Potential discussed by the Wichita Eagle....full article at the link...
Traveling trophy could add incentive in Wichita State-Tulsa games
By Paul Suellentrop
Many conference realignments come at the expense of long-time rivalries.
Kansas-Missouri, Nebraska-Oklahoma, BYU-Utah, Creighton-Drake, Syracuse-Georgetown, Maryland-Tobacco Road schools. I could go on, but it makes me sad.
One of the many benefits of Wichita State’s move to the American Athletic Conference is that it represents the resumption of its best rivalry — vs. the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
To mark the reunion, the schools are considering an all-sports competition with some sort of traveling trophy at stake. The plans are in their early stages, and people at WSU hope the details come together over the summer.
“Our marketing departments have been in contact with one another about what that might look like,” WSU athletic director Darron Boatright said.
WSU doesn’t play football or soccer. Tulsa doesn’t play baseball or men’s golf. Those sports won’t count in the points standings.
The men’s basketball rivalry should heat up again now that it means more and that’s a great thing for both schools. The American is such a random collection of schools that any history and tradition that binds members is a plus.
Tulsa was WSU’s most consistent rival as Missouri Valley Conference members, both in football and basketball.
The teams met in non-conference games, but it’s just not the same as two or three conference meetings. The basketball rivalry in the 1980s hit a peak that likely won’t be duplicated.
“It was like Wolf Creek with all that electricity,” said former Shocker Gary Cundiff in 1996. “You battled them in recruiting, you battled them in the Valley, you battled them for national recognition, so you’re going head-to-head with them all the time.
“You go down there getting spit on going in and out of the locker room. They’d throw cups of Pepsi. Just an ugly atmosphere. Ugly but fun.”
Traveling trophy could add incentive in Wichita State-Tulsa games
By Paul Suellentrop
Many conference realignments come at the expense of long-time rivalries.
Kansas-Missouri, Nebraska-Oklahoma, BYU-Utah, Creighton-Drake, Syracuse-Georgetown, Maryland-Tobacco Road schools. I could go on, but it makes me sad.
One of the many benefits of Wichita State’s move to the American Athletic Conference is that it represents the resumption of its best rivalry — vs. the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
To mark the reunion, the schools are considering an all-sports competition with some sort of traveling trophy at stake. The plans are in their early stages, and people at WSU hope the details come together over the summer.
“Our marketing departments have been in contact with one another about what that might look like,” WSU athletic director Darron Boatright said.
WSU doesn’t play football or soccer. Tulsa doesn’t play baseball or men’s golf. Those sports won’t count in the points standings.
The men’s basketball rivalry should heat up again now that it means more and that’s a great thing for both schools. The American is such a random collection of schools that any history and tradition that binds members is a plus.
Tulsa was WSU’s most consistent rival as Missouri Valley Conference members, both in football and basketball.
The teams met in non-conference games, but it’s just not the same as two or three conference meetings. The basketball rivalry in the 1980s hit a peak that likely won’t be duplicated.
“It was like Wolf Creek with all that electricity,” said former Shocker Gary Cundiff in 1996. “You battled them in recruiting, you battled them in the Valley, you battled them for national recognition, so you’re going head-to-head with them all the time.
“You go down there getting spit on going in and out of the locker room. They’d throw cups of Pepsi. Just an ugly atmosphere. Ugly but fun.”
