The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(01-13-2014 01:49 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  they were bought up by major businesses like Crawford Johnson (Coca-Cola) back when AU and UA played there for $2,000 to $3,000 each.

Which would be my point. There may be legal issues regarding those seats, if anyone chose to press them - but no one gives a damn about it, especially the owners, who are not interested in UAB football games.

Or to put it another way, you could buy about fifty tickets for the cost of one hour of lawyer time. Why would you bother?

(01-14-2014 10:27 AM)Smaug Wrote:  I think I'll go sit in one of those gold seats next fall and see if anyone runs me out of it.

At "game time" is after the restricted time expires. Just try to buy a ticket this spring or early summer for one of those seats or in the four sections covered by SC restrictions and see if you can.

Band Dad is correct that many / most of the SC holders don't care about tickets for UAB, the Classic and maybe the bowl game, but I was talking about the SCs and their lawful restrictions, not whether anyone cares. Lots of illegal acts go unpunished because of fear or "I don't care" every year.

(01-13-2014 01:49 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  

(01-13-2014 01:19 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  

(01-13-2014 12:48 AM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(01-12-2014 07:12 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Of these 26,000 seats, over 5,000 (about 20%) are under the legal restraints imposed by the Stadium Certificates now said to be in the hands of about 1600 persons and held in perpetuity as long as Legion Field exists and is used for ANY KIND of college or pro football games.

Is there any evidence that these "stadium certificates" are still valid or mean anything? I find the fact that UAB or the bowl game or the Classic are limited by these 5,000 certificates hard to believe, about as hard to believe as the idea that the land under Young Memorial Stadium can't be used by UAB, a state entity, for anything other than a park because of some 100 year old restriction in place on the city.

I would assume that the certificates still exist, if anyone who has them remembers that they do and is young enough to go to a game. On the other hand, unless Bama plays at Legion Field again none of them give a tinker's damn about it.

The fact is that those seats are used as general admission seats at every game we play. They *may* nnot be sold as season ticket seats, but then again they just may... and no one says boo about it.

Except BnB.


The deed restrictions on Young Field are a much more active and pressing issue so far as using it to build on, much like the restrictions on what can be done to homes that have been designated historical.

#1 - The Stadium Certificates were and are "good" in perpetuity - forever - for ANY football game played at Legion Field. As long as UAB does not sell those designated seats until after the restricted time expires, there is no problem. As I recall the restricted times are for the West stands and gold seats - before 30 days before any game and for the (older) east stands - before 7 days before any game. [BTW, Our friend T.C. Cannon owns two and there are about 1,600 others who own the rest - they were bought up by major businesses like Crawford Johnson (Coca-Cola) back when AU and UA played there for $2,000 to $3,000 each.]

To sell tickets for these seats in violation of the SC contracts is breaking the law, but if no one cares, like with any law breaking, it doesn't result in legal actions. I don't think UAB is going to risk that possibility.

It is my understanding that certificate holders are given first priority to purchase those seats for any event held in the stadium. If those options aren't exercised, they may be sold. But with a less than half full stadium there isn't any real urgency to sell them.

(01-14-2014 10:27 AM)Smaug Wrote:  I think I'll go sit in one of those gold seats next fall and see if anyone runs me out of it.

I've sat in them before...no one cares.

(01-13-2014 12:48 AM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(01-12-2014 07:12 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Of these 26,000 seats, over 5,000 (about 20%) are under the legal restraints imposed by the Stadium Certificates now said to be in the hands of about 1600 persons and held in perpetuity as long as Legion Field exists and is used for ANY KIND of college or pro football games.

Is there any evidence that these "stadium certificates" are still valid or mean anything? I find the fact that UAB or the bowl game or the Classic are limited by these 5,000 certificates hard to believe, about as hard to believe as the idea that the land under Young Memorial Stadium can't be used by UAB, a state entity, for anything other than a park because of some 100 year old restriction in place on the city.

(01-13-2014 12:58 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  Of course there is evidence. It is posted here as gospel at least twice a month.

Here is some evidence, from a 2009 Birmingham News Article:

Quote:Don’t get Dye started on the alleged 50-50 Iron Bowl ticket split at Legion Field. He’ll point out that it wasn’t a 50-50 split because the majority of the 5,000 or so Legion Field certificate holders, who got some of the best seats in the house, were Alabama fans.

http://blog.al.com/kevin-scarbinsky/2009...at_dy.html

More evidence from the Tuscaloosa News May 25,1949:

Quote:New Legion Field Lights are Sought

BIRMINGHAM (AP) - A campaign to raise $150,000 for a new lighting system at Legion Field, Birmingham municipal football stadium, was under way today.

On sale are 1,000 stadium certificates at $150 each. These entitle the holder to buy two seats to all college and professional football games here. The Chamber of Commerce's Athletics Affairs Committee is sponsoring the drive.

Holders will pay the regular price for their two seats, as the certificates will have no monetary value.

Light poles now on the edge of the playing field will be eliminated and new lights will be installed in eight towers.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=18...67,4029551

The Times Daily, October 28, 1968

Quote:Tigers Take Step Out of B'ham Jam - No Seats Available

...And then there's the problem of tickets. First and foremost, seats must be provided for the student body, which keeps increasing. At Legion Field there are stadium certificates to be honored and holders are entitled to seats. By the time the certificate holders buy their ducats, the student section is set aside, there are few cardboards remaining for the old alumni...

"Let's face it," my Auburn source adds, "Sooner or later Birmingham is going to get a pro football team. Naturally the news media in Birmingham is going to give the pros more space than Auburn or Alabama. It's happened in Atlanta and other places. We must be ready to meet the challenge."...

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=18...46,4746423

The Tuscaloosa News, May 19, 1977

Quote:Tickets Now On Sale: Work Begun on Birmingham Bowl

..."Ticket sales are beginning to move, they are being sold on a first come, first serve basis. Usually the first people to get tickets were the folks that had gone to one of the two colleges," Sington said.

"This way it's an open deal. The only tickets to the bowl game that have a priority are stadium certificates. (Those who contributed money to help build the stadium hold certificates.)

"Those certificates guarantee those people the priviledge of buying two tickets to any event for life," Sington said, "The rest of the stadium is up for sale".

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=18...67,4067731

Which would be why I don't dispute their existence or their legality. I'll say it again though - If 'Bama plays at LF, those might be an immediate factor, at least those held by people who know they exist and remember they have them. Otherwise, the holders have no interest.

It's a non-issue.

I sat in one of them during the Memphis game when the Tigers handed UAB's a** to them, much to the dismay of the "home" crowd. I'd always wondered what the big deal was about those damn seats & why they were painted gold. Speaking of seats, if UAB or anyone else is forced to have to play in that "football purgatory" for the rest of their existence, one thing I'd like to see done to that place is the seating, get those uncomfortable lightning rods called metal bleachers out of there and put some stadium seats with back rests on them in there. Might even enhance the allure of that place just a little, if at all.

(01-14-2014 12:19 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Which would be why I don't dispute their existence or their legality. I'll say it again though - If 'Bama plays at LF, those might be an immediate factor, at least those held by people who know they exist and remember they have them. Otherwise, the holders have no interest.

It's a non-issue.

Since UAB must play at Legion Field for an indeterminate number of future years, it is only a "non-issue" if we don't want, care or need the ability to sell season tickets for 5,000 of the best seats in the stadium (sec 10 &11 and the two corresponding sections in the east stands). "Walk up" sales at game time or the week of the game are not affected by any restrictions, nor just sitting "wherever" once you get there. Reserved seating tickets only have significance when there are a lot of fans going to the games, and you value the location of your seats.

So, the only evidence that those things are still valid or enforceable is a newspaper article from 1977.

Not that it matters, what is 5,000 seats in a 70,000+ stadium. More than that are under tarps every game.

My football season tickets are in the gold seats on the pressbox side of the stadium.

Also know that these seats are so ridiculously uncomfortable that my family never actually sits in them.

(01-14-2014 01:03 PM)UABslant Wrote:  My football season tickets are in the gold seats on the pressbox side of the stadium.

Also know that these seats are so ridiculously uncomfortable that my family never actually sits in them.

When the "new" pressbox was to be built, the city sold additional SCs (just over 500 - each good for two tickets) to finance it. Those who bought the new SCs were promised those new seats and they were painted gold to set them apart. LEGALLY, only SC holders can buy those seats or the 2,000 50 yard line seats on each side during the restricted time.

It is of course possible that a clerk sold restricted tickets , but as the Alabama Immigration Law proponents are fond of saying, "What part of illegal don't you understand?"

My question is what part of "who cares?" don't you understand?

It would certainly simplify Contract Law by stipulating that "someone (who matters) must care" for a contract to be valid. Also, I think you may have accidently plagiarized Paul Bryant, Jr's reply when challenged about not allowing an open meeting vote on our OCS.

The contract is still perfectly valid... but if the people who own those seat licenses never bother to set foot inside Legion Field the issue is moot.

There is no point in continuing the discussion.