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Lefty Driesell not on board with Maryland’s move to the Big Ten

Maryland Announces Move to Big Ten Conference

COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 19: (C to R) University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh, Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany, University System of Maryland Chancellor Brit Kirwan, University System of Maryland Chairman of the Board of Regents James L. Shea, and Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson stand for a photo after a press conference announcing that University of Maryland is joining the Big Ten Conference on November 19, 2012 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

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Mark former Maryland coach Lefty Driesell down as one of the people who are totally against the Terrapins choice to leave the ACC and head to the Big Ten.

On SiriusXM’s College Sports Nation channel, the man who brought two ACC regular season title and an ACC conference tournament title to College Park voiced his opinion on the situation, and it wasn’t nice.

Lefty Driesell: “I think it’s a sad day. You know, I played in the first ACC tournament when I was playing at Duke and I’ve always loved the ACC. I coached in it for 17 years, did announcing in it for two years. It’s a great league. ... I think it’s a terrible decision [to move]. You tell me one thing that’s good about it. Besides money, what’s one thing? ... I’m an old timer. I’m 80 years old. College athletics used to be for the students, not for the business people.”

This isn’t a surprise. A lot o f older folks love tradition and Lefty is one of them. He’s a lifer in the ACC, essentially, and he likes to see it stay that way. Unfortunately, times change and the game he once knew it’s about love and tradition anymore, it’s about money and as long as the almighty dollar takes precedence, this is how things will be run.

Driesell’s opinion is shared by a lot of people. Unfortunately, the people with the opinions that matter, the college athletic directors and presidents, are saying “show me the money.”

David Harten is the editor of The Backboard Chronicles. You can follow him on Twitter at @David_Harten.