Back in November of 2014, Texas Christian University Associate Athletic Director Michael Sinquefield was already back home in the Lone Star State from his visit – and his Horned Frogs’ football team’s visit – to  West Virginia to battle the Mountaineers when he was asked about his stay in Bridgeport. Sinquefield had nothing but good things to say.

 

In fact, when asked if TCU would once again use Bridgeport as its pre-game headquarters when they returned in 2016, Sinquefield said that “absolutely” they would be back. Saying it is one thing. Actually following through on it is another.

 

As it turns out, Sinquefield’s words weren’t lip service. The Horned Frogs have verbally committed to return to Bridgeport for their 2016 game in Morgantown. And that’s better news than their first visit in 2014, officials involved with making Bridgeport a Big 12 pre-game destination say.

 

“When you get commitments from those schools that came here for the first time in2014 that tells me that we’re doing it right. You can put out all the propaganda about how great your community is and you can believe it and you can even get those teams to come here at least for the first time, but the truth is in that return visit,” said Greater Bridgeport Convention & Visitors Bureau President Drew Pomeroy. “When these guys are telling us now that they’re coming back, it tells me the group involved did a great job.”

 

One of the key individuals involved, along with Pomeroy and NCWV Airport Director Rick Rock, was Scott Duarte who operates the Bridgeport Conference Center. The teams stay at the attached Wingate Inn, utilize the Conference Center for meals, game planning and any other activities as they have both buildings to themselves.

 

“If there’s any way to measure the success of a team’s visit, or any event you host for that matter, is whether you get repeat business from that group,” said Duarte. “That’s the strongest form of marketing – repeat business. I think that says a lot about the value we put into the visits by these teams and the value those teams saw in what we did, and that has allowed us to create important relationships.

 

“I think the success we’re having get return visits for the first time and the first-time visitors last year were planted in 2014,” Duarte continued. “If you do a good job in this type of fraternity of sports teams, word will get around. I can assure you if things go poorly that word will get around as well.”

 

The good news is that more than just TCU is coming to stay in Bridgeport. Duarte said the conference center already has verbal commitments from Baylor and Kansas State. He said he and others are working with Oklahoma to get them to Bridgeport and that they’ve already reached out to Kansas as well.

 

“Kansas is dealing with a coaching change and some staff changes as well,” said Duarte. “We are in communication with them, but they’ve got other priorities at the moment. We still hope to get them to confirm as well.”

 

WVU also has a non-conference home game to open the season with Missouri. However, Pomeroy said the Tigers will be staying in Morgantown.

 

“I believe they’ve committed to the Holiday Inn in Morgantown that is located by Mon General,” said Pomeroy. “They go through a different agent as far as their travel than the Big 12 schools and we didn’t have the relationship in place and when we did get to them they had already made arrangements.”

 

Youngstown State is also coming to Morgantown this year. Officials say they will make their trek to the Mountain State by bus. Another game that is close is a neutral site game in Maryland between WVU and Brigham Young University. BYU will be staying in the Maryland, Washington, D.C. area for that contest.

 

“Even though we think the teams coming back tells us that we did a good job, we’re always looking at making adjustments and improvements; and that’s the case with every event,” said Duarte. “Basically, we’re watching our own game film. We like to think that we can always do things even better the second time around and hopefully the third time around and more.

 

“I think, though, what’s important is that these teams were made to feel wanted by us,” Duarte continued. “When you have Rick Rock at the airport calling these schools and talking to the football operations person and telling that person to call him with any concern, question or need. When you have Michelle Duez with the CVB doing the same and offering to make dinner reservations for football personnel or key alumni, they remember that. I know a few of those that came were blown away by our hospitality and that speaks well of not only what we’re doing as a team, it speaks well of Bridgeport and our state.”

 

Although some Big 12 teams in football - and other sports - are staying in Morgantown, most are staying and flying into Bridgeport. While that may seem trivial to some, Pomeroy points out that for years all of those dollars that were being spent by those teams visiting Morgantown for games was staying in Pennsylvania. An exact figure has not been determined, but it was listed as easily being in the tens of thousands of dollars.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Oklahoma State arriving this year at the NCWV Airport, while TCU's table setup from 2014 at the Bridgeport Conference Center is shown in the second photo. Scott Duarte, in third picture, and Drew Pomeroy, below, have played a key part in making Bridgeport a destination for many Big 12 teams. Top photo courtesy of Michelle Duez.