(06-11-2013 09:03 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote: (06-11-2013 08:35 AM)Smaug Wrote: UAB will have an on-campus stadium. A few high profile funerals will have to take place first, though.
How old are those that are preventing this from happening? How long realistically will they remain in a position to stop it?
Paul W. Bryant Jr. was born in 1944 and so is 68 or 69 (I pick him every year in the Blazertalk Death Pool).
He is reputed to share his father's fondnesses for alcohol, fatty foods and certain unwise practices. However, he obviously employs an internet-scrubbing service (google him; my dog quite literally has a bigger digital footprint) so hard facts are hard to come by.
The stadium issue had deeper impact than may be at first evident, as fund-raising for the project took energy from other programs. The campaign turned out quite successfully; corporate sponsorship was very high and this no doubt helped spark opposition to the stadium: rather than be impressed by our AD's thick portfolio of corporate commitments, the Old Boys (Bryant Jr., Finis St. John IV, Joseph Espy III, Jim Wilson III - are you seeing a pattern here?) saw $27 million diverted from its rightful place in Tide Pride sponsorships. All those donors were receiving a full-court press from Tuscaloosa's fundraisers within 48 hours of our AD's presentation to the Board.
There's also Greenetrack, a slimy dog track south of here. Bryant was a founder; Espy is its corporate lawyer, the others are beholden to the managing partner Milton McGregor. They do not want "your welfare blacks" (Bryant's words) finding alternative entertainment.
And if you're keeping score, yes, that means that a gambling operation has firm control of college football's most profitable program (the cesspool 54 miles to the SW of us).
Bryant also has full ownership over the governor (his father's dermatologist; Junior funded his campaign) and attorney general (funded as well).
The Old Boys torture UAB for fun; the real game is keeping control of the huge tracts of land held by the University of Alabama System (grants dating to the 19th Century) on which coal is mined by their cronies.