FORT WORTH, Texas — Victor Boschini didn’t recognize the number when it popped up on his phone, but he had an inkling about what might be brewing. He excused himself from a morning meeting at a Panera near TCU’s campus and rudely, he now admits, didn’t return for almost 30 minutes.



Chuck Neinas’ introduction was unnecessary. Boschini, TCU’s chancellor, knew quite well who he was, even if they lacked a personal relationship.



“We are going to expand the Big 12. And we think you’d be a great fit,” Neinas told Boschini in 2011. “What do you think about that?”



Boschini stayed calm, but he knew the reality he was preparing to encounter. His university was about to change. His life and the lives of just about everyone he worked with were all about to change.



“When can we start?” he answered.



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