Notre Dame will join the Big East Conference in all sports except football in July 1995.
Notre Dame was approved by a unanimous vote of the Big East's 12 members, including recent additions West Virginia and Rutgers, according to a written statement from the Rev. Donald J. Harrington, president of St. John's and chairman of the Big East Conference presidents.Notre Dame has been a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, a non-football conference, in every sport but basketball. Notre Dame athletic director Dick Rosenthal was out of town today and university officials declined comment pending a Noon EDT news conference.
Notre Dame is about 90 miles east of Chicago and has a strong following in the nation's second-largest television market. With the addition of Notre Dame, the Big East will have a presence in the country's top two TV markets.
"It's a good marriage," West Virginia athletic director Ed Pastilong said. "Notre Dame is going to be good for the Big East, but the Big East is going to be good for Notre Dame, too. This puts Notre Dame into Madison Square Garden and that's something they really wanted."
Notre Dame was rumored to be among the teams considered when the Big East expanded in March, but the college presidents and chancellors decided to limit membership to 12 schools.
However, that decision did not rule out "what would be a unique exception to this policy," Harrington said. The addition of Notre Dame is "just such an exception," he said.
"Notre Dame has been on the table before," Pastilong said. "But, to be honest, Rutgers and West Virginia got preference. The Big East had to take care of its own first."
Other Big East members are Villanova, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Providence, Boston College, Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Miami and St. John's. Temple and Virginia Tech play football in the conference, but were rejected for full membership.