Wednesday, May 26, 1999 | 10:30 a.m.
With the final pass of the baton in the mile relay at its track and field championships last weekend came the passing of an era for the Western Athletic Conference.
The WAC, which was the nation's largest athletic conference over the past three years with 16 schools, is downsizing with the departure of eight schools, including UNLV, to the Mountain West Conference.
And while several conference schools still are involved in national and regional competition, the next time the WAC competes as a league it'll be without longtime members Brigham Young, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah and New Mexico.
Those schools, along with UNLV, comprise the new Mountain West, which officially opens for business July 1. Unofficially, the new league has been hard at work for more than a year, ever since its members met secretly at Denver International Airport and voted to secede from the WAC.
Commissioner Karl Benson said there's not much left to be done in the 35 days that remain for the 16-team WAC.
"The only wrinkle is the restricted earnings (coaches) settlement which the NCAA has asked the leagues to help administer," he said. "The WAC is managing all 16 schools in the payment to the NCAA.
"Everything else is pretty much done."
The restricted earnings coaches sued the NCAA and won a settlement of $54.5 million. Each NCAA member institution is contributing to the payment of that judgment.
Other than that, the WAC is forging ahead with its own future.
The league still needs to lock up a television deal for football and basketball. It still has to select a new site for its conference postseason basketball tournament and there's the matter of whether or not to expand, and if so, by how many schools.
Benson said things went better than expected, given the awkwardness surrounding the split of the WAC.
"There was a sense of professionalism that prevailed," he said. "Whatever hard feelings there are are on the WAC side, and that's understandable.
"But you can't turn back the clock. There's not much you can do about it. Some hold grudges longer than others. But I'm glad to say I was able to maintain regular communication with all 16 schools and I'll continue to have friendships with some of the Mountain West schools."
Benson won't be a total stranger to Las Vegas. Look for him in town come December when the WAC champion plays in the Dec. 18 Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. It is the final year of the WAC's deal with the Las Vegas Convention an Visitors Authority.
The Las Vegas Bowl is one of two bowl games in which the WAC will be represented. The new game in Alabama also will have a team from the WAC. The WAC will also take part in a new bowl game in San Jose beginning in 2000.
"We're moving ahead," Benson said. "There's a sense of relief, now that the season's over. Yet, it's difficult to look in the rear-view mirror."
But when he does look in the mirror, Benson will be able to smile. The final tally in conference champions showed the WAC with an 11-10 edge over the Mountain West schools.
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