Now when it comes to UAB : I think I and the entire nation know nothing!
The City and the School have what must be the worst marketing teams known to man.
In all honesty, UAB should be considered a "Potential" school just like UCF and USF etc (Villanova)...
They are in the Queen Ciy of Alabama afterall; but it remains that everytime I see a CUSA fan draw up some new alignment to try and make a BCS-AQ league, UAB and Tulane are dropped and likened to dead-weight. More people consider Marshall above UAB, and even still i think most people would trade UAB for LaTech / Troy / App St or MTSU. I decided to look into UAB a little harder.
The City of Birmingham, Alabama, is a municipal corporation under the laws of the State of Alabama. Birmingham is the largest city in the state with a population currently estimated at 242,820, and a metro population of 1,079,089.
Nestled at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at the cross-section of two major railroads, the city was once the primary industrial center of the southern United States. At the height of the nation's manufacturing age, the city grew so fast in population, it was called the "Magic City."
Its also referred to as the "Pittsburgh of the South"
Today, Birmingham has transformed itself into a medical research, banking and service-based economy, making it one of the nation's most livable cities with a vibrant downtown, a burgeoning loft community, a world-class culinary scene and more green space per capita than any other city in the nation!
Birmingham also boasts 99 historic neighborhoods and is often referred to as the cradle of the American Civil Rights Movement. The city is centrally located in the southeast and easily accessible to major hubs in the region
Birmingham Stats:
•Ranks 13th among the largest southeastern metropolitan areas
•Represents 24 percent of Alabama's total population
•Represents 31 percent of Alabama's total payroll dollars
•Ranks 48th in population among the nation's top 300 metropolitan areas
•Home to 40,680 Businesses
UAB is currently the state's Largest Employer!
Almost 10% of the jobs of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area are related to UAB...
so thats: ~113,107
Now why can't they generate interest again?
There is no other school that could benefit more from a makeover than UAB.
A new identity, a new stadium, a new color scheme, a new name, a new everything!
The University of Alabama At Birmingham... its just not sexy