 On June 25, 2003, Virginia Tech received news it had waited anxiously to receive for a half a century - an invitation to join the ACC.In 1953, the Atlantic Coast Conference was formed by seven teams who were then members of the Southern Conference (Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest.Conference officials expressed interest in adding an eighth member, and candidates mentioned were the Virginia and West Virginia.