DAYTON — Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) is urging the Big East Conference to consider adding the University of Dayton as a member of the conference.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Husted, along with Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), sent a letter on the matter to the conference’s commissioner, Val Ackerman, on Wednesday. Schmitt is asking the commissioner to consider membership for Saint Louis University.
Both schools are currently members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
TRENDING STORIES:
- John Mellencamp bringing Greatest Hits tour to Ohio
- 37-year-old man dies in motorcycle crash in Ohio
- Actor Kiefer Sutherland accused of assaulting ride-share driver
“Both Saint Louis University and the University of Dayton share the core institutional values that have long defined the Big East: they are mission-driven universities with deep commitments to academic excellence, community engagement, and the holistic development of student-athletes,” the letter states. “These Jesuit and Marianist universities would also add to the rich Catholic legacy that the Big East and its members have cultivated.”
The senators also said both universities are “natural fits” athletically.
“Each program emphasizes men’s and women’s basketball as flagship sports, consistent with the Big East’s basketball-centric model,” the letter states.
They also said adding the universities would enhance the conference’s media and market footprint. For UD, the letter highlighted the Flyers’ ability to “punch above its weight in attendance.”
“In an era defined by realignment pressures and shifting national dynamics, the Big East’s strength has been its cohesive identity, competitive balance, and institutional alignment. Saint Louis University and the University of Dayton would reinforce that model. Both schools bring stability, tradition, and a demonstrated commitment to excellence that would strengthen the conference’s position as the premier basketball-focused league in collegiate athletics,” the letter states.
Both Husted and Schmitt are former collegiate student-athletes. Husted was an All-American defensive back for the Flyers. He was on the team that won the 1989 Division III National Championship.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
