Virginia Tech To Big East?

June 24, 1999 / 8:32 PM EDT / AP

After more than 30 years without a single conference affiliation for all its sports, Virginia Tech has been offered full membership in the Big East Conference.

Neither the school nor the conference would say when the Hokies might join.

Tech President Paul Torgersen says today that the school still has to discuss some conditions attached to the membership offer.

The Hokies are currently a football member of the Big East and wrestles in the Eastern Wrestling League. Its other 19 sports compete in the Atlantic Ten Conference.

School officials declined to say what conditions were under discussion.

Tech, West Virginia, Rutgers and Temple were offered football-only membership in the Big East in 1990, joining all-sports members Syracuse, Boston College, Miami and Pittsburgh to form the conference's football league. Those four all-sports members had threatened to leave the conference if football was not added.

At the time, all four of the football-only schools expressed interest in joining as full members.

In 1994, the conference invited West Virginia and Rutgers to become all-sports members, leaving Virginia Tech and Temple as the only football-only schools. The move shocked Tech officials who believed they would be offered full membership.

Last year, Notre Dame joined the conference in all sports except football and wrestling. Other members of the Big East included Connecticut, Georgetown, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova.