UAB fires AD and is planning to shut down UAB football program

KrAzY3 · Dec 1, 2014

RollTide1017 said:
they should also force UAB to honor any scholarship for a player who may not get a chance to transfer.

Was UAB giving out four year scholarships? Seems to me that would be fairly irresponsible for their program that size, then again I don't follow that sort of thing. Otherwise, this is another one of those double standards. The player can leave at any time, he has no true commitment to the school, but the school has an obligation to provide him a sports scholarship. I never did care for that sort of thing much...

JDCrimson · Dec 1, 2014

If people really knew that UAB's status as a preeminent research hospital was in jeopardy due to declining reinvestment then I don't see how anyone could disagree with this decision. Sure it maybe unpopular today but 6 months from now no one will care. It has been talked here locally among business groups that UAB was in a fix if something didn't change. This is the first step. The next $100M not invested in football will be redirected into research retaining top medical talent that is successful in obtaining research grants that will probably yield 10x1.

UAB is making the decision to focus on what it is really good at - research and training top flight medical students. The athletic department is not contributing toward that mission.

Overall this is a tough decision made by people who know to make them and doing what is best for that he institution and that he his state in the long run.

GP for Bama · Dec 1, 2014

JDCrimson said:
If people really knew that UAB's status as a preeminent research hospital was in jeopardy due to declining reinvestment then I don't see how anyone could disagree with this decision. Sure it maybe unpopular today but 6 months from now no one will care. It has been talked here locally among business groups that UAB was in a fix if something didn't change. This is the first step. The next $100M not invested in football will be redirected into research retaining top medical talent that is successful in obtaining research grants that will probably yield 10x1.

UAB is making the decision to focus on what it is really good at - research and training top flight medical students. The athletic department is not contributing toward that mission.

Overall this is a tough decision made by people who know to make them and doing what is best for that he institution and that he his state in the long run.

I agree....very good post.

cuda.1973 · Dec 1, 2014

AUDub said:
It's used for the Magic City Classic every year, so there's that.

Where will armPITT play all their bowl games now? (Not that they deserve to play in any. Another commuter college, built around a medical school.)

(OK, they have lots of other grad programs as well. Big deal. The place is a dump, and they no longer play their games on campus. Sound familiar?)

cuda.1973 · Dec 1, 2014

Al A Bama said:
You got $100,000,000+ to give them to put in that black hole which is what it is. If they had 50,000 plus fans showing up to support them at each game, it might be different. They've had years to sell this program. Hopefully, they can keep men's/women's basketball. But if the AD has lost his job, then I guess there's no one to captain this Titanic.

Let's see......we can either dump $100M, into a losing football program, the no one really cares about, and would need (at a minimum) a major upgrade in its playing venue..........

Or, we can pour that money into keeping the med school in a position of prominence. Gee, that is a hard decision to make.

I guess the taxpayers of Alabama really need 3 major FBS football programs, more than a major medical research institute.

Even in the "Football Capital of the South", that makes no sense.

Knew a lot of MBA commuter students that were excited when they brought in Gene Bartow, to start a BB program. I bet a lot of them are still are fans of it. Then, someone outgrew their britches, and it leads to this.

Elwood Crimson · Dec 1, 2014

rgw said:
UAB is a great research institution but you'd be insane to think they have more value to the state than the main campus.

I would think the largest employer in the state has some value.

Elwood Crimson · Dec 1, 2014

JDCrimson said:
Overall this is a tough decision made by people who know to make them and doing what is best for that he institution and that he his state in the long run.

Well said. Hopefully the money will go where needed.

Padreruf · Dec 1, 2014

JDCrimson said:
If people really knew that UAB's status as a preeminent research hospital was in jeopardy due to declining reinvestment then I don't see how anyone could disagree with this decision. Sure it maybe unpopular today but 6 months from now no one will care. It has been talked here locally among business groups that UAB was in a fix if something didn't change. This is the first step. The next $100M not invested in football will be redirected into research retaining top medical talent that is successful in obtaining research grants that will probably yield 10x1.

UAB is making the decision to focus on what it is really good at - research and training top flight medical students. The athletic department is not contributing toward that mission.

Overall this is a tough decision made by people who know to make them and doing what is best for that he institution and that he his state in the long run.

Yes...kudos to them. UAB football is not needed and a waste of money. They have carried the medical research baton for Alabama for decades and need to keep doing that.

BamaJama17 · Dec 1, 2014

Thank goodness. All they have done is suck up money to suck at football every year.

RobK · Dec 1, 2014

The people complaining about the potential decision to dump the program need to step up financially and make the program self-sustaining. Otherwise, it's a colossal waste.

deliveryman35 · Dec 1, 2014

JDCrimson said:
If people really knew that UAB's status as a preeminent research hospital was in jeopardy due to declining reinvestment then I don't see how anyone could disagree with this decision. Sure it maybe unpopular today but 6 months from now no one will care. It has been talked here locally among business groups that UAB was in a fix if something didn't change. This is the first step. The next $100M not invested in football will be redirected into research retaining top medical talent that is successful in obtaining research grants that will probably yield 10x1.

UAB is making the decision to focus on what it is really good at - research and training top flight medical students. The athletic department is not contributing toward that mission.

Overall this is a tough decision made by people who know to make them and doing what is best for that he institution and that he his state in the long run.

This.

Mystical · Dec 1, 2014

KrAzY3 said:
Was UAB giving out four year scholarships? Seems to me that would be fairly irresponsible for their program that size, then again I don't follow that sort of thing. Otherwise, this is another one of those double standards. The player can leave at any time, he has no true commitment to the school, but the school has an obligation to provide him a sports scholarship. I never did care for that sort of thing much...

In football not quite that simple if you leave D1 to play D1 if the coach does not want you to leave it could cost you a year or 2 of eligibility. Sometimes even if the coach releases you the NCAA will deny the transfer unless it is a hardship transfer. Most of our guys that transfer do so with the coaches blessing because they were probably never going to see the field.

ValuJet · Dec 1, 2014

AUDub said:
It's used for the Magic City Classic every year, so there's that.

Mississippi Memorial Stadium in Jackson that used to host Ole Miss and Mitippi Tate games every year is now Jackson State's home stadium. That's about all it's used for.

Mystical · Dec 1, 2014

South Alabama may be next. They only had 10k people at their last game.

RTR91 · Dec 1, 2014

RollTide1017 said:
WSFA just did a report on this from UAB's Campus were a crowd has formed to protest this move and support the football program, even the pep band was there. Looked like there was more folks at this rally then most of their football games. They didn't care enough to go to the games but, now they care when cameras are present.

I do feel bad for the kids but the NCAA will grant them waivers but, they should also force UAB to honor any scholarship for a player who may not get a chance to transfer.

Visual evidence of said rally...

Mystical said:
In football not quite that simple if you leave D1 to play D1 if the coach does not want you to leave it could cost you a year or 2 of eligibility. Sometimes even if the coach releases you the NCAA will deny the transfer unless it is a hardship transfer. Most of our guys that transfer do so with the coaches blessing because they were probably never going to see the field.

Different circumstances. Bill Clark wouldn't have a say in where a player transferred since there would be no football program.

AlistarWills · Dec 1, 2014

Protest going outside of UAB administration building RIGHT NOW

Al A Bama · Dec 1, 2014

AlistarWills said:
Protest going outside of UAB administration building RIGHT NOW

Instead of protesting, those protesting should be bringing BIG BAGS of $$$,$$$,$$$ for the needy UAB. Did they have more than 3 protestors (total season ticket holders)?

Al A Bama · Dec 1, 2014

ValuJet said:
What will be done with Legion Field? Is it used for anything else? Pardon my ignorance but I do not live in the area.

They probably need to do to it what was done to Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York ASAP.

Jon · Dec 1, 2014

UA grad and no UAB fan here. In fact I am not sad to see them go. CB4's post nailed it for me, Bartow killed UAB

all of that said UAB brings far more money into the State than we do. Over 5 Billion a year and is either #1 or #2 (to redstone arsenal) depending on what stat you chose to use in employment in the state. The posters who claim they do more for the State are simply correct.

As a college though, they are a commuter school with far too few fans to support a D1 program

bamaga · Dec 1, 2014

TomTide said:
If this is the Alabama BoT's doing, what a disgrace. In pure value to the state, UAB blows the Capstone out of the water. If they want a football team, they should be able to have one, no matter if 3 people attend each game (I saw one earlier this year with at least 25,000 in the stands). UAB should be free of the Alabama BoT's influence, and I hope this fiasco finally does it for them.

There, I said it. I'm a lifelong fan of the Crimson Tide, but this is a disgrace.

Do you really think UAB would be what it us today if not for UA? If UAB could of decided their own fate in the 50s and 60s, UAB may not be in existence anymore. The UA system has greatly benefitted UAB

I have a solution, emancipate UAB, give it autonomy! call it Birmingham University and let UA take its medical school back. The city of Tuscaloosa is big enough now to support a full fledged training hospital.

UAB fires AD and is planning to shut down UAB football program

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