http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2011/1990-sec-expansion-southeastern-conference/

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For its part, the SEC wasn’t going to sit idly on the sidelines. On May 31, 1990, the SEC presidents voted to authorize expansion, identifying six schools as potential members: Texas, Texas A&M, Florida State, Miami, South Carolina and Arkansas.

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Texas A&M: 2012 World Champion of College Football in the State of Alabama.

Very interesting read.

It would have been nice to come over in 1990 but not if t.u. would have been coming too.

A&M had to wait 22 years but it came alone.

Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. -- Anonymous

I guess I missed the part where they were actively pursuing Mizzou.

Interesting as the article did not mention Clemson which was target #1 in SC. Like FSU the Tigers thought they were too good for the SEC and the Cocks got the spot. If the ACC does collapse it is a strong reason why UNC would jump ACC and not let NCST become another USC.

so the SEC's success rate is 50%

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When the SEC formally approached Arkansas, there was no hesitation: On August 1, 1990, the school’s trustees unanimously voted to join the SEC, effectively the following July.

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The article has some dates wrong ... Arkansas still played in the SWC for the 1991 football season. Their first year in the SEC was 1992.

There were 8 Texas schools, not seven! The Big 3--Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Texas were sick and tired of financing the other Six! Houston carried its own weight most years. The rest were leaches! Rice would bring 500 fans to Fayetteville and split the gate receipts on 65,000. At Rice there would be 10,000 Rice fans and 20,000 Arkansas fans with a split on 30,000! Same at Baylor, SMU, and TCU.
I felt bad for A&M at the time and really wished they could move with us. A&M and Arkansas were the only schools in the SWC that had what today is called a cultural fit. We are both out of the place where we never really belonged!
Welcome home A&M!

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The article has some dates wrong ... Arkansas still played in the SWC for the 1991 football season. Their first year in the SEC was 1992

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didn't they accept the offer two years before officially joining?

Irish -

Don;t remember if they did ... they article says they acdepted in August of 1990 effective the following July (which would be 1991) but that wasn't what happened as 1991 was the Hogs farewell tour in the SWC.

They just have a few numbers wrong. It was actually July of 91.

The article wasn't clear at all but I think it was saying that (with SMU having its program shut down) with regards to football there were seven TX schools plus Arkansas.

Again it would have been nice to join in 1990. But we probably would have brought t.u. along which would leave us in permanent little brother status.

And although the SEC was a strong conference then, it wasn't the behemoth and de facto NFL Development League it is today.

By joining at this time in history, and most importantly coming alone, we've set ourselves up as a destination program for years to come.

Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. -- Anonymous

Still hard to believe it has been 20+- yrs since that stinkbomb of a conference was created

[This message has been edited by VanZandt92 (edited 2/2/2013 8:57p).]

Is that true about Clemson? I don't know. The availability of information in that era was pretty poor. If it wasn't in the Dallas Morning News or H Chronicle, I probably wouldn't know. And those two papers have some of the worst records when it comes to NCAA breaking or insightful stories.

And I was in school chasing girls at the time. Thank God for TAMU.

I think what they really wanted was any 2 of Arkansas, A&M, Texas. When Texas and your Legislature refused that left South Carolina which never had much success at anything. They were about where Mizzou is now. SC football is finally where it should be. Very good baseball but it took an awful long time for them to get there.

SC got in because the politics in Texas kept t.u. and A&M out, Florida State wanted the easy road to NC's (as history repeats itself, maybe t.u. should take a look), and Miami wanted to turn the Big East into a football conference (putting lipstick on a pig doesn't change its porcine nature).

Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. -- Anonymous

And Mike Tranghese, then Big East Commissioner, was absolutely prophetic about football. The Big East failed to heed his warning and look at them now.