UAB football program disbanding?

[Digetydog]

Why would Bama board members give two rips about UAB? They have never been and never will be competition for Alabama. That's just pathetic

A few years ago, the UAB hired Jimbo Fisher but the Roll Tide people on the board wouldn't approve the contract. Pathetic.

[GreenbeltPony]

Why would Bama board members give two rips about UAB? They have never been and never will be competition for Alabama. That's just pathetic

A few years ago, the UAB hired Jimbo Fisher but the Roll Tide people on the board wouldn't approve the contract. Pathetic.

And Jimbo's contract would have cost LESS than that of the previous coach.

[PoconoPony]

Pitiful. The president of UAB has handled it like a coward.

You really cannot win or avoid criticism if a program is cut. The reality is that this P5 thing and special NCAA concessions are going to put most of the other FBS programs at high risk. Football at most schools is a numbing losing cost of itself. When you factor in the cost of an additional 85 Title IX scholarships it is huge. If your program has only the mathematical chance of a lottery ticket of getting into the playoffs and the deck is stacked against all non-P5 schools, then get rid of football and put your already limited sources into something that can be successful. SMU is in the same boat. Can you lose millions every year for the chance of going to a lousy bowl game that does not even cover the cost of playing?????? The NCAA and various college presidents are responsible for not having a playoff and now the failure to provide that motivation and incentive will cause programs to re-evaluate and many will move down a level or discontinue football. Throw in lower special admission standards, new higher NCAA academic standards, poor statistics on graduation rates....etc. and who needs football.

[Water Pony]

Pocono makes an important distinction. With the exception the very top P5 schools, FB does not break even, when FB expenses exceed revenue. And, that will not likely change. As for G5 programs, the red ink is much greater.

Given the IX Title requirements and the need to cut Men's sports, while maintaining 85 Men on a FB roster, the G5 universities are subsidizing FB at a major level with few prospects to break even. As a result, cutting FB will emerge as a new strategy. BB becomes the major sport, as it did for most of former Big East schools. In addition, look at U. of Denver, which does not field a FB team, but is competitive in BB, Lacrosse and Ice Hockey.

However, SMU is and will remain unique in this peer group. Our alumni, donors and CofC have filled the gap for us. Without these unparalleled resources, our claim to regain FB royalty would be not be an option for us.

So during Thanksgiving, we need to thank those who write the checks that allow us to dream and hire the JJs, LBs and CMs of the coaching world. There for the grace of God goes us .....

[SMUPhil]

Only a handful of universities are making it into the black from their sports programs. There's a reason to keep athletics around: it enhances the student experience, it is great recruiting/advertising for the school, and it keeps alumni involved. All the excuses being thrown around could be said for 90% of schools out there, but UAB is in this position plain and simple because the UA trustees don't like the strain on their flagship school and football team. Like someone else said, do you think the UT trustees would approve anything for aTm if they controlled their budget?

And as also previously mentioned, UAB was all set to hire Jimbo Fisher for a $600,000 salary, HALF of which was to be covered by boosters, but the Bama trustees said no at the last minute citing "fiscal responsibility." That would have been the deal of the century, not a fiscal blunder, but it's rumored that the Bama trustees wanted to keep Fisher available as a possible coordinator for Saban, or at the very least, not competing in-state with Saban for recruits.

[orguy]

CUSA should replace with Texas State

You mean Southwest Texas Teachers College?

[smupony94]

My neighbor's daughter is looking at colleges and she recently visited Alabama. He is a huge football fan and asked about UAB. They point blank told him Alabama doesn't have enough students right now and is missing out on state and federal funds so this is a gimmick to get UAB students into their system.

[GiddyUp]

Thats too bad

[Planter's Punch]

It is interesting they will lose their program, when there was just a huge explosion of teams making the jump to FBS. I wonder if we will see the pendulum swing the other way, and more unprofitable state school FBS program getting cut or forced down to FCS, especially in states where bigger P5 universities run the boards. For a P5, it is easy to say it has to be done in the name of budget cuts, and you get the added boost to your own program with less competition.

I could see UAB landing in the Sunbelt (BB only) with Troy and South Alabama, but they could easily be on the chopping block as well. USA joined the FBS in 2012.

Ole Miss and Miss St. would probably be happy to see USM gone as well.

[orguy]

Only a handful of universities are making it into the black from their sports programs. There's a reason to keep athletics around: it enhances the student experience, it is great recruiting/advertising for the school, and it keeps alumni involved. All the excuses being thrown around could be said for 90% of schools out there, but UAB is in this position plain and simple because the UA trustees don't like the strain on their flagship school and football team. Like someone else said, do you think the UT trustees would approve anything for aTm if they controlled their budget?

And as also previously mentioned, UAB was all set to hire Jimbo Fisher for a $600,000 salary, HALF of which was to be covered by boosters, but the Bama trustees said no at the last minute citing "fiscal responsibility." That would have been the deal of the century, not a fiscal blunder, but it's rumored that the Bama trustees wanted to keep Fisher available as a possible coordinator for Saban, or at the very least, not competing in-state with Saban for recruits.

UT/TAMU is analogous to UA/Auburn not UA/UAB.

[orguy]

My neighbor's daughter is looking at colleges and she recently visited Alabama. He is a huge football fan and asked about UAB. They point blank told him Alabama doesn't have enough students right now and is missing out on state and federal funds so this is a gimmick to get UAB students into their system.

Sounds like complete rubbish. How could all the recent NC's Alabama has won not in fact raise its stature in regards to applications and overall interest in the school from potential students?

[Planter's Punch]

My neighbor's daughter is looking at colleges and she recently visited Alabama. He is a huge football fan and asked about UAB. They point blank told him Alabama doesn't have enough students right now and is missing out on state and federal funds so this is a gimmick to get UAB students into their system.

How big do they want the school to be? They more than doubled their undergrad enrollment from 2003, they now have over 36k. It would make there school more relatively attractive to top in state students (I doubt few people ever go out of state to UAB), because getting more undergrads into a state school is like turning on a faucet (I heard this from a state school provost), it just depends how many you want, and they seem to be getting plenty:

http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/09/ua-enrollm ... ores-gpas/

[smupony94]

My neighbor's daughter is looking at colleges and she recently visited Alabama. He is a huge football fan and asked about UAB. They point blank told him Alabama doesn't have enough students right now and is missing out on state and federal funds so this is a gimmick to get UAB students into their system.

Sounds like complete rubbish. How could all the recent NC's Alabama has won not in fact raise its stature in regards to applications and overall interest in the school from potential students?

Go read they UAB boards, they are saying the same thing

[peruna81]

If this story is true, it is as sad as the situation at SMU when our football team was disbanded. I wonder if there will be the same "fire sale" atmosphere for players as there was with us, with coaches and recruiters scouring the campus.

[Planter's Punch]

My neighbor's daughter is looking at colleges and she recently visited Alabama. He is a huge football fan and asked about UAB. They point blank told him Alabama doesn't have enough students right now and is missing out on state and federal funds so this is a gimmick to get UAB students into their system.

Sounds like complete rubbish. How could all the recent NC's Alabama has won not in fact raise its stature in regards to applications and overall interest in the school from potential students?

Go read they UAB boards, they are saying the same thing

UAB is part of the UA-System, and UA has continuously had monster growth in their student body. This is probably more about finances and the incentive Alabama and Auburn have to be the only football shows in town.