that article was written made it difficult to feel bad for them. What a bitter crybaby. If he was trying to be persuasive, he got that. The effect was polar opposite of what he was going for to me.

[GP1]

I was there for the Terry Bradshaw golden era

Referring to his once head of golden hair or a good period for the school or both?

[GP1]

These schools need to kiss and make up with the Boise States of the world. It was truly an island of misfit toys...even more so than the MAC. It's too bad because the writer of the article is correct in that it was a small league full of really good team for their level. If the non-bcs schools could ever get their heads out of their butts and start their own division between I-AA and BCS, a team from this conference would stand a good chance to win a national championship in that division early on. Non BCS schools are such a victim of their own stupidity it isn't even funny at this point.

[Dave in Green]

Referring to his once head of golden hair or a good period for the school or both?

Both. His golden hair was pretty thin even in college. Being the first small college player drafted #1 in the NFL really gained Louisiana Tech football national respectability, and more good players and teams came after the Bradshaw era. I used to sit in the stands during practice and watch Bradshaw practice throwing from behind. He had an odd delivery directly over the top of his head. I learned he had set the national HS record for the javelin throw, and that's where he learned his football throwing style. I remember at night games where he'd throw the football so high that it would disappear above the lights and magically float down right into his receiver's hands at the other end of the field. I recall a defensive back trying to tackle Bradshaw running downfield, and the defender being flattened and taken off the field with a broken collarbone. Bradshaw was definitely a man among boys at the small college level.

[Ham]

Both. His golden hair was pretty thin even in college. Being the first small college player drafted #1 in the NFL really gained Louisiana Tech football national respectability, and more good players and teams came after the Bradshaw era. I used to sit in the stands during practice and watch Bradshaw practice throwing from behind. He had an odd delivery directly over the top of his head. I learned he had set the national HS record for the javelin throw, and that's where he learned his football throwing style. I remember at night games where he'd throw the football so high that it would disappear above the lights and magically float down right into his receiver's hands at the other end of the field. I recall a defensive back trying to tackle Bradshaw running downfield, and the defender being flattened and taken off the field with a broken collarbone. Bradshaw was definitely a man among boys at the small college level.

Did you see him against the Zips in the Grantland Rice Bowl?

[Dave in Green]

Unfortunately, I didn't make it up to Akron for the Grantland Rice Bowl. I vividly recall the Ruston Daily Leader running a big front page photo the day after the game showing Bradshaw releasing a TD pass with several Zips hanging from every part of his body. He was just so darned big, tough and strong for a college QB in that era. That's why the Steelers drafted him #1. He was the perfect QB for the Steelers.

[johnnyzip84]

My memories of the WAC will always be centered on the league (now mostly in the MWC) that during the 1970's became the 1st conference outside of the traditional power conferences of the time (SWC, SEC, Big 10, Pac 8, Big 8, ACC) to make waves on the national scene. One of my favorite bowl games ever was the 1979 Holiday Bowl where BYU came back from being down 20 points or so to nip SMU (and the pony express) 46-45 on a last second Jim McMahon to Clay Brown TD pass. Lavell Edwards knew that the forward pass was the big equalizer, and he took full advantage of NCAA rules allowing for LDS missionaries to postpone their athletic careers for their 2 year mission. The Cougar offensive lines were usually filled with 22, 23, and 24 year old men playing against 20 and 21 year old boys as a result. The culmination of this was the national championship of 1984, regardless of whether the Cougars were the consensus choice that year or not. The old WAC played an exciting brand of football, that's for sure.

Let's not forget that Arizona and Arizona St also played for a while in the WAC. Frank Kush's Sun Devil squads were legendary.

[Z.I.P.]

My memories of the WAC will always be centered on the league (now mostly in the MWC) that during the 1970's became the 1st conference outside of the traditional power conferences of the time (SWC, SEC, Big 10, Pac 8, Big 8, ACC) to make waves on the national scene. One of my favorite bowl games ever was the 1979 Holiday Bowl where BYU came back from being down 20 points or so to nip SMU (and the pony express) 46-45 on a last second Jim McMahon to Clay Brown TD pass. Lavell Edwards knew that the forward pass was the big equalizer, and he took full advantage of NCAA rules allowing for LDS missionaries to postpone their athletic careers for their 2 year mission. The Cougar offensive lines were usually filled with 22, 23, and 24 year old men playing against 20 and 21 year old boys as a result. The culmination of this was the national championship of 1984, regardless of whether the Cougars were the consensus choice that year or not. The old WAC played an exciting brand of football, that's for sure.

Let's not forget that Arizona and Arizona St also played for a while in the WAC. Frank Kush's Sun Devil squads were legendary.

That was the WAC's 2nd National Championship in football. The WAC Sun Devils were tri-national champs (at least their fans still say so) in 1974 IIRC, when they, Oklahoma and USC all finished undefeated. While the Sooners and Trojans won the AP and UPI polls, ASU won in the Sporting News poll. ASU beat Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl, which was then a young and relatively minor bowl game compared to today (Huskers had one or two losses coming in).

[Z.I.P.]

Unfortunately, I didn't make it up to Akron for the Grantland Rice Bowl. I vividly recall the Ruston Daily Leader running a big front page photo the day after the game showing Bradshaw releasing a TD pass with several Zips hanging from every part of his body. He was just so darned big, tough and strong for a college QB in that era. That's why the Steelers drafted him #1. He was the perfect QB for the Steelers.

Good thing Dave! The game was played in Murphreesboro Tennessee.

[Dave in Green]

Ha! I usually pay closer attention to my edits. That one sure came out wrong.