Bill Battle to be new AD

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

TIDE-HSV said:

I believe he's sold it...

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Yes, he has.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/07/25/People-and-Pop-Culture/CLC-Battle.aspx

I was at a doctor's office a while back and read an article on him in some Christian magazine, sounded like a very nice man.

My parents were fans of him, always said he was fired for not beating Alabama.But he went 6-5 his last season and his record got worse every year he was there, so losing to us may have been the final straw, but there were signs of decline. Given his business success, he seems to have made the right career choice.

Like everyone else, when I heard he got the job, I thought of him as a bridge AD until a full search can be made. Given the quick turnaround from Moore's retirement and Battle's hire, I wonder if Moore was planning to step down soon at the end of the year anyway.

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

Good hire in my opinion...my .02 maybe just maybe CBB will interim for 5 years or so and at that point CNS retires and takes over as AD.

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

BamainBoston said:

Do we have any indication Saban wants to be AD?

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Comes across as wishful thinking, much like the "Ozzie Newsome will be AD" mentality.

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

Is Battle there until maybe Ozzie is willing to take over?

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

im4datide said:

Good hire in my opinion...my .02 maybe just maybe CBB will interim for 5 years or so and at that point CNS retires and takes over as AD.

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I don't get why people are rushing to make Nick the AD. If, he's still willing to work a full time position, I'd want it to be as the football coach.

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

BamaFan1961 said:

Is Battle there until maybe Ozzie is willing to take over?

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No.

I don't know how clearer "Ozzie Newsome isn't going to be the Athletics Director" can be said. It does make me wonder, though, if people out in Stanford have the same discussions for John Elway. "Well, he runs the Denver Broncos so he should be our Athletics Director".

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

I don't see Saban becoming the next AD. People made a big deal about Battle's age. Saban will (hopefully) be in his late 60s when he steps down as coach, how is that any different?

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

Tells you about the passage of time when you see the number 71 behind the name of Bill Battle. The kid head coach at Tennessee finally comes home. Welcome Bill.

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

MOAN said:

And from his comments I read it kind of reads as if this is the only reason he took the position, knowing he was not being looked at for any long term deal. At 71 years of age how could anyone see it as anything long term? He looks to be in good health though so he could easily last as long as coach Moore was going to stay. We can all guess that Ozzie would be the higher goal, but he has been thought of as that even before coach Moore's retirement. Makes perfect sense to bring him in as an interim if that deal is in the future plans and I think we can all agree if he is indeed an interim we are very lucky to have him in that capacity.

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Why would Ozzie be the "higher goal"? An NFL GM and a CFB AD are not really all that similar despite what a lot of people seem to think.

A GM is responsible for building a roster. AD's aren't. CBB won't be involved in providing players for Coach Saban, nor should he.

A GM's monetary concerns are how to best spend someone else's money, but an AD has to go out and raise the funds for an entire athletics program. CBB has proven that he's very adept when it comes to finances.

Both are heavily involved in PR, but that's to be expected of anyone heading up a multi-million dollar operation.

I think Ozzie would do a great job, but it's my understanding that he doesn't presently meet the educational requirements for the job.

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

DiamondDust said:

No.

I don't know how clearer "Ozzie Newsome isn't going to be the Athletics Director" can be said. It does make me wonder, though, if people out in Stanford have the same discussions for John Elway. "Well, he runs the Denver Broncos so he should be our Athletics Director".

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Stanford cannot sale out their home stadium for the PAC12 championship game. I wonder if even half their alumni even know that John Elway went to Stanford? Meaning that I believe that we have much more passion for our university and its athletic dept than Stanford has. It is a great school, and that might be understatement, but I do not think they carry the same passion that many here do for UA.
However, I agree with you that Ozzie will not be the AD at Bama IMO. I know that he has hinted at it but I think that was more out of a respect for interview questions about his past at Bama and with Coach Bryant. That man has complete control of that organization, the respect of its owner and garners as much respect in the NFL as any front office man gets from the league office, the coaches, the players and other GMs. You could almost say that he is the Nick Saban of NFL GMs.
If things went south in Baltimore and Ozzie was fired within the next 5 years, then I might see the chances getting better that he could get the job. But, I estimate that happening at about a 20% chance. Besides, Ozzie would have to be looked at as more than a revered figure but as someone who not only has great business sense but also is a giant at fund raising....

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

GreatMarch said:

Stanford cannot sale out their home stadium for the PAC12 championship game. I wonder if even half their alumni even know that John Elway went to Stanford? Meaning that I believe that we have much more passion for our university and its athletic dept than Stanford has. It is a great school, and that might be understatement, but I do not think they carry the same passion that many here do for UA.
However, I agree with you that Ozzie will not be the AD at Bama IMO. I know that he has hinted at it but I think that was more out of a respect for interview questions about his past at Bama and with Coach Bryant. That man has complete control of that organization, the respect of its owner and garners as much respect in the NFL as any front office man gets from the league office, the coaches, the players and other GMs. You could almost say that he is the Nick Saban of NFL GMs.
If things went south in Baltimore and Ozzie was fired within the next 5 years, then I might see the chances getting better that he could get the job. But, I estimate that happening at about a 20% chance. Besides, Ozzie would have to be looked at as more than a revered figure but as someone who not only has great business sense but also is a giant at fund raising....

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TO expound upon Stanford and Elway, don't forget that Stanford was bad when he was there. Even with such a great QB, the best record they managed was a whopping 6-5 his senior year. Most people going to Stanford do it for education, as stated above they may not know who John Elway is...

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

Actually, Stanford went 5-6 his senior year. They were 5-5 going into the last game of the year and were slated to receive a bid to the Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham. Elway led them down the field late in the game for a field goal to put them in the lead with just a few seconds left on the clock.

Then this happened.

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

While we're on youtube, here's a Bill Battle highlight video from his playing days produced by the Bryant Museum:

I suspect, judging by Dr. Bonner's and Mal's statements, that this has been being worked on for awhile (I'm sure Earle knows the story), possibly since around the time of Mal's last hospitalization a few months ago. Unfortunately Mal is a seriously ill man and I doubt there was any way he could continue as AD; and the inevitability of this moment has been realized for awhile. Hence, as others have said, Bill Battle is probably not seen as Mal's long-term successor. I believe he, as always has appeared to be, is healthy and fit and very possibly capable of handling the job indefinitely if circumstances worked out that way. One of Mal's great legacies is having brought in the money that has allowed the athletics programs to accomplish so much (ironically in Mal's own words he didn't know anything about fund raising yet he turned out to be a fund raiser extraordinaire). In these respects Bill Battle is a terrific choice to keep things marching in good order. His success in all things financial speaks for itself (no need to talk about his on the field head coaching experience) and he is an outstanding person along the lines of Mal himself. I think the groundwork for this whole transition has been underway for awhile and that the University is blessed to have had such outstanding people as Mal Moore, Bill Battle, and the other principals involved looking after its interests. Mal's foresight, love for, and dedication to doing what he felt was best for his University will just be another of his great legacies.

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Battle was a freshman at West End High in Birmingham my mother's senior year. I seem to recall Bud Moore in the same football team photo in her yearbook.

Battle was pretty much fired after losing 4 straight to Bama and to make room for John Majors to take over as HC if I recall.

He started his company in 1981. I wonder if one of his first customers was Coach Bryant.

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

GreatMarch said:

Stanford cannot sale out their home stadium for the PAC12 championship game. I wonder if even half their alumni even know that John Elway went to Stanford? Meaning that I believe that we have much more passion for our university and its athletic dept than Stanford has. It is a great school, and that might be understatement, but I do not think they carry the same passion that many here do for UA.
However, I agree with you that Ozzie will not be the AD at Bama IMO. I know that he has hinted at it but I think that was more out of a respect for interview questions about his past at Bama and with Coach Bryant. That man has complete control of that organization, the respect of its owner and garners as much respect in the NFL as any front office man gets from the league office, the coaches, the players and other GMs. You could almost say that he is the Nick Saban of NFL GMs.
If things went south in Baltimore and Ozzie was fired within the next 5 years, then I might see the chances getting better that he could get the job. But, I estimate that happening at about a 20% chance. Besides, Ozzie would have to be looked at as more than a revered figure but as someone who not only has great business sense but also is a giant at fund raising....

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I used the Elway example simply as a comparison of a famous alum who is running an NFL team. For some of our fans, that seems to be all that's required to be an Athletics Director.

However, as a whole, Stanford's athletic department and history is quite rich. The school is loaded with national championships across the board.

Re: Welcom Coach Battle

deliveryman35 said:

While we're on youtube, here's a Bill Battle highlight video from his playing days produced by the Bryant Museum:

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Good collage. Another of Coach Bryant's 2-way players in the day.

Also some great closeups of Joe Willie's delivery technique. The man could throw some heat, with precision.
Thanks, DM35.

Don't know much, but he played for Bama? Good enough for me. Good luck Coach Battle. Seemingly a good hire even with his age.