I was in Tuscaloosa for the weekend and was wondering something. How many of you have either never been to Tuscaloosa or to a game? I'd love for everyone to experience the magic that is Bryant-Denny and all the great things Tuscaloosa has to offer.
Curious question (about visiting Tuscaloosa / visiting BDS)
- Thread starter YellowHammerTime
- Start date
I was in Tuscaloosa for the weekend and was wondering something. How many of you have either never been to Tuscaloosa or to a game? I'd love for everyone to experience the magic that is Bryant-Denny and all the great things Tuscaloosa has to offer.
I made my first trip to Tuscaloosa a few years ago and loved it. The Bear Bryant Museum was awesome, then seeing all those SEC and national championships in concrete, the players and Coach Saban walk in and then watching Alabama beat LSU. I was smiling like a butcher's dog.
The last time I was there was so long ago (1992), I can’t imagine how much it has changed.
I used to go with my Dad back in the late 60's, early 70's. Back then most home games were played at Legion Field.
Its on my Bucket list of things thats for sure
I just managed a handful of games in T-town since I've lived in Texas and NC for the last 10 years.
But growing up only an hour from campus, it never got old nor did I ever take it for granted!
If I never go to T-town again, my heart of full of memories from when I was a little boy going to games in the 70's at LF and at BDS as I got older.
I will say there is nothing like being present with 100K others, feeling the hair stand up on the back of your neck when the MDB plays "Yay Alabama" as Bama takes the field.
If you are a Bama fan and you've never gone, bite the bullet and do it. You won't regret it.
But growing up only an hour from campus, it never got old nor did I ever take it for granted!
If I never go to T-town again, my heart of full of memories from when I was a little boy going to games in the 70's at LF and at BDS as I got older.
I will say there is nothing like being present with 100K others, feeling the hair stand up on the back of your neck when the MDB plays "Yay Alabama" as Bama takes the field.
If you are a Bama fan and you've never gone, bite the bullet and do it. You won't regret it.
My first game was in 1973 in Tuscaloosa. I was with my dad and Bama broke several NCAA records that night against Virginia Tech and Don Strock 77-6.
Went to the (a must see) Bryant Museum later and all the local eateries and watering holes.
Been dozens of times since.
Tuscaloosa is one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation.
Went to the (a must see) Bryant Museum later and all the local eateries and watering holes.
Been dozens of times since.
Tuscaloosa is one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation.
I went to school there in the late 60s/early 70s, went to a few Shula-era games, went with two g'kids to an A-day game after Saban arrived, and went back this spring. Most of the important "bones" of the campus are still there, but bigger and much nicer. Everything is bigger and much nicer.
The sports complex is amazing, and the Bryant Museum is definitely worth seeing even for someone without ties to UA. That describes my husband. After a full day, he was effusive about the university, the campus and the students. He's not ever effusive. It surprised me and made me even prouder of the university!
The sports complex is amazing, and the Bryant Museum is definitely worth seeing even for someone without ties to UA. That describes my husband. After a full day, he was effusive about the university, the campus and the students. He's not ever effusive. It surprised me and made me even prouder of the university!
Went with my dad several times. One I still remember fondly in the mid 80's was the year some TN fans wore bags on their heads. Johnny Majors was coaching. After the game a bunch of surly Vol fans riding in the back of a pickup tried running their mouths. I remember my dad just looked over and said "Where's your sack?" They promptly shut up. Also went to the Century of Champions A Day game - that was a real blast. My dad and I both bought the blank autograph balls and spent the afternoon getting them signed by Gene Stallings and some of Bama's best players that were there. RT.
I attended the Capstone '76-'80. We had some pretty good teams during those years.
After graduation I joined the USAF and spent the next 8 years on the West coast and in Asia.
After leaving the service, I lived in North Carolina for a couple of years, then moved back to Birmingham. I've been here for the last 33 years. During that time I've attended a couple of games each year. It's always fun to go back to campus and see how thing have changed. And the games in BD are always fun. Kind of like Dreamland ribs - ain't nothing like 'em nowhere.
After graduation I joined the USAF and spent the next 8 years on the West coast and in Asia.
After leaving the service, I lived in North Carolina for a couple of years, then moved back to Birmingham. I've been here for the last 33 years. During that time I've attended a couple of games each year. It's always fun to go back to campus and see how thing have changed. And the games in BD are always fun. Kind of like Dreamland ribs - ain't nothing like 'em nowhere.
School from 84-89…
Back to Chicago when I’d pick one game a year…moved back to Atlanta in 2001 and I really don’t miss many games…my daughter’s a student there now…treasurer on the equestrian team…and my son is next up!!!
It’s a strange combination w/The Cubs/Bears, Blackhawks and Bama…but it’s been a brilliant ride!!!
Back to Chicago when I’d pick one game a year…moved back to Atlanta in 2001 and I really don’t miss many games…my daughter’s a student there now…treasurer on the equestrian team…and my son is next up!!!
It’s a strange combination w/The Cubs/Bears, Blackhawks and Bama…but it’s been a brilliant ride!!!
I feel blessed to have grown up in Tuscaloosa just a few miles from campus. I used to ride my bike to campus all the time. I live in Hoover now, but I spent 30+ years in Tuscaloosa. Been to more games than I can imagine. I want everyone to experience Tuscaloosa. Although the change it's made since the 2011 tornado has been immense.
I live 90 minutes away and have been numerous times. I'm not planning to attend any this year. My oldest just started college and disposable income isn't what it used to be.
I'm blessed to live in town and work on campus. Going to Alabama sporting events has always been a major part of my life. Hoping to make it to a few games this year as well! Tuscaloosa, no matter how much it changes, will always be special to me because of this University.
Everyone needs to experience BDS at least once in their lifetime! Nothing like it.
Everyone needs to experience BDS at least once in their lifetime! Nothing like it.
The University campus and the city of Tuscaloosa as a whole have changed immensely. The change started in the late 90s, and accelerated in the mid-2000s.
In every measurable way, the University experience is light years better than ever before. Classrooms are better, better equipped, and much more professional. Labs are world class. The Shelby Engineering Quad has world class affiliations with all sorts of governmental agencies.
Student housing is far far better -- more spacious, more tech-capable, and generally nicer. Off-campus housing is off the charts better than it was before.
The Strip is even better in that security is greatly improved. Off-campus entertainment options in downtown Tuscaloosa are far greater.
The downside to all this is that it's lost some of the college-town feel. Those ramshackle bungalows between University Boulevard and 15th Street are long gone, replaced with corporate-type student housing and gameday condos. The shabby-chic places we frequented and lived in are likewise long gone. Traffic is worse and parking is harder.
What was Denny Stadium, then Bryant-Denny, and now Saban Field at Bryant Denny Stadium, is a palace compared to what it was pre-1988. It holds almost double the crowd it did in Bryant's second heyday in the 70s, and is well over twice the size.
The downside is that it's far out of scale with the surrounding structures. Looks kind of like an alien civilization beamed down its headquarters.
All of that stems from the partnership between Robert Witt and Nick Saban. Winning certainly helped, but it wasn't the whole story.
The short version is:
-- The State of Alabama doesn't fund higher education at anywhere near the level needed to sustain, let alone build, the current educational infrastructure.
-- College education is a high fixed cost / low marginal cost proposition. IOW, it costs several boatloads of money to build the buildings, outfit the classrooms, run libraries, hire faculty, outfit labs, build residence halls, dining facilities, etc., etc., etc. That's the high fixed cost.
But once all the stuff is in place, it doesn't cost much at all to put one more student through the system. That's the low marginal cost.
-- The key to success in a high fixed cost / low marginal cost business model is top line revenue.
-- Out of state students pay over double the tuition of in-state students.
-- Robert Witt gave up trying to get the buffoons in the State Legislature to help. So he started recruiting OOS students precisely because of the enhanced revenue they represent.
-- And in the most brilliant move I've seen in higher educational administration, he not only quit fighting the Athletic Department (as every president after Frank Rose had done), but embraced it.
-- Witt recognized that athletics are what a GBA 490 student will call a "distinctive competence." Something the University of Alabama does exceptionally well, but takes decades to build, and is therefore extremely difficult for a competitor (another college) to replicate.
-- So he levered athletics in student recruitment, especially OOS student recruitment.
-- And he got a break when the GOAT came to coach Alabama football in January of 2007.
Enrollment skyrocketed, much of it lucrative OOS students. Revenue likewise skyrocketed. Witt used the money to fund massive campus construction, scholarships for academically accomplished students, and hire more accomplished faculty.
All that led to a self-reinforcing spiral upward. The net result is that the campus, the educational experience, and the city of Tuscaloosa are far better now than they've ever been.
In every measurable way, the University experience is light years better than ever before. Classrooms are better, better equipped, and much more professional. Labs are world class. The Shelby Engineering Quad has world class affiliations with all sorts of governmental agencies.
Student housing is far far better -- more spacious, more tech-capable, and generally nicer. Off-campus housing is off the charts better than it was before.
The Strip is even better in that security is greatly improved. Off-campus entertainment options in downtown Tuscaloosa are far greater.
The downside to all this is that it's lost some of the college-town feel. Those ramshackle bungalows between University Boulevard and 15th Street are long gone, replaced with corporate-type student housing and gameday condos. The shabby-chic places we frequented and lived in are likewise long gone. Traffic is worse and parking is harder.
What was Denny Stadium, then Bryant-Denny, and now Saban Field at Bryant Denny Stadium, is a palace compared to what it was pre-1988. It holds almost double the crowd it did in Bryant's second heyday in the 70s, and is well over twice the size.
The downside is that it's far out of scale with the surrounding structures. Looks kind of like an alien civilization beamed down its headquarters.
All of that stems from the partnership between Robert Witt and Nick Saban. Winning certainly helped, but it wasn't the whole story.
The short version is:
-- The State of Alabama doesn't fund higher education at anywhere near the level needed to sustain, let alone build, the current educational infrastructure.
-- College education is a high fixed cost / low marginal cost proposition. IOW, it costs several boatloads of money to build the buildings, outfit the classrooms, run libraries, hire faculty, outfit labs, build residence halls, dining facilities, etc., etc., etc. That's the high fixed cost.
But once all the stuff is in place, it doesn't cost much at all to put one more student through the system. That's the low marginal cost.
-- The key to success in a high fixed cost / low marginal cost business model is top line revenue.
-- Out of state students pay over double the tuition of in-state students.
-- Robert Witt gave up trying to get the buffoons in the State Legislature to help. So he started recruiting OOS students precisely because of the enhanced revenue they represent.
-- And in the most brilliant move I've seen in higher educational administration, he not only quit fighting the Athletic Department (as every president after Frank Rose had done), but embraced it.
-- Witt recognized that athletics are what a GBA 490 student will call a "distinctive competence." Something the University of Alabama does exceptionally well, but takes decades to build, and is therefore extremely difficult for a competitor (another college) to replicate.
-- So he levered athletics in student recruitment, especially OOS student recruitment.
-- And he got a break when the GOAT came to coach Alabama football in January of 2007.
Enrollment skyrocketed, much of it lucrative OOS students. Revenue likewise skyrocketed. Witt used the money to fund massive campus construction, scholarships for academically accomplished students, and hire more accomplished faculty.
All that led to a self-reinforcing spiral upward. The net result is that the campus, the educational experience, and the city of Tuscaloosa are far better now than they've ever been.
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Was in MA and PhD program there from 1996 to 2001. Moved my daughter into Tutweiler about 10 days ago. She asked me if I was nostalgic about the campus and places we visited in Tuscaloosa. I told her that most of the campus and the town was different and made it difficult for me identify with it much. Walked into the Houndstooth to get a beer then turned back around and left before I sat down. Was not my old hangout. Still get a kick out of being there--but man has it changed.
The Copper Top's still downtown, right where you left it! I recently moved from Tuscaloosa to the Pelham/Chelsea metropolitan area and I miss living so close. But you can bet I'll be on campus every game with the tailgate crew doing what we do!
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