UAB shutting down football program

#351
#351
Talked to some insiders today and heard that Watts didn't officially decide until 9:30 or so on Monday.

Let me put this in perspective then add some more crazy facts.

UAB has an operating budget of just over $1 billion. The total athletics subsidy (beyond sports related revenue) is $20 million. That covers all the losses on all the sports (I'm guessing they all lose money). Killing football would save a couple million annually at most (assuming steady state revenue to the University without football which is a bad assumption as both the OSKR and CSS reports show).

So, the leader of a 1 billion dollar enterprise agonized until the last minute over a fraction of a percentage of the budget. If he believed in Football and how it fit the vision of the organization it would be a no brainer - particularly since pledges completely fill the budget gap.

Next, I find out that because he was undecided he told no one (Finance guy, AD, etc.) that we were keeping football so they could do no preparation for the press conference, no notification of NCAA and begin exploration. The reason they had no answers at the press conference they called was the leader of the organization couldn't decide what to do.

Keep in mind he's the 11th highest paid university president in the country (over $850k).

Finally, he showed no enthusiasm and some anger that he was reinstating the sports and was adamant that UAB would make ZERO additional contributions and the success was 100% dependent on people outside the university. WTF? If you agree to have a program you should 1) say you are excited about it and 2) make some indication you want it to succeed.

It's a joke that he hasn't been canned. He's in way over his head. I'm not longer sure this was a BoT driven decision. He's a buffoon who may have dreamed this up himself. The BoT is still complicit because they continue to back him 100% as a great leader.
 
#354
#354
Would they have a heavy dose of games with P5 schools to help fill the coffers? That's what WKU did when they made the transaction to FBS and it wasn't pretty but it was necessary. Always felt bad for, but admired, the kids who ended their careers going 2-22 playing UT, Bama, LSU, IU etc for the betterment of the program down the line.
 
#356
#356
So here's an update for those interested.

The official party line is that football will resume play in 2017; new practice facilities will be built and Coach Clark will be retained as coach.

The Birmingham business community stepped up in a big way to offer support and is highly engaged. It helps that Birmingham is on an upswing and this is viewed as an important part of that.

Now for reality. The Board is continuing to fight (behind the scenes of course). A roughly chronological order of their actions:

1) Contract negotiations with Clark are "ongoing" - it's been over 100 days now but for some reason they just can't come to terms...

2) Pledges originally due by Jan 1 2016 were suddenly called in as due by Sept 1. This was announced in August (short time to make financial arrangements for some) and the set goal was 2 million by Sept. Naturally, many donors (myself included) wanted to see some good faith effort from the BOT and Administration like maybe a contract for the coach who won't field a team for 2 years. In the end, people came through and passed the goal with 2.5 million.

3) Right after the new Sept 1 deadline was set another moving of the goalposts occurred when the administration asked people to make their second year of pledges by Jan 1 2016. The pledges were 5 year pledges and now the demand was make the first 2 of 5 payments by the time the first one you contractually agreed to was due. The goal is 5 million.

4) Last year the undergraduate students via the USGA agreed to have a fee increase of 25 bucks a semester to support the axed sports. Passed with a huge majority. The BOT has now demanded that the entire student body vote on the fee increase (eventhough USGA had the authority). Never in the history of this school or any school in the system have students been asked to vote on a fee increase. Clearly the hope is that it won't pass due to apathy or not voting or seeing a fee increase. Even if it does pass the BOT hasn't indicated what the vote means or what level of support is necessary. It's a clear stalling tactic.

5) Word is all over that Coach Clark got a contract offer of 500K for ONE YEAR with no facilities upgrades. He was already screwed originally by getting only a 3 year contract as a new hire when 5 is the common contract. Now they want him to commit to ONE DAMN YEAR. Ludicrous.

6) Paul Bryant Jr is leaving the BOT this year due to age but they just created a new "liaison" committee between the BOT and UAB and guess who's on it? Yep PBJ. No word on how long he can serve on that board. The other BOT members most hostile to UAB football are also magically on it.

7) Today the assistant AD was canned. He was the one who guided UAB through the last year after the AD split days before the football announcement (he's never been heard from). It was pretty clear that this guy was fighting to bring back football and paid the price.

This is the short version. Bottomline, the BOT is doing all it can to kill the return of football. Last weekend was tough since instead of Bowling Green the Vols should have been playing the Blazers.

The only hope is that the local business leaders are applying pressure and many of them are big UA donors too so the BOT has to tread lightly with them.

#FREEUAB
 
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#358
#358
VolsSportsFan said:
So even after all that, they're still trying to kill the program? Unreal.
Click to expand...

Not only trying but succeeding. Since nothing is really in the open (ongoing comment is we are still negotiating with Coach Clark) it's tough to form a counter move.

They are truly dirty, rotten people. I've never seen anything like it.
 
#359
#359
Oh I forgot one - UAB sent out the Master Plan for the next decade or so detailing changes to the campus etc. In the one they sent out there were no new football facilities (practice field, Ops bldg).

Remember the party line was all this was coming.

Today they sent out a revised one with a different picture showing some football facilities.

So which one was the mistake?
 
#360
#360
volinbham said:
So here's an update for those interested.

The official party line is that football will resume play in 2017; new practice facilities will be built and Coach Clark will be retained as coach.

The Birmingham business community stepped up in a big way to offer support and is highly engaged. It helps that Birmingham is on an upswing and this is viewed as an important part of that.

Now for reality. The Board is continuing to fight (behind the scenes of course). A roughly chronological order of their actions:

1) Contract negotiations with Clark are "ongoing" - it's been over 100 days now but for some reason they just can't come to terms...

2) Pledges originally due by Jan 1 2016 were suddenly called in as due by Sept 1. This was announced in August (short time to make financial arrangements for some) and the set goal was 2 million by Sept. Naturally, many donors (myself included) wanted to see some good faith effort from the BOT and Administration like maybe a contract for the coach who won't field a team for 2 years. In the end, people came through and passed the goal with 2.5 million.

3) Right after the new Sept 1 deadline was set another moving of the goalposts occurred when the administration asked people to make their second year of pledges by Jan 1 2016. The pledges were 5 year pledges and now the demand was make the first 2 of 5 payments by the time the first one you contractually agreed to was due. The goal is 5 million.

4) Last year the undergraduate students via the USGA agreed to have a fee increase of 25 bucks a semester to support the axed sports. Passed with a huge majority. The BOT has now demanded that the entire student body vote on the fee increase (eventhough USGA had the authority). Never in the history of this school or any school in the system have students been asked to vote on a fee increase. Clearly the hope is that it won't pass due to apathy or not voting or seeing a fee increase. Even if it does pass the BOT hasn't indicated what the vote means or what level of support is necessary. It's a clear stalling tactic.

5) Word is all over that Coach Clark got a contract offer of 500K for ONE YEAR with no facilities upgrades. He was already screwed originally by getting only a 3 year contract as a new hire when 5 is the common contract. Now they want him to commit to ONE DAMN YEAR. Ludicrous.

6) Paul Bryant Jr is leaving the BOT this year due to age but they just created a new "liaison" committee between the BOT and UAB and guess who's on it? Yep PBJ. No word on how long he can serve on that board. The other BOT members most hostile to UAB football are also magically on it.

7) Today the assistant AD was canned. He was the one who guided UAB through the last year after the AD split days before the football announcement (he's never been heard from). It was pretty clear that this guy was fighting to bring back football and paid the price.

This is the short version. Bottomline, the BOT is doing all it can to kill the return of football. Last weekend was tough since instead of Bowling Green the Vols should have been playing the Blazers.

The only hope is that the local business leaders are applying pressure and many of them are big UA donors too so the BOT has to tread lightly with them.

#FREEUAB
Click to expand...

Zero dog in the fight, but that just makes my blood boil.

I patiently await the spin from the UAT folks that there is nothing really going on, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, etc....
 
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#361
#361
volinbham said:
Not only trying but succeeding. Since nothing is really in the open (ongoing comment is we are still negotiating with Coach Clark) it's tough to form a counter move.

They are truly dirty, rotten people. I've never seen anything like it.
Click to expand...

Is there any way to truly get this exposed?
 
#362
#362
WallyBalls said:
Zero dog in the fight, but that just makes my blood boil.

I patiently await the spin from the UAT folks that there is nothing really going on, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, etc....
Click to expand...

I think most Bama folks, outside of the BOT, don't really give a crap.
 
#363
#363
WallyBalls said:
Is there any way to truly get this exposed?
Click to expand...

The local paper and news all editorialize that it's BS but until someone exposes it there isn't much of a paper trail.

During the shutdown, someone from inside dumped 100 pages or so of planning from the PR firm that showed the decision was made long before the public statements.

Tapes of the meeting to hire Clark reveal some of the need to get the approval of a few BOT members.

Most of the people with the inside knowledge have been paid to leave and signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Rumor is someone has phone recordings of the crap contract offer.

In the end though there isn't an authority above the board that would take action.

The Governor might be able to but he's in big trouble in a divorce/corruption situation and his lawyer is one of the board members that wants to kill UAB football (can't make this shizz up).
 
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#368
#368
Well we got some good news today.

Coach Clark finally got a contract - an apparently it's a true 5 year deal which should give him 3 full years once the team starts in 2017. Also, it is apparently guaranteed so if the BOT pulls the plug they are on the hook for a decent chunk of change.

BOT slated to approve the contract tomorrow a.m.

Birmingham business community instrumental in convincing BOT and Clark.

The fight continues but this is a significant step on the way back.
 
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#372
#372
In another move of support, the vote that the BOT required (but deny asking for) from students supporting the fee came out overwhelmingly in favor.

More specifically, 35% of the students voted (for context, just over 15% voter participation is the prior record) and 85% voted to support the fees.

In your face Paul Bryant Jr. and the other thugs on the BOT.

Awaiting where the goalposts on wheels go next
 
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#373
#373
I haven't revisited this thread in quite a while what does BOT stand for?
 
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