By Bill Nichols

The intense athletic rivalry between Case Western Reserve and John Carroll Universities will never be the same. The two schools are about to part company.

CWRU and Allegheny of the Presidents' Athletic Conference and five Ohio Athletic Conference schools have formed a new league, beginning with the 1984-85 school year.

The OAC schools are Ohio Wesleyan, Denison, Wooster, Kenyon and Oberlin, a move first reported in The Plain Dealer several months ago.  Neither Kenyon nor Oberlin have competed in football in the OAC in recent years.

Some sources say the defection of the five schools and the formation of the new league, yet to be named, is because these schools no longer want to face Baldwin-Wallace or Wittenberg in football.  Others say it's academic snobbery, alienating schools of the same academic philosophy.  Still others claim aid to students is the question.

Thomas E. Wenzlau, the president of Ohio Wesleyan, said that, as far as his institution was concerned, the benefits of being associated athletically with academically recognized institutions was a major consideration.  "We are hoping this will increase our visibility," he said.  "We wand to do this in a particular way, competing with others with similar academic aspirations."

Dr. William A. Kinnison, the president of Wittenberg, conceded that his institution would now find itself in something of a no-man's land.  "We're too good athletically to go with the new group," he said, "but we would be unwilling to stay with the old group because they would be likely to go to a looser policy on recruiting and CWRU and John Carroll have been rivals for nearly a century, including the last 28 when both were in the PAC.

The football teams at Wittenberg and B-W have brought national attention to Ohio and the OAC.  It must be noted, the five defeated schools have had poor football programs in recent years.

Nine schools at this time will remain in the OAC.  It is rumored that John Carroll may become the 10th team in the league.  Other speculation has JCU remaining in the PAC or moving its basketball program to Division I.

Wilmington, which is a member of the NAIA, is supposed to be interested in joining the OAC.  Other rumors involve Mount Union, which wanted to be part of the new league, but was rebuffed.  It could wind up in the PAC, which may add Westminster of Pennsylvania.

Carroll was strongly considered for the new league, but buffed at the 11th hour.

"The new league has been in the wind for some time,"  said Harry Paidas of the OAC headquarters.  "It's good something concrete has happened.

"There has been nearly a year of speculation and innuendoes."

The five OAC schools in the new grouping say their academic interest are related more to each other than to the nine other league institutions.

Wittenberg's hierarchy presses strong interest in the new league, but the five defected schools had little interest in going against the Tigers in football.

The new league's aim is the create equal opportunities for both men and women's sports."  Centennial Conference for women was in existence just during current school year and included these five schools.

Each new league member will have seven sports for both men and women and each school now go off campus for recruiting which is in contrast to the Other recruiting policy.

There will be no athlete scholarships.  Each athlete will receive aid based on need or the same as available to students.

The new league has not been named as yet, but it will be by the school presidents, with committees making suggestions.