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Samford
President Thomas E. Corts described the OVC as "a respected,
mainline conference that plays highly competitive sports."
He added, "We are impressed that the OVC maintains a
lively spirit of competition, while enjoying the full involvement
of presidents of the universities. I have been impressed with
the steady, even-handed operation of the conference since
we first discussed this possibility more than 10 years ago."
Dan Beebe serves as OVC commissioner. The league is headquartered
in Nashville.
The
move will facilitate football scheduling, which has become
more and more difficult for I-AA independents. It will also
give Samford football players a chance to compete for a league
championship and earn all-conference honors.
The OVC football champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA
Division I-AA playoffs and many times a second at-large entry
from the OVC is also invited.
"One of the conference’s highest profile events is the
post-season basketball tournament for men and women, usually
held in Nashville at the 17,000-seat Gaylord Entertainment
Center. The tournament-along with the league’s football and
basketball television packages—affords OVC members excellent
public exposure.
"The move unifies our entire department and allows Samford
the opportunity to compete for 17 championships in the coming
years," said Director of Athletics Bob Roller. "We
have competed against most OVC schools in the past decade
and have greatly increased our recruiting base of student-athletes
into this geographic region in recent years."
Director
of Athletics Bob Roller talks to the media about Samford"s
new conference.
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