“One of the reasons I’m here is because I think we can become more commercially viable than we have been,” said Yormark, a former executive at talent agency Roc Nation and CEO of Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Two and half months into his tenure, Yormark is grinding to deliver on his top priorities: Creating new revenue streams and making the Big 12's brand more relevant to both high school recruits and potential business partners. Houston played for 17 years in Conference USA (1996-97 to 2012-13) and has competed as a member of the American Athletic Conference since 2013-14.NEW YORK (AP) - Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark spent part of this week in Manhattan, at ESPN's South Street Seaport studios and also hunkered down in the midtown offices of one of the top public relations firms in the country, trying to “set the narrative” for a conference that has come back from the brink. After one season as an independent, the Cougars played for nine seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference (1951-52 to 1959-60) before spending 16 years as an independent again (1960-61 to 1975-76).įrom there, the Cougars joined the Southwest Conference where it competed from 1976-77 through the 1995-96 campaign. Houston began athletics competition as a member of the Lone Star Conference from 1946-47 to 1948-49 and played for the 1949-50 season in the Gulf Coast Conference. The Big 12 Conference will be the seventh league Houston Athletics competes in during its award-winning history. Houston currently fields 17 sport programs with seven on the men's side (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf and track & field) and 10 on the women's side (basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball).ĭuring its athletics history, Houston has recorded 162 conference championships with 17 NCAA team national championships and 68 NCAA individual national crowns. As we look forward to the opportunity ahead, we also thank the American Athletic Conference for the decade-long partnership,” said Chris Pezman, Houston vice president for athletics. This is the product of many years of vision, leadership and dedication. “Today’s announcement comes with tremendous optimism and excitement. And while I look back with great pride on all we’ve accomplished over the last decade, I’m eager to set the bar even higher.” ![]() “I’m grateful to AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco and his staff for their professionalism during our discussions. The competition will be fierce, but we are primed and ready to accept the challenge,” said Renu Khator, University of Houston president. ![]() “ We look forward to finishing strong in The American next year before starting a new era of Houston Athletics in the Big 12. In addition to the Cougars, accepting invitations were the University of Cincinnati, University of Central Florida (UCF) and Brigham Young University (BYU). Last September, the Big 12 presidents voted to expand the league with four schools. The move opens the door for Houston to begin Big 12 competition in all sports in the 2023-24 academic year. The University of Houston today reached an exit agreement with the American Athletic Conference to end its decade-long membership on July 1, 2023, setting the stage for the Cougars to join the Big 12 Conference next fall.
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