To listen to TCU Athletics Director Eric Hyman, it appears that at least one trait in Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People applies to universities as well: begin with the end in mind.

“The goal is for the institution to have a nationally prominent program,” said Hyman, in his second year at the top Frog sports post. “Our first objective was to have successful athletics programs within the first two years. The second objective within 3-5 years is to be respected, appreciated and recognized in the marketplace. In the five-plus year range, our objective is to have a successful national program (Top 25) determined by how we compete in the Sears Cup (TCU currently is in the Top 50).”

“Conference USA provides the opportunity for us to meet all of these goals faster than we expected.”

TCU officially joins league play in 2001 in a conference that has been in existence only four years. Yet, C-USA has wasted no time in scoring major benefits for its member institutions:

— Top 5 Men’s Basketball Conference
— Top 7 football conference
— National football game of the week on Fox (12 weeks)
— Fifty-five total televised basketball games
— Three bowl opportunities
— Eight million newspaper circulation
— 12 Top 51 TV markets
— Bowl Championship Series signatory member
— Reduced travel and missed classes for student-athletes

C-USA members in four years have also managed to place six football teams in bowl games, 25 men’s and 17 women’s basketball squads in postseason play, as well as scoring 12 NCAA bids for its soccer teams, 10 for volleyball and nine for baseball (with no official word available for golf, tennis, swimming and diving, track and field or riflery).