😢With new stadium and ascendant football, UAB poised to capitalize on conference realignment

[Tom McKrackin]

A lot has changed for UAB since the last time conference realignment upended college athletics.

When the Big East (later known as the American Athletic Conference) plundered Conference USA in 2011, stealing seven schools over two years, there was no serious consideration of making UAB one of them. The school had a terrible football program at the time, played in dilapidated Legion Field, and despite playing in the most college football-crazed city in America, it didn’t come with a huge TV market. At a critical time, UAB looked like a mess. So it waved goodbye as the AAC boat took Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane and Tulsa away and left it behind.

A combination of an inspired fanbase and wealthy Birmingham natives, who bought into the idea UAB football would be good for the city, revived the football program. Their actions and their fervent, unrelenting desire to get UAB football back are worthy of Hollywood treatment one day. They invested in sparkling new football facilities after having to use a former dentist’s office for years. Since UAB’s return in 2017, head coach Bill Clark has done one of the best coaching jobs in America. The Blazers have won the conference twice, won their first-ever bowl game in 2018, and just this year have beaten AAC member Tulane in New Orleans and a solid Jacksonville State team that went on to beat Florida State.

read more:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.al.com/sports/2021/09/with-new-stadium-and-ascendant-football-uab-poised-to-capitalize-on-conference-realignment.html%3foutputType=amp

 

[El Paso Eagle]

UAB has done everything right the last few from staging their call to "drop" football to getting the community to build the stadium. Have to give credit where it is due.

[Tom McKrackin]

3 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

UAB has done everything right the last few from staging their call to "drop" football to getting the community to build the stadium. Have to give credit where it is due.

Yes but the reason I put a teardrop in my subject line is what could have and should have been for NT.  We have squandered so many opportunities.  it’s just sickening to me to now watch this stuff play out in front of us.  Had Littrell done what he was supposed to we could be UAB right now.  

[UNTLifer]

It’s a nice article by a hometown website building up one of their schools because they understand the impact on the community as a whole. It would be nice to read something similar from the DRC, but they don’t want to upset the old Denton guard or come across as cheerleaders for the local university. 

[El Paso Eagle]

4 minutes ago, Tom McKrackin said:

Yes but the reason I put a teardrop in my subject line is what could have and should have been for NT.  We have squandered so many opportunities.  it’s just sickening to me to now watch this stuff play out in front of us.  Had Littrell done what he was supposed to we could be UAB right now.  

It is safe to say the UNT business plan/model has not put us where we would like. Hopefully Wren's next move will be something different that changes the culture. 

[Rudy]

2 hours ago, El Paso Eagle said:

UAB has done everything right the last few from staging their call to "drop" football to getting the community to build the stadium. Have to give credit where it is due.

It still boggles my mind how all these new schools, and UAB (which had it's FB shut down by the Alabama BOR), can start their programs up, fully commit to putting a winning product on the field, then there's NT.

South Florida, Liberty, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina, App St, UAB.  Its ridiculous.

[El Paso Eagle]

31 minutes ago, Rudy said:

It still boggles my mind how all these new schools, and UAB (which had it's FB shut down by the Alabama BOR), can start their programs up, fully commit to putting a winning product on the field, then there's NT.

South Florida, Liberty, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina, App St, UAB.  Its ridiculous.

Great question. Look at Liberty, I believe last year every team sport (or almost all) they play advanced to post season play

[meanJewGreen]

1 hour ago, Rudy said:

It still boggles my mind how all these new schools, and UAB (which had it's FB shut down by the Alabama BOR), can start their programs up, fully commit to putting a winning product on the field, then there's NT.

South Florida, Liberty, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina, App St, UAB.  Its ridiculous.

Wouldn't say App State is a *new* school. Since 1985 they've had 2 losing seasons, and 3 national championships (coached by former UNT head coach Jerry Moore) 

the others... absolutely. 

 

[PlummMeanGreen]

UAB’s “co-owned” Stadium I understand is almost 2 miles from their campus.  Not sure how wise that was.  Ask UH how even the Astrodome location miles from Cullen Blvd. & their campus worked out for Coog football, especially when the losing seasons started happening. 

UAB’s dropping of football for 2 years to pile on some “NCAA sanctioned” transfers (among other things) seems to have worked out for them.  That most definitely an NCAA road never travelled. 
 

❇️

Edited September 30, 2021 by PlummMeanGreen

[Rudy]

5 hours ago, meanJewGreen said:

Wouldn't say App State is a *new* school. Since 1985 they've had 2 losing seasons, and 3 national championships (coached by former UNT head coach Jerry Moore) 

the others... absolutely. 

 

New to FBS. Just like UAB isn't a new program, just recently restarted. The point still stands. 

[DeepGreen]

7 hours ago, Rudy said:

It still boggles my mind how all these new schools, and UAB (which had it's FB shut down by the Alabama BOR), can start their programs up, fully commit to putting a winning product on the field, then there's NT.

South Florida, Liberty, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina, App St, UAB.  Its ridiculous.

And UNT leadership, top to bottom, including the school President, should be looking in the mirror for why we have failed.  And the fans and community too.