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

Click here to listen.

Talking about JSU's game.

Previewing Ole Miss for the gumps.

Teams you've seen do things you'd like to implement in '17.

Listen if you just like to listen to Clark. Otherwise, nothing new on UAB.

He's been on the recruiting trail. He's working. The sky is not falling this Monday morning... yet.

Let me just throw this out there: if you were an agent and knew there was a vote in two weeks that would secure an additional $800k guaranteed for your client's program, would you not hold out to use that as leverage?

I don't disagree. You'll agree that Blazer football fans have been conditioned to see the dark cloud for every silver lining.

What are these silver linings of which you speak?

spewing out of Ingram's butthole.

Oh no doubt we all see dark clouds and the occasional black helicopters... we're UAB supporters and we're always watching our backs.
I hate the release of valuable members of the athletic department. The issue goes back to Mackin, though. Our budget and admin costs have grown out of control during his time at UAB; the budget numbers don't lie. We have to find money to invest in the things that help all programs win... larger recruiting budgets, more attractive facilities, better strength and conditioning/nutrition programs, etc.

My point was, if you just like hearing Clark talk, give it a listen. If you want to hear some news about UAB football, then you're going to be disappointed.

(09-14-2015 10:00 AM)UABslant Wrote:  Oh no doubt we all see dark clouds and the occasional black helicopters... we're UAB supporters and we're always watching our backs.
I hate the release of valuable members of the athletic department. The issue goes back to Mackin, though. Our budget and admin costs have grown out of control during his time at UAB; the budget numbers don't lie. We have to find money to invest in the things that help all programs win... larger recruiting budgets, more attractive facilities, better strength and conditioning/nutrition programs, etc.

A strong football program that brings in money.

(09-14-2015 10:04 AM)the_blazerman Wrote:  

(09-14-2015 10:00 AM)UABslant Wrote:  Oh no doubt we all see dark clouds and the occasional black helicopters... we're UAB supporters and we're always watching our backs.
I hate the release of valuable members of the athletic department. The issue goes back to Mackin, though. Our budget and admin costs have grown out of control during his time at UAB; the budget numbers don't lie. We have to find money to invest in the things that help all programs win... larger recruiting budgets, more attractive facilities, better strength and conditioning/nutrition programs, etc.

A strong football program that brings in money.

You gotta spend money to make money. Freeing up present funds is one way to do that.

Sorry for derailing, Smaug!

Regardless of level, financing a football program "on the cheap" got poor results for UAB for years (our records since 2006 illustrate this). We had to spend more than we had become used to spending in order to just sustain the program. 1990s money won't pay for a 2015 program. Our state's two major programs don't spend $200,000 per athlete annually solely because of ego enhancement.

In order for UAB to play at a competitive level in this economy, we must be prepared to spend $20 to $30 million annually for athletics. Since UAB has not built any new facilities since 1990, "it has a long way to go and a short time to get there" to make itself into a C-USA competitive program. Meanwhile we are still waiting for the first shovel to meet soil or the first brick to meet mortar to show real intent to make our comeback in football.

I would say that we were a CUSA competitive program last year.

The issue though as you are trying to make is that we have been held back so long on facilities & improvements that there is a big hump that we need to make up in order to get on an even playing field with our conference mates.

(09-15-2015 11:59 AM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Regardless of level, financing a football program "on the cheap" got poor results for UAB for years (our records since 2006 illustrate this). We had to spend more than we had become used to spending in order to just sustain the program. 1990s money won't pay for a 2015 program. Our state's two major programs don't spend $200,000 per athlete annually solely because of ego enhancement.

In order for UAB to play at a competitive level in this economy, we must be prepared to spend $20 to $30 million annually for athletics. Since UAB has not built any new facilities since 1990, "it has a long way to go and a short time to get there" to make itself into a C-USA competitive program.

(09-15-2015 12:04 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  I would say that we were a CUSA competitive program last year.

The issue though as you are trying to make is that we have been held back so long on facilities & improvements that there is a big hump that we need to make up in order to get on an even playing field with our conference mates.

bammer we did spend 30 million last year which put near the top of newCUSA. Even near middle of old CUSA. Which was allowed to increase every year with Carol and Richard in charge.

U are right that we are behind on faculties. This may get worst called the vp facilities brooks also retired and he made millions of improvements. That were broken into smaller projects to avoid bot approval

Why we have got to give - even for basketball and other sports

(09-15-2015 01:11 PM)uabbean Wrote:  

(09-15-2015 11:59 AM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Regardless of level, financing a football program "on the cheap" got poor results for UAB for years (our records since 2006 illustrate this). We had to spend more than we had become used to spending in order to just sustain the program. 1990s money won't pay for a 2015 program. Our state's two major programs don't spend $200,000 per athlete annually solely because of ego enhancement.

In order for UAB to play at a competitive level in this economy, we must be prepared to spend $20 to $30 million annually for athletics. Since UAB has not built any new facilities since 1990, "it has a long way to go and a short time to get there" to make itself into a C-USA competitive program.

(09-15-2015 12:04 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  I would say that we were a CUSA competitive program last year.

The issue though as you are trying to make is that we have been held back so long on facilities & improvements that there is a big hump that we need to make up in order to get on an even playing field with our conference mates.

bammer we did spend 30 million last year which put near the top of newCUSA. Even near middle of old CUSA. Which was allowed to increase every year with Carol and Richard in charge.

U are right that we are behind on faculties. This may get worst called the vp facilities brooks also retired and he made millions of improvements. That were broken into smaller projects to avoid bot approval

Why we have got to give - even for basketball and other sports

I don't believe UAB invested $30 million in its football program in 2014. How many of those "smaller projects" were for football improvements? I am talking about the need for UAB to invest about $30 million ANNUALLY on football related facilities and staff in order to consistently compete evenly in the top levels of C-USA.

I was satisfied with the 6-6 record in 2014 since we had gone 5-19 the two seasons before. But how many of those 6 Ws were against C-USA leaders? 2014 was a season of promise of better things to come, or so we thought. When UAB returns in 2017, it must show it has learned the lessons of its past and be better prepared for its future.

(09-15-2015 03:22 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  

(09-15-2015 01:11 PM)uabbean Wrote:  

(09-15-2015 11:59 AM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Regardless of level, financing a football program "on the cheap" got poor results for UAB for years (our records since 2006 illustrate this). ....

In order for UAB to play at a competitive level in this economy, we must be . Since UAB has not built any new facilities since 1990, "it has a long way to go and a short time to get there" to make itself into a prepared to spend $20 to $30 million annually for athleticsC-USA competitive program.

[bammer we did spend 30 million last year which put near the top of newCUSA. Even near middle of old CUSA. Which was allowed to increase every year with Carol and Richard in charge.

U are right that we are behind on faculties. This may get worst called the vp facilities brooks also retired and he made millions of improvements. That were broken into smaller projects to avoid bot approval

Why we have got to give - even for basketball and other sports

I don't believe UAB invested $30 million in its football program in 2014. How many of those "smaller projects" were for football improvements? I am talking about the need for UAB to invest about $30 million ANNUALLY on football related facilities and staff in order to consistently compete evenly in the top levels of C-USA.

Sorry your original post said 30 million a yearFOR ATHLETICS you did not say for football only including capital/projects facilities.
The thirty million spent in 2014 is the operating expenses for all of the athletics not just football. I do not know 2014 football projects amount but expect it was little - Brooks had retired so no related little projects just a warning that more will be needed to make up for 'off the books'

(09-15-2015 03:22 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  

(09-15-2015 01:11 PM)uabbean Wrote:  

(09-15-2015 11:59 AM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Regardless of level, financing a football program "on the cheap" got poor results for UAB for years (our records since 2006 illustrate this). We had to spend more than we had become used to spending in order to just sustain the program. 1990s money won't pay for a 2015 program. Our state's two major programs don't spend $200,000 per athlete annually solely because of ego enhancement.

In order for UAB to play at a competitive level in this economy, we must be prepared to spend $20 to $30 million annually for athletics. Since UAB has not built any new facilities since 1990, "it has a long way to go and a short time to get there" to make itself into a C-USA competitive program.

(09-15-2015 12:04 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  I would say that we were a CUSA competitive program last year.

The issue though as you are trying to make is that we have been held back so long on facilities & improvements that there is a big hump that we need to make up in order to get on an even playing field with our conference mates.

bammer we did spend 30 million last year which put near the top of newCUSA. Even near middle of old CUSA. Which was allowed to increase every year with Carol and Richard in charge.

U are right that we are behind on faculties. This may get worst called the vp facilities brooks also retired and he made millions of improvements. That were broken into smaller projects to avoid bot approval

Why we have got to give - even for basketball and other sports

I don't believe UAB invested $30 million in its football program in 2014. How many of those "smaller projects" were for football improvements? I am talking about the need for UAB to invest about $30 million ANNUALLY on football related facilities and staff in order to consistently compete evenly in the top levels of C-USA.

I was satisfied with the 6-6 record in 2014 since we had gone 5-19 the two seasons before. But how many of those 6 Ws were against C-USA leaders? 2014 was a season of promise of better things to come, or so we thought. When UAB returns in 2017, it must show it has learned the lessons of its past and be better prepared for its future.

UAB still had near the highest in football expenses in CUSA 3.0 at around 9 million on football related expenses. And no, UAB does not need to invest 30 million annually on football facilities. I have no idea where you get your numbers. No one in CUSA spends anywhere near 30 million annually on football facilities and staff.

Last year was a good start. We beat almost all the teams we should've beaten except for FIU, but we squeaked out a win against WKU on the road. We destroyed Troy, USM, and UNT. We competed quite well against everyone else that we lost to except for Arkansas.

If you compare last year and 2013 it is light years. One of the biggest turnarounds in college football. We had 52 points or more scored on us in 50% of our games in 2013 and we never held anyone to less than 24 points all year. In 2014, no one dropped 50 points on us. Only 3 teams scored 40 or more on us in 2014 (@MSU, @Arkansas, La Tech)

33.2 scored / 29.9 against (2014) compared to 26.3 scored / 43.8 against (2013)

We were a touchdown better on offense and 2 touchdowns better on defense. That's a 21 point swing in a single year.