Is it true that Georgetown was asked to be an Ivy, but said no??

<p>Just curious.</p>

<p>Nope. Urban legend.</p>

<p>Not even and urban legend, a far fetched assumption.</p>

<p>First of all, let’s clear up what the Ivy League is. The Ivy League was founded as an athletic conference (just like, for example, the SEC, ACC, or Big-10) for northeastern universities. While its member are known for academic excellence, that has absolutely nothing to do with the reason for its foundation.</p>

<p>The Ivy League in essence grew out of a long-standing relationship among schools that frequently competed athletically, including the current members as well as Rutgers, West Point, and the Naval Academy. All of these universities were either protestant or non-sectarian, and the idea of including Catholics (at Georgetown or Boston College which might otherwise have been natural members) was absolutely against the social elitist views of the time. In short, no one would ever have even thought of including Georgetown in the group.</p>

<p>Prior to the Ivy League formation in the mid-1950s, various colleges did consider creating a league, including many members of the current Ivy League as well as Georgetown. The traditional athletic competitors that Georgetown faced in the early half of the 20th century included many current members of the Ivy League (reference Georgetown’s fight song, which does make reference to many of the rivals). The Ivy League, once it was established for athletic purposes around 1954, has never considered adding any additional members.</p>