Bill Battle to be new AD
- Thread starter Capstone46
- Start date
Welcom Coach Battle
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/03/university_of_alabama_presiden.html Roll Tide
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/03/university_of_alabama_presiden.html Roll Tide
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
No, that's fine. Now that BB has been named, focus will shift towards him, which it should. Probably not many know that Bill is first cousin to Tommy Battle, major of Huntsville...
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
The guy's 71, only two years younger than CMM. Is this an interim appointment?
The guy's 71, only two years younger than CMM. Is this an interim appointment?
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
Choose my words carefully.
Battle was iirc the Vols coach before Majors. Played here. Don't know much about him. Good or less than best? Those who know comment. I'll read.
Choose my words carefully.
Battle was iirc the Vols coach before Majors. Played here. Don't know much about him. Good or less than best? Those who know comment. I'll read.
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
His age was the first thing that struck me also. I've heard nothing but good things about him, but at 71 he doesn't seem to fit the mold of what I would call a long-term succession plan.
Gotta believe this is not the long-term answer; but a step in some plan leading to a long-term answer. Not knocking BB, just concerned about the age aspect.
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
I don't have any problem with him taking the job. A healthy, dedicated 71 y/o guy can give you some productive years at that post. Seems that the University cognoscenti are on board with him. He's certainly not going to have to do any rebuilding that would go with taking over some other schools' program. May be he will be keeping the seat warm until CNS hangs up his whistle.
Welcome Coach Battle. RTR.
I don't have any problem with him taking the job. A healthy, dedicated 71 y/o guy can give you some productive years at that post. Seems that the University cognoscenti are on board with him. He's certainly not going to have to do any rebuilding that would go with taking over some other schools' program. May be he will be keeping the seat warm until CNS hangs up his whistle.
Welcome Coach Battle. RTR.
In this case, I think you can argue it is a safer bet. I don't think they were planning on having to get a new AD anytime soon, so this is probably the best way to go about it. If he does a fantastic job, I think you're happy to have him around as long as possible. If the results are uncertain, then I think you made it easier to ask him to step aside.
This reminds me a bit of the Gene Stallings talk prior to hiring Mike Shula. I was out of the country at the time, so I didn't hear a whole lot, but the suggestion seemed to be Gene as a short term fix. Looking back, it seems like the only option Alabama had that could have given them good performance on the interim and wouldn't have excluded someone like Nick Saban from coming to Alabama. So, if you do not have a perfect long term solution, the great short term solution is the way to go. Don't go hiring someone that may or may not be able to do the job at all, just because you need someone.
This reminds me a bit of the Gene Stallings talk prior to hiring Mike Shula. I was out of the country at the time, so I didn't hear a whole lot, but the suggestion seemed to be Gene as a short term fix. Looking back, it seems like the only option Alabama had that could have given them good performance on the interim and wouldn't have excluded someone like Nick Saban from coming to Alabama. So, if you do not have a perfect long term solution, the great short term solution is the way to go. Don't go hiring someone that may or may not be able to do the job at all, just because you need someone.
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
Just spoke with my uncle who played with him at BAMA. Told me Bill was a great guy, team player, never heard anyone say a bad word about him. I questioned his time at UT and my uncle advised it was a different rivalry then and a head coaching job. Also, the fact he started and was CEO of Collegiate licensing and grew it into the billion dollar industry it is today says something about his business acumen. My Uncle said Bill is a great hire, he will focus on the business aspect and leave Coach Saban and all the other coaches to focus on only one thing, coaching...
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
I've always known him to be a class act. Was a very good young football coach at Tennessee -- never should have been let go, and wouldn't have been except for the fact that Tennessee felt like getting Johnny Majors was going to be their version of hiring Coach Bryant.
He had the vision to build a largely successful company when he started CLC. And that was back in the days when sports marketing was at its infancy.
On a small personal note -- my father, who once new Coach Battle's father years ago, wrote Coach Battle a letter to let him know that he was fond of his father and sent congratulations on landing the head coaching job at Tennessee. The next time they came to Birmingham to play Alabama, my father received a call that Coach Battle would be leaving 2 tickets to the game for us, and asked if we could come downtown the their team hotel to pick them up. When we went to the front desk to ask for them, Coach Battle came down and delievered them, himself. I may have been 10 at the time, so next to seeing Bear lean on the goal post, I thought it was one of the coolest things that I'd experienced. Obviously, I haven't forgotten it...
Roll Tide!!
I've always known him to be a class act. Was a very good young football coach at Tennessee -- never should have been let go, and wouldn't have been except for the fact that Tennessee felt like getting Johnny Majors was going to be their version of hiring Coach Bryant.
He had the vision to build a largely successful company when he started CLC. And that was back in the days when sports marketing was at its infancy.
On a small personal note -- my father, who once new Coach Battle's father years ago, wrote Coach Battle a letter to let him know that he was fond of his father and sent congratulations on landing the head coaching job at Tennessee. The next time they came to Birmingham to play Alabama, my father received a call that Coach Battle would be leaving 2 tickets to the game for us, and asked if we could come downtown the their team hotel to pick them up. When we went to the front desk to ask for them, Coach Battle came down and delievered them, himself. I may have been 10 at the time, so next to seeing Bear lean on the goal post, I thought it was one of the coolest things that I'd experienced. Obviously, I haven't forgotten it...
Roll Tide!!
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
I mentioned in the other thread, before his name came out, that he's only a couple of years younger than Mal and I. It's hard to see it as a long-term solution. However, he's very knowledgeable about athletics, both from the playing/coaching side, but also through his tremendously successful licensing business. JMO, but I think he's been asked to come in and hold things together and promote our licensing for five years or so while we locate a long-term prospect...
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
Explains why I keep getting calls from a 205 area code. Folks say they want to talk to me. I'm a project, but I can do what I need to do. Just call me "AD-in-waiting." :wink:
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
My only question is has he had any experience as an AD? Of course, he can pull a lot of experience from running a business, but being an AD with lots of different pots to juggle is a little different. I imagine he will learn fast, and he sounds like a sharp, good guy. I see this as a 5-6 year term until Saban wants to retire and take over the AD spot. I just hope Battle doesn't come in and try to alter everything and make it about the bottom-line dollar only.
Does anyone know if he will be stepping away from his company, or is he retired from it already? I just hope there isn't a conflict of interest.
My only question is has he had any experience as an AD? Of course, he can pull a lot of experience from running a business, but being an AD with lots of different pots to juggle is a little different. I imagine he will learn fast, and he sounds like a sharp, good guy. I see this as a 5-6 year term until Saban wants to retire and take over the AD spot. I just hope Battle doesn't come in and try to alter everything and make it about the bottom-line dollar only.
Does anyone know if he will be stepping away from his company, or is he retired from it already? I just hope there isn't a conflict of interest.
Re: Welcom Coach Battle
That makes sense, Earle. And besides, it's not like he's got to come in and rebuild the dept from scratch. Mal has built our athletic dept into a well-oiled machine that I would think can pretty much run on 'auto-pilot' and run itself with the associate athletic directors and such. I'd venture to say what we need the most is someone that can come in to manage and oversee everything and help maintain a sense of continuity, also somebody that understands the culture at UA. If Coach Moore has faith that BB can do that, then I do too.
I think this is a good move. I don't think I need to regurgitate his merits, so I'll just leave it at that. Good job to all involved.
RTR
RTR
I think he is a great choice from a business aspect especially. I mean he is now in charge of running a multi-million dollar business and that is something he has a lot of experience doing. Couple that with being a former coach, and that is icing on the cake. If you read CNS take on coach Moore, he indicated he liked AD's who were former coaches ie. Coach Dooley and others. On another note, I bet Dave Hart wishes he would have hung around a little longer instead of bolting to Enron University of Knoxville.
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