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Polite Request RE: UAB
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blazr Away
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Post: #1
Polite Request RE: UAB
The salvos being lobbed back and forth over realignment, un-realignment, and re-re-un-realignment are entertaining and, sometimes, informative. UAB is not mentioned in pretty much any guesses about how the "East" winds up and that's understandable. Only football, essentially, is being considered and it is a truism that college sports fans have extremely short memories. No one will remember, or care, that from '99 through '05 UAB had the 3rd highest conf win PCT in CUSA...not to mention winning records over many schools who's fans are among the most braggadocios (schools that, in some cases, were expected to be easy wins in football...and bore that out). So, in this audience and in this context I fully understand being ignored. We know - as much as anyone can - how the decision makers feel.

However, some posters have taken to belittling and/or minimizing the stature of our University and athletics...counting us amongst the subjective "bottom-feeders" that drag down a conference's reputation and clout. My request? Cut it out. It is not only untrue, but considering that UAB is a founding member of CUSA and that Coach Gene Bartow place a crucial role in making the conference happen at all, it is insulting and disrespectful. We have been a committed, steadfast, and productive partner in this endeavor. Besides that - and to the point of being "untrue" - keep these things in mind, please:

************ THESE ARE UAB FACTS. SKIP TO BOTTOM IF YOU DON'T CARE*****

- UAB is a globally respected, highly renowned research institution that is leading the world in cutting-edge findings in genetics, organ transplants, HIV vaccines, and even climatological research in places as far off as Antarctica. There are very few institutions in CUSA, past or present, that can match UAB's global reputation on those fronts.

- UAB is the largest employer in its state and located in a Top 40 MSA with an international airport and central location that makes travel cheaper and smoother than most schools can boast.

- When Coach Bartow came to Birmingham, UAB didn't own basketballs...no club team, intercollegiate intramural squads, nothing. That was in 1978. Think on this: UAB's sole appearance in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament came in 1982. Four years. In 33 seasons, UAB had a winning record in 30. We have 11 NCAA tourny appearances (plus 11 NIT slots which is 22 postseason cards in those 33 seasons) and 3 Sweet Sixteen appearances to go with the Elite Eight mentioned above.

- Since UAB football joined our other sports in CUSA, we have kept competitive pace - or bettered - some members with generations of history. Even with our recent trials, football has averaged just under 20,000 fans per game. We are committed to growing WITH our conference mates, and to that end...

- If you trace the history of athletic budgets at CUSA-member schools, you will see steady growth from the mid-teens, to $20m, to pushing $30m, and now reaching or exceeding $40m. UAB has NEVER failed to honor our relationship with conference mates or the reputation of CUSA by "doing things cheap." We have kept pace at every step and will always do so.

- Men's soccer, and particularly head coach Mike Getman, enjoys an international reputation built by leveraging the global reach of our academic/research endeavors. This has produced a consistently competitive program at the national level. Men's golf has similarly leveraged our global reputation (as have our tennis, volleyball, and other sports) to draw golfers from an international pool which has led to our growth into one of the nation's best programs ranked as high as #8 in 2011. 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell prepped for his successful European and PGA career by winning NCAA men's golf's version of the Heisman Trophy, the Haskin's Award, in his 2002 senior season (the list of winners for that award is a who's-who of current golf stars from Tiger to David Duval to Phil Mickelson to Stewart Cink.

- Finally, UAB Track & Field star Vonetta Flowers became the first black woman to win a Winter Olympics Gold Medal by training for and competing in the 2-woman bobsled event.

********************* THE BOTTOM ********************

In summary, ignore UAB if you wish. Factors beyond wins and losses in football still play a large role in conference configurations and the people who will make these decisions...well, we are confident we'll be fine. The only argument I will offer in favor of UAB's inclusion in a "Eastern/Southern" arrangement is to challenge you knowledgeable college basketball fans to try and ignore UAB hoops when constructing the "Southern" part. You'll find precious few programs that rise to the level of UAB's men's basketball.

But sneering at our university, a school that goes back to one branch of the roots that became CUSA and, therefore, helped every current and former member become what they are today, is simply unwarranted. Our university deserves respect beyond the schools that some wish us to join (or helpfully point out that we'd be better with "them") because we have earned that respect...in our athletic accomplishments, our steadfast partnerships with your schools, and - perhaps most important - our commitment from the top of our university down to our casual fans to always display and carry forward the high standards, integrity, and class that defined the "father of UAB athletics", Coach Gene Bartow...a man who deeply impacted every person he interacted with in his time on this earth. One final thing that defined Coach Bartow was his ability to accomplish things that had never been done before - period, not just at UAB - or that experts deemed impossible for a school like ours.

We have been your intense foes in competition, always striving to push beyond how others perceive us, and your respectful, cooperative partner. For that I believe we can ask that if you have nothing productive to say, err on the side of saying nothing at all.

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(This post was last modified: 12-27-2012 03:17 AM by blazr.)
12-27-2012 03:14 AM
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Cnelson203 Offline
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Post: #2
RE: Polite Request RE: UAB
Well said, Blazr! It's time all "future" C-USA conference mates do anything we can to build up each other. I wish nothing but the best to all departing schools, but you are gone, or leaving. This conference belongs to UAB and all of the rest of us who are staying (whatever the reason.)

And Marshall fans can testify to the fact that UAB is fully capable of kicking your butt in football when you expected to roll out of Birmingham with a "W". For that matter, UCF had a similar lesson in real politik last year. It's all about respect.
12-27-2012 07:28 AM
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58-56 Offline
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RE: Polite Request RE: UAB
Quote:- UAB is a globally respected, highly renowned research institution that is leading the world in cutting-edge findings in genetics, organ transplants, HIV vaccines, and even climatological research in places as far off as Antarctica. There are very few institutions in CUSA, past or present, that can match UAB's global reputation on those fronts.

Here' are the Top 150 Research Universities in the United States (starts on page 11):

http://mup.asu.edu/research2011.pdf

We find UAB at #28. Tulane at #74. Central Florida at #106. Rice at #114. And the rest of you ... well, we don't find you there at all.
12-27-2012 08:17 AM
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GoGold Offline
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Post: #4
RE: Polite Request RE: UAB
I like UAB. I remember traveling many times to the 'ham a few years back watching us play before some decent crowds in Legion. Good atmosphere back then and I enjoyed some spirited interaction with your fans. It was a trip I looked forward to.

My only problem with UAB is you seem to have no control over your program.
12-27-2012 08:20 AM
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The Flagship Offline
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RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 03:14 AM)blazr Wrote:  - If you trace the history of athletic budgets at CUSA-member schools, you will see steady growth from the mid-teens, to $20m, to pushing $30m, and now reaching or exceeding $40m. UAB has NEVER failed to honor our relationship with conference mates or the reputation of CUSA by "doing things cheap." We have kept pace at every step and will always do so.
Many people get hung up on recent wins and losses when evaluating programs. Ultimately, it takes a healthy budget and a solid fan base to win consistently. Sometimes, losing is the result of a coaching staff, and not the program.

When I read your numbers, I was shocked to see that your budget is "now reaching or exceeding $40m". If that is the case, that puts your program in a very strong position. But that is not the figure that was compiled in the linked report. It shows your expenses at $25m. Why the discrepency?

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/gr...inance.htm
12-27-2012 08:24 AM
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rook360 Offline
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Post: #6
RE: Polite Request RE: UAB
One thing that I can't seem to get my head wrapped around is the thinking of the BOT.

It's better to keep renting space in a stadium off campus and losing money on parking, tickets, concessions, and rent, then to build our own stadium where were we keep the money on Parking, Concessions, Tickets, and we don't pay rent. That money goes back into owningour own stadium.

Anyway...so who's staying, who's coming in, and who's leaving the conference today.
12-27-2012 08:29 AM
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58-56 Offline
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RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 08:24 AM)The Flagship Wrote:  
(12-27-2012 03:14 AM)blazr Wrote:  - If you trace the history of athletic budgets at CUSA-member schools, you will see steady growth from the mid-teens, to $20m, to pushing $30m, and now reaching or exceeding $40m. UAB has NEVER failed to honor our relationship with conference mates or the reputation of CUSA by "doing things cheap." We have kept pace at every step and will always do so.
Many people get hung up on recent wins and losses when evaluating programs. Ultimately, it takes a healthy budget and a solid fan base to win consistently. Sometimes, losing is the result of a coaching staff, and not the program.

When I read your numbers, I was shocked to see that your budget is "now reaching or exceeding $40m". If that is the case, that puts your program in a very strong position. But that is not the figure that was compiled in the linked report. It shows your expenses at $25m. Why the discrepency?

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/gr...inance.htm

Brother blazr refers to the overall trend of CUSA budgets. Ours has always been in the middle of the CUSA pack and will continue to be so.
12-27-2012 08:35 AM
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The Flagship Offline
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RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 08:35 AM)58-56 Wrote:  
(12-27-2012 08:24 AM)The Flagship Wrote:  
(12-27-2012 03:14 AM)blazr Wrote:  - If you trace the history of athletic budgets at CUSA-member schools, you will see steady growth from the mid-teens, to $20m, to pushing $30m, and now reaching or exceeding $40m. UAB has NEVER failed to honor our relationship with conference mates or the reputation of CUSA by "doing things cheap." We have kept pace at every step and will always do so.
Many people get hung up on recent wins and losses when evaluating programs. Ultimately, it takes a healthy budget and a solid fan base to win consistently. Sometimes, losing is the result of a coaching staff, and not the program.

When I read your numbers, I was shocked to see that your budget is "now reaching or exceeding $40m". If that is the case, that puts your program in a very strong position. But that is not the figure that was compiled in the linked report. It shows your expenses at $25m. Why the discrepency?

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/gr...inance.htm

Brother blazr refers to the overall trend of CUSA budgets. Ours has always been in the middle of the CUSA pack and will continue to be so.
Ooops. Read that wrong. You are correct. He was not talking about UAB there.
12-27-2012 08:42 AM
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CitrusUCF Offline
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Post: #9
RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 08:20 AM)GoGold Wrote:  I like UAB. I remember traveling many times to the 'ham a few years back watching us play before some decent crowds in Legion. Good atmosphere back then and I enjoyed some spirited interaction with your fans. It was a trip I looked forward to.

My only problem with UAB is you seem to have no control over your program.

This speaks for me as well. My only concern with UAB ultimately is that you are controlled by Tuscaloosa and they do not desire you to be athletically successful.
12-27-2012 08:44 AM
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rook360 Offline
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Post: #10
RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 08:44 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  
(12-27-2012 08:20 AM)GoGold Wrote:  My only problem with UAB is you seem to have no control over your program.

This speaks for me as well. My only concern with UAB ultimately is that you are controlled by Tuscaloosa and they do not desire you to be athletically successful.

And I have the greatest desire for Notre Dame to do a surprise curb stomping of uat.
12-27-2012 08:47 AM
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blazr Away
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RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 08:29 AM)rook360 Wrote:  One thing that I can't seem to get my head wrapped around is the thinking of the BOT.

It's better to keep renting space in a stadium off campus and losing money on parking, tickets, concessions, and rent, then to build our own stadium where were we keep the money on Parking, Concessions, Tickets, and we don't pay rent. That money goes back into owningour own stadium.

Anyway...so who's staying, who's coming in, and who's leaving the conference today.

That's because you're thinking in financial terms and that has NOTHING to do with the situation. Do you know the history of "The Kingfish" Huey Long, the Governor of Louisiana in the early 20th Century? Or perhaps George Wallace as Governor of Alabama during the period leading up to and immediately following passage of the Civil Rights Amendment? Or pretty much anyone in power at any point in the city of Chicago (it's not called the "Chicago Machine" for nothing).

You reach a point where money is not a challenge anymore. You "won" at money. You don't have the most, because you lack any true skills, but you've got enough that you'll never need more. So what's next? Power. Over what? Anything. Everything. That is a persistent game that never gets old or boring. If someone is doing something - anything, really, as long as it's visible to the public...BIG projects - that they didn't clear with you first or that you have communicated is not to be done (because fuq you, that's why!!) or, worst of all, that you have directly told them not to undertake (or you made your views public so everyone SEES you being ignored), well then the game is how many levers of power are at your disposal to outmaneuver them and then go after their business...then their families businesses...and so on (again, because fuq you, that's why!!). Alabama football is one HUGE lever of power (saying "John Holmes" huge is actually a deft and fitting analogy in this case). So is a statewide bank. And if you're just a sadistic sociopath you can throw in a Greyhound racing track in some remote state out west that conveniently funnels/launders, um, your "clothes" for you and doesn't care if you let the dogs starve, be abused, and die from not enough money to take care of them.

Why? Because fuq you, that's why!!
12-27-2012 08:50 AM
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blazers9911 Offline
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Post: #12
RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 08:44 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  
(12-27-2012 08:20 AM)GoGold Wrote:  I like UAB. I remember traveling many times to the 'ham a few years back watching us play before some decent crowds in Legion. Good atmosphere back then and I enjoyed some spirited interaction with your fans. It was a trip I looked forward to.

My only problem with UAB is you seem to have no control over your program.

This speaks for me as well. My only concern with UAB ultimately is that you are controlled by Tuscaloosa and they do not desire you to be athletically successful.

They let us hire the two coaches we wanted this go around. I think there was a lot more pressure on them to let UAB take care of its own athletics this go around. If McGee starts winning, fans will start coming to the games, and the stadium will have no legitimate reason to be shot down. Regardless of what happens this go around, UAB will sink or swim with the coaches it wanted to hire. That's all we can really ask for.(and I believe McGee has said that he'd like to start with smaller things like practice facilities before trying to bring the stadium up)
12-27-2012 09:03 AM
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blazr Away
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RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 08:44 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  
(12-27-2012 08:20 AM)GoGold Wrote:  I like UAB. I remember traveling many times to the 'ham a few years back watching us play before some decent crowds in Legion. Good atmosphere back then and I enjoyed some spirited interaction with your fans. It was a trip I looked forward to.

My only problem with UAB is you seem to have no control over your program.

This speaks for me as well. My only concern with UAB ultimately is that you are controlled by Tuscaloosa and they do not desire you to be athletically successful.

Ok, I'm going after this argument. First of all, UCF was in the Citrus Bowl for a very long time. It was convenient, big, and cheap(ish). In many ways, we are very fortunate to have Legion Field.

Having said that, for those who lean on that argument to support the view that UAB belongs in the Sunbelt or FCS - or anywhere other than where you are - what exactly are you afraid of? We did have a stretch of competitive FBS football where our trajectory was upwards until the combined egos of Watson Brown and Baby Bear started playing "Who Can Cover Who's Ass Faster". Our BOT is not going to submarine an entire conference. When we are successful, you've seen the crowds we can put in Legion Field or Bartow Arena. If the Birmingham MSA was offered to you for free - assuming here that you are creating a conference - why not take it? For something like the last 4 years it has actually been #1 in college football ratings per capita (and that's not just from UAT...more money is wagered, illegally, on college football in Birmingham than Las Vegas), so take it. It's in the SEC's backyard, the middle of a footprint, and - hell - if our BOT did someday find a way to shut us down, just yank someone up from the Sunbelt...that's been the M.O. lately anyways.

My point was that the potshots that imply that we put as few resources towards being successful as the poorest of the poor programs is just B.S. Furthermore, if any school in this conference has earned cooperation, the benefit of the doubt, or even a "ya know, those are just some upstanding guys with an impressive reputation and they've been with us since way back...call 'em up."

But, as I said, we know what the actual decision makers have in mind regarding us - as much as that can change in a moment - so the argument is not to start including us in your speculations...it's that lumping us with USA, Troy, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, et. al. is untrue (again, check our budget...if it was the size of Troy's or USA's CUSA would have kicked us to the curb a LONG time ago) and unnecessarily insulting.
12-27-2012 09:05 AM
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J Coog Offline
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Post: #14
RE: Polite Request RE: UAB
(12-27-2012 08:50 AM)blazr Wrote:  Why? Because fuq you, that's why!!

Makes me think of this scene...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kZg_ALxEz0

"...that's my name."
(This post was last modified: 12-27-2012 09:09 AM by J Coog.)
12-27-2012 09:08 AM
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blazr Away
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RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 09:08 AM)J Coog Wrote:  
(12-27-2012 08:50 AM)blazr Wrote:  Why? Because fuq you, that's why!!

Makes me think of this scene...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kZg_ALxEz0

"...that's my name."

That's not one of my favorite movie scenes (I was just out of high school...what did I care about Glengarry Glen Ross?), but what's amazing about it is that Baldwin got an Oscar nomination for his role...AND THAT MONOLOGUE WAS HIS ONLY TIME ON CAMERA!! That's damn impressive!
12-27-2012 09:33 AM
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GoGold Offline
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Post: #16
RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 08:44 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  This speaks for me as well. My only concern with UAB ultimately is that you are controlled by Tuscaloosa and they do not desire you to be athletically successful.

I think they have the desire, they are just up against a brick wall. Has to be one of the toughest AD jobs in the country.
12-27-2012 10:10 AM
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GoGold Offline
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Post: #17
RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 09:03 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  They let us hire the two coaches we wanted this go around. I think there was a lot more pressure on them to let UAB take care of its own athletics this go around.

Progress.....always a good sign.
12-27-2012 10:11 AM
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baruna falls Offline
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Post: #18
RE: Polite Request RE: UAB
Out of all of the Conf USA teams that have potential to do well in football, UAB is at the top for me. If they can rebrand themselves as a legit place to go and play football, UAB imho could easily be as good as Southern Miss( not a dig on Southern Miss, as I respect this program) has been. UAB is in a talent rich recruiting area. I think I remember their new coach saying that he believed they could recruit enough talent just in the Birmingham region to compete for a Conf USA championship. I think he is probably correct. UAB has always had good athletes at the talent positions, they just need depth. IMO, one or two really good head coaches could turn the UAB program around and make it very, very good.
(This post was last modified: 12-27-2012 10:13 AM by baruna falls.)
12-27-2012 10:12 AM
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RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 03:14 AM)blazr Wrote:  The salvos being lobbed back and forth over realignment, un-realignment, and re-re-un-realignment are entertaining and, sometimes, informative. UAB is not mentioned in pretty much any guesses about how the "East" winds up and that's understandable. Only football, essentially, is being considered and it is a truism that college sports fans have extremely short memories. No one will remember, or care, that from '99 through '05 UAB had the 3rd highest conf win PCT in CUSA...not to mention winning records over many schools who's fans are among the most braggadocios (schools that, in some cases, were expected to be easy wins in football...and bore that out). So, in this audience and in this context I fully understand being ignored. We know - as much as anyone can - how the decision makers feel.

However, some posters have taken to belittling and/or minimizing the stature of our University and athletics...counting us amongst the subjective "bottom-feeders" that drag down a conference's reputation and clout. My request? Cut it out. It is not only untrue, but considering that UAB is a founding member of CUSA and that Coach Gene Bartow place a crucial role in making the conference happen at all, it is insulting and disrespectful. We have been a committed, steadfast, and productive partner in this endeavor. Besides that - and to the point of being "untrue" - keep these things in mind, please:

************ THESE ARE UAB FACTS. SKIP TO BOTTOM IF YOU DON'T CARE*****

- UAB is a globally respected, highly renowned research institution that is leading the world in cutting-edge findings in genetics, organ transplants, HIV vaccines, and even climatological research in places as far off as Antarctica. There are very few institutions in CUSA, past or present, that can match UAB's global reputation on those fronts.

- UAB is the largest employer in its state and located in a Top 40 MSA with an international airport and central location that makes travel cheaper and smoother than most schools can boast.

- When Coach Bartow came to Birmingham, UAB didn't own basketballs...no club team, intercollegiate intramural squads, nothing. That was in 1978. Think on this: UAB's sole appearance in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament came in 1982. Four years. In 33 seasons, UAB had a winning record in 30. We have 11 NCAA tourny appearances (plus 11 NIT slots which is 22 postseason cards in those 33 seasons) and 3 Sweet Sixteen appearances to go with the Elite Eight mentioned above.

- Since UAB football joined our other sports in CUSA, we have kept competitive pace - or bettered - some members with generations of history. Even with our recent trials, football has averaged just under 20,000 fans per game. We are committed to growing WITH our conference mates, and to that end...

- If you trace the history of athletic budgets at CUSA-member schools, you will see steady growth from the mid-teens, to $20m, to pushing $30m, and now reaching or exceeding $40m. UAB has NEVER failed to honor our relationship with conference mates or the reputation of CUSA by "doing things cheap." We have kept pace at every step and will always do so.

- Men's soccer, and particularly head coach Mike Getman, enjoys an international reputation built by leveraging the global reach of our academic/research endeavors. This has produced a consistently competitive program at the national level. Men's golf has similarly leveraged our global reputation (as have our tennis, volleyball, and other sports) to draw golfers from an international pool which has led to our growth into one of the nation's best programs ranked as high as #8 in 2011. 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell prepped for his successful European and PGA career by winning NCAA men's golf's version of the Heisman Trophy, the Haskin's Award, in his 2002 senior season (the list of winners for that award is a who's-who of current golf stars from Tiger to David Duval to Phil Mickelson to Stewart Cink.

- Finally, UAB Track & Field star Vonetta Flowers became the first black woman to win a Winter Olympics Gold Medal by training for and competing in the 2-woman bobsled event.

********************* THE BOTTOM ********************

In summary, ignore UAB if you wish. Factors beyond wins and losses in football still play a large role in conference configurations and the people who will make these decisions...well, we are confident we'll be fine. The only argument I will offer in favor of UAB's inclusion in a "Eastern/Southern" arrangement is to challenge you knowledgeable college basketball fans to try and ignore UAB hoops when constructing the "Southern" part. You'll find precious few programs that rise to the level of UAB's men's basketball.

But sneering at our university, a school that goes back to one branch of the roots that became CUSA and, therefore, helped every current and former member become what they are today, is simply unwarranted. Our university deserves respect beyond the schools that some wish us to join (or helpfully point out that we'd be better with "them") because we have earned that respect...in our athletic accomplishments, our steadfast partnerships with your schools, and - perhaps most important - our commitment from the top of our university down to our casual fans to always display and carry forward the high standards, integrity, and class that defined the "father of UAB athletics", Coach Gene Bartow...a man who deeply impacted every person he interacted with in his time on this earth. One final thing that defined Coach Bartow was his ability to accomplish things that had never been done before - period, not just at UAB - or that experts deemed impossible for a school like ours.

We have been your intense foes in competition, always striving to push beyond how others perceive us, and your respectful, cooperative partner. For that I believe we can ask that if you have nothing productive to say, err on the side of saying nothing at all.

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I have said repeatedly and sincerely that I find UAB a rival that USM fans are taking very serious after the last 4 years for sure, but for us who have followed the rivalry since game one, UAB has given USM tough games most of the series. UAB has to be respected by honest fans because anyone who remembers before UAB started football, Birmingham was Crimson Tide country and often hosted Tide games at Legion Field. UAB is part of the state schools and like in Mississippi that means they have to fight for funds with Alabama, Auburn as well as the other programs in the system.

Say what you want about UAB, but I wish them well and respect the problems they have that most of us would cringe at. It is a tribute to them and their fans that they have done as much, as fast, as they have.
12-27-2012 10:21 AM
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blazr Away
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Post: #20
RE: Polite Request UAB
(12-27-2012 10:21 AM)SgtGoldenEagle Wrote:  I have said repeatedly and sincerely that I find UAB a rival that USM fans are taking very serious after the last 4 years for sure, but for us who have followed the rivalry since game one, UAB has given USM tough games most of the series. UAB has to be respected by honest fans because anyone who remembers before UAB started football, Birmingham was Crimson Tide country and often hosted Tide games at Legion Field. UAB is part of the state schools and like in Mississippi that means they have to fight for funds with Alabama, Auburn as well as the other programs in the system.

Say what you want about UAB, but I wish them well and respect the problems they have that most of us would cringe at. It is a tribute to them and their fans that they have done as much, as fast, as they have.

Thank you, sir. Conversely, I think Southern Miss fans can take a lot from the fact that to most UAB fans - and, in Birmingham, they are certainly knowledgeable - one of the obstacles to overcome on our way to "arriving" near where we want to be was to beat USM in football. Most UAT fans - and, hence, most Alabamians - know hardly anything beyond the Tide and certainly nothing about the world beyond the SEC, but USM was a measuring stick from the beginning because of how your program gave Bama fits under Curly Hallman then Jeff Bower...with Favre's early-90s victory being the highlight, of course.

I'll share two things: 1) when USM got the ball back in '09 I just knew we were going to lose - probably a ways back for a lot of you, but when your program is in the stage of getting that close but not over the hump you start to feel this sick dread in the pit of your stomach - when our safety intercepted that last pass and started running, I just knew he was going to fumble; and when he dove over the goal line and there were no flags I started crying...it was really a huge, f'ing deal; 2) in a public meeting back in the early 00's where the BOT reaffirmed their "support" for UAB athletics, we had just had 44,000+ at Legion Field for our game against you and a halftime appearance by American Idol Ruben Studdard, and one of the members of the "old boys' club" started his remarks by congratulating us for the huge turnout against "Mississippi Southern." I don't even remember my father ever using that phrase and I almost thought he was going to pull out "Mississippi Normal". THOSE are the guys in charge at UAB and most Southern universities for that matter. Evil, masterminded geniuses they are not...
12-27-2012 12:46 PM
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