Marty Gordon
I can remember a Radford University basketball game as a student against Liberty University at the Dedmon Center when I looked into the stands and saw Rev. Jerry Falwell watching the action.
He was a national figure and a leader in the early stages of the Big South Conference. But things have been changing since his death.
For Liberty, there is an opportunity to play major Division I college football. Falwell’s son has built new state-of-the-art athletic facility and the university continues to grow.
Well, last week, came the announcement. Liberty believes it has outgrown the Big South and is taking its athletic program somewhere else. In this case, Liberty is joining the Atlantic Sun.
Liberty sad it was looking for stability with a full conference affiliation for non-football sports. The Big South could offer no more than an associate membership after Liberty took its football endeavors to the big stage last season.
Liberty had been with the Big South since 1991 and had become a foundation for the conference on the much larger state.
The Atlantic Sun does not sponsor football and has given Liberty full-membership, a deal too good to pass up.
The Lynchburg school will become a full member of the conference this fall. The Atlantic Sun includes: the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Lipscomb, Kennesaw State, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, North Florida and Stetson. North Alabama will also jump to the Atlantic Sun in the next two years.
I understand the move, but it doesn’t get any easier to swallow. The Big South will survive but is much stronger with you.
This announcement is sad on two notes. First, the conference will lose a steady competitor in every sport. Secondly, it takes away Radford University’s true rival, especially here in the Commonwealth.
From that day forward that I saw Falwell in the stands, Liberty has been a natural rival for RU. I cannot say that is true for any other team in the conference, and wonder if it will ever happen again. Yes, there are other Virginia schools in the Big South, but it’s just not the same.
Thanks Liberty for all the memories, and good luck in your future endeavors. Who knows, we might leave the back door open for any out-of-conference meetings and if you ever would like to rejoin the mid-majors in this adventure in college athletes, I personally would love to have you back.
The Big South will add Hampton in most sports this coming year, but Liberty’s spot will be hard to fill.
I have been an advocate for RU to move to another athletic conference in the past, but at the present time, I believe RU’s home is the Big South where the school has become the anchor keeping it afloat.
A leading Florida State board is drawing attention to this year’s opening week football game with Virginia Tech.
According to Tomahawk Nation, Florida State’s new offense should be exciting, fast-paced, and relentless but in Week 1 Virginia Tech might give them fits.
Some good news for the Virginia Tech golf team as recruit Connor Johnson won the Scott Robertson youth golf tournament this past week.
Johnson from St. Christopher’s High School in Richmond shot a 2-under-par 69 in the final round on win the tourney by one-stroke. He is the first Virginia golfer to win the 15-18 age group in 25 years.
