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behind the scenes NOTRE DAME TO THE ACC athletics continues to evolve, I think this is a great move for both the Atlan- tic Coast Conference and the University of Notre Dame, seems to be a good mutual fit." ACC's membership will include 11 insti- tutions ranked among the top 58 in the 2013 U.S. News & World Report survey of "America's Best Colleges, join the ACC," Lewellen said. "It is an outstanding school that will complement the values of the ACC." positive among the Virginia coaches. summed up best by golf coach Kim Lewellen. "I'm very excited to see Notre Dame tion and what the university stands for is right along the same lines as what our conference stands for. I think it's a great relationship and something that will benefit all of years with the Irish serving as the associate head coach, sees the South Bend school as a great addition to the ACC. "Notre Dame adds a lot to the Atlantic Coast Confer- ence," O'Connor said. "Obviously their academic reputa- conference in all sports except football for the 2015-16 academic year. It's possible the university could join the league earlier if Notre Dame can work out an expedited exit from its current league, the Big East Conference. Virginia baseball coach Brian O'Connor, who spent nine The agreement has the Irish scheduled to join the ment that Notre Dame shares many common characteris- tics with other ACC institutions. "As the landscape of intercollegiate mously agreed to accept Notre Dame as the 15th member of the 60-year-old league. Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage said in a state- " Littlepage noted. "This With the addition of Notre Dame, the other BCS conference. Overall the response has been very " more than any UVa baseball coach Brian O'Connor, who spent nine years in South Bend serving as an associate head coach for the Irish, believes Notre Dame is a great addition to the ACC. PHOTO COURTESY UVA On Sept. 12, 2012, the ACC Council of Presidents unani- were very special and were instrumental in my coaching career. I'm thrilled and looking forward to taking a UVa team back to South Bend. football, but agreed to play five regular- season games each season against ACC opponents. Scheduling details have not been finalized, but it is expected that games will be played on a rotating basis among the conference schools with the ACC getting three home games one year and two the next. The Cavaliers and the Irish have met on the gridiron only one time, a 36-13 Notre Dame victory in 1989 in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The conference champion will con- The Irish will remain independent in " the sports programs in the ACC. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Univer- sity of Notre Dame," O'Connor added. "My nine years there among the league's best basketball programs, earning six NCAA Tournament bids over the last decade. Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett says the addition of the Irish makes one of the nation's elite basketball leagues even stronger. "Notre Dame embodies what the ACC is all about: excel- tions of Syracuse and Pitt, and now Notre Dame, this is going to be as powerful of a basketball conference as I can remember. " " Bennett said. "With the addi- — Greg Waters ners. Notre Dame will receive one-fifteenth of the league's money from those secondary bowls. As a member of the Big East. Notre Dame has been tinue to play in the Orange Bowl (or BCS playoff), but the Irish will be eligible to be selected by the ACC's other bowl part- lent academics and athletics. They run their basketball program in a classy way,