Info for young ACC fans or those new to the ACC
For those of you who think ACC football sucked before adding Florida State, it has become evident that some history is in order.
In 1950 the Southern Conference had continued for 17 years since the 13 SEC schools pulled out of a too large confernece. Duke, Clemson, and UNC went to 2 Rose Bowls, 3 Cotton Bowls, and 3 Orange Bowls in that time period. Hardly small time football.
However in 1950 the small schools in the SoCon voted in West Virginia and set off ticking time bomb.
In 50 Clemson was undefeated and won the Orange Bowl. They had a single tie to SC. MD and Duke had winning and
In 1951 MD was undefeated and won the Sugar Bowl and were national champs
In 1952 The SoCon installed a bowl ban, and put MD on a year's probation for playing in the Orange Bowl. Duke won the SoCon and lost a Gator Bowl Bid due to the ban.
In 1953 Clemson, MD, SC, NCSU, UNC, WF, and Duke pulled out. MD invited UVa. UVa along with MD, Duke, and SC blackballed VT and WVa. VT's president was running the league at the time of the ban and WVa voted with them. MD went to the Orange Bowl that year.
In 1954 Duke went to the Orange Bowl
In 1955 MD went to the Orange Bowl
In 1956 Clemson went to the Orange Bowl
In 1957 Duke took NC State's place in the Orange Bowl due to a basketball related probation engineered by Kentucky.
In 1958 Clemson went to the Cotton Bowl
In 1960 Duke went to the Cotton Bowl
In 1962 The ACC at Duke's behest passed the 800 SAT rule over Clemson and SC's outcry. Duke turned down a Gator Bowl Bid
In 1963, Duke, UNC, NC State, and Clemson had winnng recrods
In 1964 not a SINGLE SCHOOL had a winning record
In 1965 just Clemson and Duke had winning records
In 1966 just Clemson had a winning record
In 1967 just Clemson and NC State had winning records
In 1968 just NC State and UVa had winning records
In 1969 just South Carolina had a winning record
The ACC went from major conference football to second tier in just two years after passing the 800 Rule. That was Duke and Eddie Cameron pushing that (sound familiar Cameron Indoor Stadium) MD went along because they were recruiting smarter kids from the mid-atlantic from better high school and MD was tired of the shenanigans under Tatum. WF and UVa went along. Duke needed one more vote - guess who they got - it wasn't Carolina's.
MD recovered first and by 1976 there were 11-1 and choking in the Cotton Bowl. In 1978 Clemson beat them and cost them the Gator Bowl (A Charlie Pell team that was as crooked as Bill Tatum in his heyday - but Tatum's day was almost two decades past and the ACC was different. In 1982 a loss to Clemson cost MD the real ACC title (even though Clemson was on probation - the loss cost MD a better bowl.
So, when the issue of "who stuck it to Clemson" comes up - the answer is a combination of Maryland, Bob James, and themselves for hiring Charlie Pell on the heels of two sorry coaches and no succession plan for Frank Howard.
When the issue of why ACC football was so far behind other conferences the answer is a Duke, supported by MD.
Every league decision since the hiring of Gene Corrigan in the late 80's was made to promote football - every decision. Even UNC's and Duke's backdoor power play on UVa for VT was a FOOTBALL decision for them and it was the right decision, otherwise VT is likely in the SEC instead of Mizzou. Or worse yet in the B10 with MD
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