UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State Tuesday became the 11th member of the Big Ten Conference, one of the nation's wealthiest and most prestigious sports leagues.
The Nittany Lions thus ended 106 years as a football independent and spurned its affiliation with the Atlantic 10 Conference for 13 other sports,
Although the Big Ten will now have 11 members it does not plan to change its name. The other schools in the conference are Purdue, Ohio State, Indiana, Michican, Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The last change in the Big Ten came in 1950 when Michigan filled a vacancy left by the departure of the University of Chicago.
Big Ten representative Stanley Ikenberry, attending a news conference with Penn State President Bryce Jordan, said the league will work out scheduling, revenue sharing and other matters concerning Penn State's entry.
Penn State could begin Big Ten competition in some sports as early as 1991, although football probably would not start league play until at least 1996 because of previous commitments.
'I think all of these issues can be resolved with the hard work of the representatives of the Big Ten Conference and Penn State officials,' Ikenberry said.
By joining the Big Ten, Penn State would share in the conference's considerable revenue. When a Big Ten school plays in a bowl game, the rest of the conference's schools earn money as well. The Nittany Lions would become eligible for the Rose Bowl if they win the conference football championship.
Only Penn State's football program makes money and it supports the rest of the university's athletic programs.
Penn State Athletic Director Jim Tarman said it is too early to determine how the Big Ten scheduling requirements will affect the Nittany Lions' traditional football rivalries. Penn State would be required to play eight or nine conference games, leaving only two or three non-conference games available.
Tarman said Penn State expected to compete in the Atlantic 10 through the 1990-91 seasons.
In brining Penn State into the Big Ten, Jordan and Ikenberry said academic factors took precedence over athletic concerns.
'The Big Ten institutions are among the best our country has to offer and from an academic standpoint, Penn State is comparable to the other Big Ten members,' Ikenberry said.
Ikenberry is president of the University of Illinois and the Big Ten's Board of Presidents, the Council of 10.
'From an academic perspective, Penn State would represent a natural and positive expansion of the conference,' he said.
Jordan said Penn State considered the academic value of aligning with the conference.
'We're delighted with this new affiliation with what many academicians consider to be the finest public universities in America, as well as one of the leading private institutions, Northwestern,' Jordan said.
'Penn State is ranked, as well, as one of the nation's leading public research universities, and it makes good sense to affiliate athletically as well as academically with institutions of similar academic mission and stature.'
Ikenberry said the Big Ten expects the addition of Penn State to give impetus to the conference's attempts to toughen NCAA academic requirements for sports and to make freshmen ineligible for varsity play.
Although some Big Ten officials speculate the conference will add a 12th member and split into two divisions, Ikenberry said no other schools are being considered and no member is expected to drop out.
