C-USA decides to leave Loop, move to Big D

Conference USA's members have approved plans to move the league's offices to Dallas from Chicago.

The move, targeted for July 1, comes as the league prepares for a realignment that will see it lose Midwestern members DePaul, Marquette, Cincinnati and St. Louis and gain Southwestern schools SMU, Rice and Tulsa during the 2005-06 school year.

C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said league presidents began discussing new office options in June, before realignment talks developed. The league's lease ends this fall.

When the office talks began, the league's presidents suggested moving closer to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, which would be more convenient than the league's current downtown Chicago offices. Banowsky said that once realignment considerations developed, the conference decided to hold off on an office location until it knew what its membership would be.

Since then, a Dallas office location was agreed on as the most accessible site for the league's members. Banowsky said C-USA is in discussions with properties near both Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Love Field.

The Dallas relocation also benefits Banowsky, who's been commuting between Chicago and Dallas, where his family lives. Banowsky had planned to move his family last summer but held off once it became apparent that the league offices might be relocated.

A physical location for the new office as well as staffing and organizational considerations still need to be determined, Banowsky said. Presidents of a realigned C-USA are scheduled to meet in Chicago on Feb. 15, and details of the office relocation will be among agenda topics, Banowsky said.