Atlanta Daily World

Texas Southern Admitted To Southwest Conference

BY U. G. LEE

HOUSTON, Texas. Texas Southern University was admitted to the Southwestern Athletic Conference by the unanimous vote of the body in session here in its annual spring meeting.

The addition of the local institution to the already powerful Southwest organization was welcomed by Texas Southern, the conference and fans all over this section who looked forward to some of the most torrid football, basketball, baseball and track field competition in the nation.

The Tigers, headed by athletic director Alex Durley, head football coach, Ed Adams, basketball and baseball coach and Stan Wright, who is the mentor of one of the best track and field aggregations anywhere, eagerly awaited the 1954-55 school year to make their bids for conference championships.

The new comers to the conference will not be eligible for the football title on account of existing contracts that made a full round robin grid schedule impossible. However, they will take part in the basketball, baseball, track and tennis title races.

Texas Southern was formerly a member of the southern division of the Mid-west Conference.

The body spent much of the first day's session in revising the constitution. Also it was announced that the organization would stage its first Southwestern Athletic Conference basketball tournament in Houston on December 30-31, just prior to the annual Prairie View Bowl football game. The 1954-55 basketball, baseball, track and field and tennis schedules were drawn at the meeting and will be released to the press in the near future.

At the conclusion of the second day's session, three of the original founders of the conference were honored at an Appreciation Dinner in the Phillis Wheatley Senior High School Cafeteria. President E. B. Evans of Prairie View, Reverend D. C. Fowler of Texas College and Mr. H. J. Mason of Wiley, were presented placques in appreciation for their contributions to athletics in the Southwest during the organization's thirty-four year history. Dr. Nolan H. Anderson of Marshall, one time star basketball performer for the Wiley Wildcats, was the principal speaker. E. E. Lassiter of Dallas, former Commissioner of Officials was also presented with a placque for his three years service in that capacity and John Codwell, the new Commissioner was inducted into office at the dinner.