UAB going to re-evaluate dropping football.

[Coach Bill Lewis]

To:

Faculty, staff and students,

I would like to share with you an announcement I am making this afternoon so you are aware of some important next steps in our strategic planning process.

A common theme we have heard in the many meetings I have had with UAB's major constituency groups on and off campus, including faculty, staff, students, alumni and other supporters, is a desire to have an independent financial firm evaluate the numbers that served as a basis for our decisions in the Athletic Department.

I have listened, and I agree that if an independent financial review is needed to verify the credibility of our numbers, then that is what we should do.

To that end, we have formed a committee representative of our constituents to select a firm to review our initial report.

This new committee will be led by National Alumni Society President Wes Smith. Other committee members are:

Shannon Ealy - Interim Athletic Director

Chad Epps - President of the Faculty Senate

Don Hire - UAB Athletics, Champions Club

Harold Jones - Head of our athletic director search committee and also our former lead in NCAA certification

Steve Mitchell - A former UAB athlete

Anjali Wagle - President of the Student Government Association

Once a firm is selected, we will ask that a report be completed within 90 days. While this report is being developed, we will continue to have dialogue with all stakeholders on this important matter.

I'm sure a question is: Are you bringing back football? Only after an independent review of the numbers will we have the ability to have a credible and constructive dialogue about moving forward. It is important to note that we will not field a football team in 2015.

I want to thank everyone for their engagement and suggestions in this process. I hope this decision is well received as a positive step to moving the UAB community forward.

Very sincerely,

Ray L. Watts

President

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[Harry]

This is BS...

[Rudy]

Until they tell the University of Alabama System to shove it up their ass and break away, I agree Harry. It's just a bunch of smoke and mirrors.

[UNT90]

Just a political attempt to satisfy screaming alumni.

What's done is done, and can't/won't be undone.

[emmitt01]

You might as well have included Nick Saban on that committee

[oldguystudent]

There is some money flowing in this. But to whom?

[untbowler]

what a crock, if they want to be transparent there would be an independent audit, not one filled with UA members that want UAB to go away, which includes the AD POS

[forevereagle]

They may also be trying to stay in CUSA and delay having to find a new home.

[oldguystudent]

They may also be trying to stay in CUSA and delay having to find a new home.

That's an interesting angle I hadn't thought of. Any rumors that the conference is about to give them the boot? I mean, they probably should leave without football. I've lost my taste for any kind of hybrid football/nonfootball conference.

[forevereagle]

That's an interesting angle I hadn't thought of. Any rumors that the conference is about to give them the boot? I mean, they probably should leave without football. I've lost my taste for any kind of hybrid football/nonfootball conference.

Part of conference membership is that you must field a football team. Banowsky has expressed a desire to keep them, but the schools have not agreed with that. That was the word on the street not long after the announcement.

[VideoEagle]

Part of conference membership is that you must field a football team. Banowsky has expressed a desire to keep them, but the schools have not agreed with that. That was the word on the street not long after the announcement.

A decade or so ago CUSA kicked out Charlotte for not fielding a football team. I'm not sure how the other schools would feel about an exception now. Plus having an odd number of teams is a nightmare for scheduling and adding a "football only" school doesn't have a good record of success.

I don't think they get to stay although they MIGHT stay an additional year.

[forevereagle]

A decade or so ago CUSA kicked out Charlotte for not fielding a football team. I'm not sure how the other schools would feel about an exception now. Plus having an odd number of teams is a nightmare for scheduling and adding a "football only" school doesn't have a good record of success.

I don't think they get to stay although they MIGHT stay an additional year.

I agree, unlikely that the other schools want to keep them around and a football only school is not going to happen. I think the extra year is what they are looking for.

[UNT90]

They may also be trying to stay in CUSA and delay having to find a new home.

Except that letter states they will not have football in 2015.

And, like you said, having football is a requirement for CUSA membership.

[forevereagle]

Except that letter states they will not have football in 2015.

And, like you said, having football is a requirement for CUSA membership.

But if they are "investigating" returning the program, they can try to use that as a bargaining chip to stay in for one more season, giving them time to find a new home while actually investigating nothing.

[NM Green]

Well Hawaii has football membership only in the mwc. Is there a football taker out there? Start with BYU hit the academies then a strong sbc or logical sbc like asu lala or nmsu. GMG

[Cougar King]

Well Hawaii has football membership only in the mwc. Is there a football taker out there? Start with BYU hit the academies then a strong sbc or logical sbc like asu lala or nmsu. GMG

BYU is an obvious no and already has a psuedo scheduling alliance with the AAC. Air Force turned the Big 12 down, so they definitely won't leave the MWC for CUSA, Navy is joining the AAC this summer, Army doesn't want to go back to CUSA.

So that leaves ULL, Arkansas State or South Alabama.

[untjim1995]

Speaking of UAB, here's a funny note. They just extended their basketball coach, Jerod Haase, out for two more years at $525k per season. Here's the kicker--in the contract, it explicitly says that he cannot make public any criticism of UAB school administrators.

If we think UNT has no clue on how to run athletics, UAB is much worse than us...

[greenit]

UNT-Birmingham?

[Andrew]

BYU is an obvious no and already has a psuedo scheduling alliance with the AAC. Air Force turned the Big 12 down, so they definitely won't leave the MWC for CUSA, Navy is joining the AAC this summer, Army doesn't want to go back to CUSA.

So that leaves ULL, Arkansas State or South Alabama.

This guy is funny. As if somehow the AAC is any better than CUSA. Lol

[Mean Green 93-98]

This guy is funny. As if somehow the AAC is any better than CUSA. Lol

Umm, it is. It may be closer to C-USA than to the Big XII, but we would hop on an invite to AAC lickety split.

[Christopher Walker]

Umm, it is. It may be closer to C-USA than to the Big XII, but we would hop on an invite to AAC lickety split.

God, I would hope not.

[UNTexas]

BYU is an obvious no and already has a psuedo scheduling alliance with the AAC. Air Force turned the Big 12 down, so they definitely won't leave the MWC for CUSA, Navy is joining the AAC this summer, Army doesn't want to go back to CUSA.

So that leaves ULL, Arkansas State or South Alabama.

I could see BYU going to the Big 12. Army will be limited to jumping into conferences because I don't see them going into the same conference with Navy or Air Force. But who the hell knows with the climate in college football these days.

[greenit]

The only scenario where I could see UAB staying without football is if Army were to agree to join for football.

[SilverEagle]

....and in a related matter...........http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12171249/uab-faculty-senate-votes-no-confidence-president

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Faculty Senate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Thursday voted no-confidence in President Ray Watts following his decision to kill the school's football program, which had its best record in a decade last fall.

Here's my question. If the same thing happened here (shutting down the FB program after our 9-4 season) would our faculty have done the same thing? Or would they have given him a standing ovation/

Edited January 16, 2015 by SilverEagle

[JesseMartin]

When the "who would we take" conversation comes up, why does no one else mention Georgia Southern? They've come along really quickly and if they keep it up could be the next midmajor powerhouse. Between wins and close calls against P5 teams, they've given like 4 or 5 schools a collective heart attack in the last 2 years.