MatthewM.;n122301 said:
If you have some time on your hands do some reading on the history of why this is happening at UAB and how historically BAMA and its alumni have been a huge factor in limiting the growth of all the athletic programs at UAB dating back to Bear Bryant. It was quite interesting to see the back room local politics going on to put a supposedly "sister" entity at such a severe disadvantage within their own state and conference.
MattM, you are right. This whole thing goes back to Paul Bryant Jr. He was the one who blocked Jimbo Fisher from getting the job there 7 years ago. They have had donors willing to give $5million or more for facilities upgrades and somehow Bryant was able to nix it. That program had no chance. I just don't understand why they didn't drop to 1AA.
Read this on another board:
the biggest hindrance was one of the most powerful men in alabama, Paul Bryant Jr, had a vendetta against UAB because Bear and Gene Bartow had a nasty relationship. We had funding sewn up years ago for a new on-campus stadium and he nixed it...we had Jimbo Fisher penned to become HC in 2006 and he nixed it and put his own buddy in as coach (which we never really recovered from). We've had rich boosters pledge $5M for new practice facility, weight room, etc and he nixed it. We had Houston Nutt wanting the job that ****ty McGhee got and he wouldn't even let him interview.
fact is his lifelong mission to destroy UAB was over unless he got it done ASAP. he turns 70 in 2 weeks and board of trustees have to retire in the next meeting after their 70th birthday which is feb 2015.
